Dr. James Ford Jr. is an American pastor, radio Bible teacher, and author based in Chicago, Illinois.
He is the senior pastor of Christ Bible Church of Chicago (formerly South Shore Baptist Church) and has led it since the early 1980s.
His birth date is not public, but his own life story points to a birth year around 1951 or 1952.
Ford is best known for the daily radio program Treasured Truth for Troubling Times and for marriage books like When a Man Loves a Woman. People also know him by his nickname, the “Love Doctor.”
You may have landed here after searching “Pastor James Ford” and finding five different men with that name.
This page covers the Chicago pastor. Near the end, you’ll find a short section that sorts out the others.
Dr. James Ford Jr. at a Glance
| Personal | |
|---|---|
| Full name | James Ford Jr. |
| Known as | Pastor Ford; the “Love Doctor” |
| Born | Exact date not public. Grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA |
| Age | About 74 (estimate, based on his own account of when he married) |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse | Leslie Ann Ford (married about 1972; she died before September 2023) |
| Children | James III, Jonathan, and Nathaniel (died November 26, 1999) |
| Grandchildren | Nine |
| Siblings | Raised in a family of ten children (nine boys and one girl) |
| Education | |
| Bible college | Moody Bible Institute, Chicago |
| Seminary | Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (master’s degree) |
| Honorary degree | Doctor of Divinity, St. Thomas University, Florida (2015) |
| Ministry | |
| Title | Senior Pastor |
| Church | Christ Bible Church of Chicago, South Shore, Chicago |
| Background | Baptist (church was formerly South Shore Baptist Church) |
| Years as senior pastor | Over 41 years (as of the church’s own bio) |
| Radio | Treasured Truth for Troubling Times on Moody Radio |
| Outreach | Impact Ministries; James Ford Jr. Ministries |
| Career | |
| Books | 7 authored titles, plus a chapter in A Heart for the City |
| Top honor | Pastor of the Year (1993), Moody Bible Institute |
| Net worth | No reliable public figure |
Early Life and Background
James Ford Jr. grew up in Pittsburgh. He has said he came from a single-parent home on welfare in the projects on Brushton Avenue. There were ten children in the house: nine boys and one girl.
He was a bright kid. He landed in the scholars program at Westinghouse High School and wanted to become a doctor. Then he met a girl named Leslie.
Meeting Leslie on Brushton Hill
Ford was 12 when he first spoke to Leslie. She was 8, in third grade, and so tall that people took her for much older.
He walked up and told her he was going to marry her one day. She wanted nothing to do with him.
He kept showing up anyway. He walked from his high school to her elementary school just to carry her books up Brushton Hill.
He says he stopped studying and gave up the doctor plan. The two dated for eight years.
Leslie’s mother tried to split them up. Ford says it only pulled them closer. Leslie became pregnant at 16, when he was 20. They married, and their first son was born that September.
Drugs, a Pistol, and a Near Divorce
Ford does not hide his past. He says he sold drugs and carried a pistol before he came to faith. In the first three years of marriage, he and Leslie did not know the Lord and nearly divorced.
Then both of them came to faith in Jesus Christ on the same night. Ford says the drugs and the gun went away right away.
Other habits took longer. He points to 2 Corinthians 5:17 to explain why. The verse says all things are becoming new, not that they became new overnight.
Ministry Journey: From Pittsburgh to Chicago
The Calling
Ford made God a promise. He would go back to every corner where he sold drugs, every bar, and every pool hall, and tell people what happened to him. People noticed. Soon they asked him to speak to young people.
He pushed back at first. He says he told them he could not be a preacher because he had sold drugs to preachers.
His pastor, Charles Francis Tame, saw something in him anyway. Tame led a mostly Black church on Tioga Street in Pittsburgh. He was also a chaplain for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“Not Formally Trained”
When Tame died, the church looked for a new pastor. The head of the deacon board suggested Ford. He could study at a nearby college and lead at the same time.
Others objected that Ford was not formally trained. That sting shaped his next move. He decided no one would ever turn him down for lack of training again. He applied to Moody Bible Institute in Chicago and got in.
Arriving in Chicago With Nothing Lined Up
Ford packed up his family and moved to Chicago. He had no job and no place to live. He knew exactly one person in the city, and that man had already left the church Ford came to visit.
A pastor there asked Ford to fill in as interim. Ford spoke to the youth on Sundays, and the church liked it. He has stayed ever since.
