Today we’d like to introduce you to Jesse Jones.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was born in a small city just outside of Pittsburgh, PA called Aliquippa. I was a church kid. Church was basically my whole life from the time I was born till this very day. I attended The Church In The Round, COGIC under the late great Bishop Melvin E. Clark, Sr. I started assisting teaching Sunday School classes at the age of 12 and was also involved in the dance ministry (Exaltations of Praise under the direction of Stacy Alexander). Those 2 ministries along with being apart AVC (Audio Video Communications) which was the sound and video ministry founded by my father and mother (Elder Raymond and Evangelist Sandra Jones). I along with my 2 older brothers (Joshua and Melvin) was basically born and raised in church. Some people say they were in church all the time but we truly were in church all the time. A typical week was Mon: Prayer and Bible Band, Tues: Young People’s classes (Sunshine band as a youth and as a teen it was Purity Class), Wed: Evening Prayer, Thurs: Choir Rehearsal (Joshua was heavily involved in the choir), Friday: Evangelistic Service, Saturday: Dance Ministry Rehearsal, Sunday Service all day. We were in church all the time and this doesn’t count Holy Convocation, Spring and Fall Worker’s Meetings, Revivals, etc. Ministry was something was in my spiritual DNA from birth. It was spoken over my life numerous times that I would be in ministry and pastoring from the time I was 16 till I finally accepted the call.
After I graduated high school I went to college in Ohio and was immediately in church and taking part in ministry. At Ohio University I assisted with the audio ministry, I was the head of the praise and worship team and the dance team, I was the pastor’s armor bearer (which is essentially like the pastor’s assistance). Pastor Francine Childs was my pastor during my college years and gave me the opportunity to get practice in doing ministry and by that I mean she gave me the opportunity to preach and teach the word on a very regular basis. She really believed in the call on my life and was determined to see me realize it. She had me travel with her and experience church outside of just COGIC but also outside of what is considered the black church experience. All of this allowed me to be open to a church called Capital City Church that was located in Amanda Ohio and Columbus Ohio.
It was at Capital City Church under the leadership of Pastor Marlene Dye that I was challenged the most and not had to put all that I had been trained in ministry to use. It was at Capital City that I was first licensed as a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ and was the assistant pastor under Pastor Dye. She is an unorthodox leader and my cup of tea. She believed in doing it God’s way at all costs no matter what. It was there that I learned what true evangelism and street ministry was. It was there I learned how to give to the needy and less fortunate beyond just giving money. We cooked for the homeless twice a week, we did food and clothing drives, had street services. She is a woman of God all about the people.
That journey led me to Resurrection Ministries For All People under the leadership of Bishop Mel Griffin. Pastor Dye told me one day “Jesse, there is nothing more I can teach you. It is time for you to go so that you can grow further and do what God has called you to do.” I met Bishop Griffin while I was working as the assistant manager of a Radio Shack. He walked in the store and was talking to my manager, they were good friends. My manager introduced me to him and said Mel this is Jesse you need to know him he is a minister. Without hesitation Bishop Griffin said I want you come preach for a youth service at my church. That one encounter led me to 8 years of committed service to the man of God and that ministry. This would be my next to final stop.
8 years after first serving under Bishop Griffin he sent me to be Victorious Life Christian Center under the leadership of Pastor Howard Williams serve as their youth pastor. It was a great experience as Pastor Williams is a man of God who not only loves the word of God but loves God’s people and will do anything to see them succeed in this walk. He and I spent many hours after service talking over the word and him teaching and training me as a leader. With my wife Falonda Jones as my assistant in youth ministry over the course of our 8 years of service at VLCC we say over 88 young people turn their lives over to God and look to walk a saved, sanctified life. It was at this time that God would again speak to me and remind me He didn’t just call me to serve under another pastor, He called me to be a pastor.