Moody’s author page lists him as senior pastor of Christ Bible Church since 1982. He finished at Moody, then earned a master’s degree at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.
What Church Was James Ford Jr. the Pastor Of?
Ford is the senior pastor of Christ Bible Church of Chicago, on the south side of the city. The church was formerly called South Shore Baptist Church. It serves the South Shore community.
The church still lists him on its teaching team alongside Pastor Aaron Kennedy and Pastor Steven Pettis.
Rise to Prominence
Ford’s reach grew beyond his pulpit through radio, teaching, and writing.
Treasured Truth for Troubling Times
Ford provides the messages for the radio broadcast Treasured Truth for Troubling Times.
It airs daily on WMBI 90.1 FM in Chicago and on more than 160 Moody Radio affiliate stations.
Each episode runs about 24 minutes. Pastors like Charles Stanley built national audiences the same way, with plain, steady Bible teaching on the air.
Ford has also appeared weekly on Chicago Gospel Radio 1390 AM as the “Love Doctor.” He has guested on FamilyLife and on Moody Radio shows with Gary Chapman and Janet Parshall.
Teaching Pastors
Ford has been an adjunct professor at Moody Bible Institute. He has also taught at Pacific Garden Mission’s Bible program in Chicago and at Ecola Bible School in Cannon Beach, Oregon. He has spoken at Moody’s annual Founder’s Week.
His ministry site says that he and Leslie trained more than 2,000 students.
Boards and Service
Ford has sat on a long list of boards. Here are the ones his official bios name:
- Baptist General Conference Board of World Missions
- Board of Overseers (Baptist General Conference)
- Ada S. McKinley Special Educational Services
- Fellowship Christian Academy
- Alumni Board of Moody Bible Institute
- Pacific Garden Mission
Books by Dr. James Ford Jr.
Ford’s books focus on marriage, love, and prayer. His church lists seven titles. His first three marriage books come with companion activity books for small groups.
- When a Man Loves a Woman (Moody Publishers)
- When a Woman Loves a Man (Moody Publishers)
- Seven Reasons Why God Created Marriage (Moody Publishers)
- Living the Blessed Life (released April 2015)
- A New Look at an Old Prayer
- Rules of Engagement
- What to Do When the Devil Talks to You: How Christians Learn to Be Victorious over Temptation (Uriel Press)
He also wrote a chapter in A Heart for the City, a Moody Press book about urban ministry. A 2015 retreat workbook, Seven Reasons Why God Created Marriage: Camp Agape Retreat Guide, was published in February of that year.
Personal Life
Marriage to Leslie Ann Ford
Ford called his wife Leslie “Sugarbabe.” Her childhood nickname was “Pudgy.” He also called her his “twelfth rose.”
The name came from a habit. Ford brought Leslie roses every week, sometimes two or three times a week.
One day he handed her eleven. She said he’d been shortchanged. He pointed at her and said, “Twelve.” He told her she was lovelier than all eleven roses combined.
Ford and Leslie also cared for her mother, who had Alzheimer’s disease, for 17 years. He says the two had once struggled to stand each other. Leslie later laughed that he had become her mother’s main caregiver.
Leslie Ann Ford died before September 2023. In that month, Ford joined a three-part podcast series on Widowhood Real Talk. The series covered love, bipolar disorder, and suicide loss.
He said he wanted to leave “a well in the valley” for others walking through grief, a phrase he drew from Psalm 84:6.
Children and Grandchildren
Ford has said that he and Leslie had three sons James III, Jonathan, and Nathaniel. Nathaniel died on November 26, 1999. James III is married to Tenille, and Jonathan is married to MeShanda. The family includes nine grandchildren.
Theology and Ministry Philosophy
Ford preaches from the Bible, verse by verse. His bios describe a passion for expository preaching. That is the same approach you hear from Baptist pastors like H.B. Charles Jr.
His message on salvation is direct. He points to John 14:6 and teaches that Jesus Christ died, was buried, and rose on the third day. He says a person receives that gift by believing it and confessing it. He explains that God looks at the heart, not at polished words.
Marriage is his main passion. His ministry says he wants believers to see marriage “as God intended.” His workshops and counseling grew out of his own near divorce.
Awards and Recognition
- Pastor of the Year (1993), Moody Bible Institute
- Gutenberg Award (2008), Chicago Bible Society
- Man of the Year, Chicago Bible Association
- Named among the Most Influential African-American Religious Leaders of Chicago
- Honored as an influential Christian leader by The Chicago People’s Voice
- Honorary Doctor of Divinity, St. Thomas University (January 24, 2015)
Ford jokes about the degree. He says DD stands for “donated dignity.” The joke fits a man who once feared being rejected for having no formal training.
Influence and Legacy
Ford’s legacy sits in three places: a South Side congregation held for four decades, a daily radio voice, and a stack of marriage books. Few pastors stay in one pulpit that long.
Black Baptist leaders like John K. Jenkins Sr. share that kind of staying power.
His story also gives hope to people who feel disqualified. He sold drugs, nearly lost his marriage, and was told he was not trained enough. He then taught pastors at one of the best-known Bible schools in the country.
Net Worth and Financial Information
Dr. James Ford Jr.’s net worth is not publicly documented. No financial disclosure or reliable news report gives a figure. Net worth sites that print numbers rarely cite a source, so treat them with caution.
Interesting Facts About James Ford Jr.
- He met his future wife when he was 12 and she was 8.
- He gave Leslie at least 52 roses a year, and sometimes far more.
- His Pittsburgh pastor was a Steelers chaplain who died while playing basketball.
- He is a 1987 Moody Bible Institute alumnus, according to Moody’s audio archive.
- He calls himself an “old school” husband and loved the TV show The Real McCoys, where “Sugarbabe” came from.
- He has said he is working on a book that will share more of his story.
Timeline of Key Life Events
- Early 1950s (estimated): Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
- About 1963: Meets Leslie on Brushton Hill (he is 12, she is 8).
- About 1972: Marries Leslie. Their first son is born that September.
- Mid 1970s: Comes to faith with Leslie after nearly divorcing. Begins preaching in Pittsburgh.
- Late 1970s to early 1980s: Moves to Chicago. Enrolls at Moody Bible Institute and begins speaking at South Shore Baptist Church.
- 1982: Becomes senior pastor of what is now Christ Bible Church of Chicago.
- 1987: Graduates from Moody Bible Institute.
- 1993: Named Pastor of the Year by Moody Bible Institute.
- November 26, 1999: His son Nathaniel dies.
- 2008: Receives the Gutenberg Award from the Chicago Bible Society.
- 2015: Receives an honorary Doctor of Divinity. Releases Living the Blessed Life.
- Before September 2023: His wife Leslie dies. He later speaks about the loss on a grief podcast.
- 2026: Still listed as senior pastor on the church’s teaching team.
The dates before 1982 are estimates built from Ford’s own spoken account. Treat them as approximate.
Frequently Asked Questions About Dr. James Ford Jr.
How old is James Ford?
Dr. James Ford Jr. is about 74 years old. His exact birth date is not public. He has said he was 20 when he married Leslie, and sources say they were married 43 years in 2015. That math points to a birth year near 1951 or 1952.
Who is Pastor James Ward Jr.?
Searchers often type “Ward” when they mean “Ford.” The best-known Chicago-area pastor named James Ward is a different man. He leads Insight Church in the Skokie area and wrote Zero Victim. Dr. James Ford Jr. leads Christ Bible Church on Chicago’s south side.
Who was James Ford?
The name fits several people. James D. Ford (1931 to 2001) was a Lutheran minister who served as chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives for 21 years. The Chicago pastor, Dr. James Ford Jr., is alive as far as public sources show. His church lists him as senior pastor.
Who is James Ellis Ford?
James Ellis Ford is a British music producer, not a pastor. He has no known link to Dr. James Ford Jr. or to Christ Bible Church of Chicago.
What nationality is Ford Jr.?
Dr. James Ford Jr. is American. He grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and has lived in Chicago for over four decades.
What church was James the pastor of?
Dr. James Ford Jr. is senior pastor of Christ Bible Church of Chicago, formerly South Shore Baptist Church. It sits on the south side of Chicago in the South Shore community.
Who was Dr. James Ford Jr.’s wife?
His wife was Leslie Ann Ford. He called her “Sugarbabe” and his “twelfth rose.” They married around 1972 and served in ministry together. She died before September 2023.
What books has Dr. James Ford Jr. written?
He has written seven books, including When a Man Loves a Woman, When a Woman Loves a Man, Seven Reasons Why God Created Marriage, and What to Do When the Devil Talks to You.
What is Treasured Truth for Troubling Times?
Treasured Truth for Troubling Times is Dr. James Ford Jr.’s daily radio program. It airs on WMBI 90.1 FM in Chicago and on more than 160 Moody Radio affiliate stations.
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