So after counsel with both Bishop Griffin and Pastor Williams it was settled that I would be ordained and consecrated as a pastor, but not of anyone else’s church. The church God had me be the founder of High Praise Ministries. Pastor Williams would serve as our Covering Pastor (church jargon for a pastor who holds another pastor accountable and is given authority in their life). I served as Pastor of HPM in Columbus, Ohio for about 6 years until God spoke and told us to move to the Atlanta area. We have been here for the past 6 years and currently reside in Decatur, GA.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a smooth road whatsoever, but true ministry never really is. One has to learn how to navigate dealing with your own humanness while also being the one who holds others accountable for their humanness. The weight of being the one responsible for helping others come to the knowledge of Jesus as Savior, deepen their relationship with Jesus, and move toward the purpose for which they are created is a heavy one. I’ve had struggles and issues in my home with family, I’ve been homeless (twice), I’ve been divorced (a very ugly situation), I’ve lost friends and loved ones and had to be the one to give the eulogy, and so much more. When most people think of pastoring, they think of the hour or so we are up on a given day preaching a message. They don’t think about nor do they see the countless hours of study, the sleepless nights because you bare the weight of the people you are called to help. They don’t see how hard it is to see someone go down a wrong path (in advance) and try to warn them and help them just for them to go that path anyway. They don’t see the countless hours spent counseling and praying for others even when you need it yourself. They don’t see the countless dollars that come out of your own pocket to not only to keep the ministry going (paying the bills for the ministry [rent, lights, website, etc]) but also to help those you are charged to lead pay their bills or deal with their issues. Navigating all those things which by the way no one really tells you about when you come into ministry while at the same time still battling your own issues, learning how to walk in purpose yourself, and trying to trust God every step of the way. It is a very hard road but I tell you it is so worth it and as the older saints when I was coming up used to say, I wouldn’t take nothing for the journey.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As of June 2025 I have been elevated to the office of Bishop (which basically in it’s most basic terms is a higher ranking pastor), but for me not much has changed about how I go about doing what God has called me to do. I still love to teach and train those who want to know more about Jesus. I still love to help people and see them fulfill the purpose to which they are called. As Jesus said concerning the work He did and does “I am about my Father’s business.”
My specialty to me would be teaching and the way I teach the word of God. HPM is not your average Christian church and ministry. For starters we hold our main service on Saturdays and do not have a Sunday service. When God called me to pastor he said go back to the original Sabbath. So that is what we do. Now there is nothing wrong with Sunday service but for me and what God told me He said Saturday and Saturday is what we do. During our service we call Next Level Service, I call it a Sunday morning look with a bible study feel. During this service at any time while I am yet teaching those who are watching our live stream (on youtube or facebook) or in person at 1472 Richard Rd. Decatur, GA can stop me and ask a question pertaining to the message. I let the people ask questions because I don’t believe it makes any sense for me to be up teaching and you listening but not understanding something that has been taught. The bible teaches us in all your getting get an understanding. So I allow for questions so there will be greater understanding. It is this that sets High Praise Ministries and myself as Pastor apart from others and it is this that we are known for (that and I am almost always teaching a series). Now, please understand this doesn’t make us better or worse than other churches and ministries. It does however set us apart because to my knowledge no other church during their main service operates that way.
I am most proud of the perseverance and consistency that I have shown these 12 years of pastoring. It as I said before is not easy. I started young and began pastoring at a time when people my age (32 then) were not being consecrated as pastor. So the old guard as it were did not receive me well nor did they like me much because as a young person my perspective was and still is very different and I was not shy about expressing it. My approach to teaching the word of God is different and it goes against the grain of the norm for them. At the same time being an old soul as it were a lot of younger people couldn’t really relate to me either because I wasn’t having nor did I have their experience. I grew up in church around the old saints. So I love the hymns, I love prayer, I love praise and worship without the show elements. I don’t enjoy the fog machines and light shows the younger generation has in their services. I believe the experience of feeling the presence of God comes from authentically being in His presence not from the show style performance that can make it look like one is in His presence. Being who I am came and comes at a cost (as unintentionally arrogant as that may sound). I have been told by other pastors and such that they don’t think they would have lasted if they had to go through and endure what I have. That is a testament to God’s keeping power in my life. I am proud of the fact that no matter what I was taught to keep my eyes on Him and follow Him at all costs and I have done my absolute best to always do just that.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
When seeking a mentor I believe you should first seek God. Ask God to show you you and show you what you need to go where He has called you to. If you don’t know how to seek God then you need to learn how to seek Him and hear from him. Here is a cheap plug (lol) I have an excellent series entitled How To Hear From God on the HPM Youtube channel. It is a great way to understand how one can hear from God. Once you understand how to hear from God it will help you learn to seek God for yourself. I also recommend finding a good church home. Somewhere where 3 things happen: 1) you are challenged in the word of God and taught solid true uncompromised word. 2) You pushed to have and deepen your own personal relationship with God and His son Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit. and 3) You are taught how to find and move toward the purpose for which God has called you. Find a church and pastor that does that in your life and you will be fine over time. These are the things that have helped me go and grow and get to where I am. Solid teaching and training in the word of God and my purpose, being stretched and challenged in through the word of God that I may better understand it and Him. And having my relationship with God and His son Jesus through the Holy Spirit deepened so that no one can sway me concerning the things God has spoken to me. That is what one should look for in a mentor, a pastor, and a church home so that walking in purpose and navigating life is that much easier. it isn’t always sunshine and rainbows but it makes even the hardest of times easier because you have those elements in your life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.highpraiseministries.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/realhighpraise
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/highpraiseministries
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@realhpm
