John K. Jenkins Sr. is an American Baptist pastor, author, and denominational leader who has served as senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Glenarden in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, since 1989.
He turned a 500-member congregation into one of the largest churches in Maryland, with more than 11,000 people worshipping across its campuses each week.
Jenkins is also the president of Converge, a national network of over 1,600 churches, and the author of Grace to Grow: Creating a Healthy Church in Unhealthy Times.
Jenkins is a familiar name in Washington, D.C. area church life, but his reach goes far past Maryland. He mentors pastors across the country, sits on the board of the National Association of Evangelicals, and became the first African American president in Converge’s 170-year history.
If you have searched for his age, his wife, his net worth, or his church, here is everything verified and public.
Pastor John K. Jenkins Sr. at a Glance
| Personal | |
|---|---|
| Full name | John K. Jenkins Sr. |
| Born | Circa 1957–1958 (exact date not publicly published); raised in Prince George’s County, Maryland |
| Age | Approximately 67–68 as of 2026 |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse | Trina Jenkins (m. 1980) |
| Children | Six children, seven grandchildren |
| Education | |
| Licensed minister | 1973, at age 15 |
| Honorary doctorates | Southern California School of Ministry; Denver Seminary (2022) |
| Ministry | |
| Title | Senior Pastor |
| Church | First Baptist Church of Glenarden, Upper Marlboro & Landover, Maryland |
| Denomination | Baptist (Converge) |
| Senior pastor since | 1989 |
| Other role | President, Converge (since 2022) |
| Website | fbcglenarden.org |
| Career | |
| Church growth | From roughly 500 members in 1989 to more than 11,000 today |
| Books | Grace to Grow: Creating a Healthy Church in Unhealthy Times (Zondervan, with an introduction by T.D. Jakes) |
| Net worth | Not publicly disclosed or verified |
Early Life and Background
Jenkins became part of the Glenarden, Maryland community around age 10, and that neighborhood shaped the rest of his life.
He grew up attending Good Hope United Methodist Church in Silver Spring, where he later preached as a young youth minister, and it was during one of those services that his future wife, Trina, gave her life to Christ in 1976.
He felt the call to ministry early. Jenkins became a licensed minister in 1973, at just 15 years old. He has described himself as largely self-taught in those early years, piecing together his theological education while pastoring real congregations rather than sitting in a classroom first.
Education and Early Ministry Training
Jenkins did not follow the traditional seminary-first path. He built his ministry education through hands-on pastoral experience, later earning honorary doctorates, including one from the Southern California School of Ministry in Inglewood, California, and a Doctor of Divinity from Denver Seminary in 2022.
He also returned to formal study later in life, pursuing a master’s degree program in his early 60s, well after decades of pastoring.
Ministry Journey and Career
His First Church
In February 1987, Jenkins accepted his first senior pastor role at Union Bethel Church in King George, Virginia. It was a small, rural congregation.
He drove 55 miles each way to preach on Sundays, ministering to about 35 people on a good week. Those nearly three years became his training ground.
His descriptions of that first church are blunt and honest: a building he called “a shack with a bell and a steeple,” with an outhouse for a restroom.
That contrast, between where he started and where he ended up, is the backbone of his entire ministry story.
Coming Home to First Baptist Church of Glenarden
In October 1988, Jenkins learned that his mentor, Dr. John W. Johnson, pastor of his home church First Baptist Church of Glenarden, had died. One year later, in 1989, Jenkins became the seventh pastor of First Baptist, a church of roughly 500 members at the time.
Under his leadership, First Baptist Church of Glenarden grew steadily for over three decades. The church now serves more than 11,000 people across two campuses, in Landover and Upper Marlboro, plus a large online congregation.
In 2007, the church dedicated a new sanctuary in Upper Marlboro with a 4,000-seat auditorium, and in 2018 it opened a community center with a gymnasium and health club.
“If you came to the church the Sunday before I became the pastor and didn’t come back until this last Sunday, other than the people who were there then, you wouldn’t recognize it,” Jenkins has said of the church’s transformation.
SHABACH! Ministries
In 1996, Jenkins founded SHABACH! Ministries, Inc., a 501(c)(3) outreach arm of First Baptist that provides clothing, food, education, and other resources across the Washington, D.C. region. He now serves as chairman emeritus of the organization.
National and Denominational Leadership
Jenkins served two years as vice president and executive director of National Ministries for Converge, a movement of more than 1,600 churches that plants and strengthens congregations worldwide.
In September 2022, he was appointed president of Converge, becoming the first African American to lead the 170-year-old organization.
He also chairs the board of the National Association of Evangelicals, chairs Project Bridges and the Skinner Leadership Institute, and sits on the board of the Greater Prince George’s County Business Roundtable.
He has previously served on the boards of Bethel University, Denver Seminary, University of Maryland Capital Region Health, World Vision, Great Dads, and Teen Challenge, the addiction recovery ministry founded by David Wilkerson.
Books and Publications
Jenkins wrote Grace to Grow: Creating a Healthy Church in Unhealthy Times, published by Zondervan with an introduction by T.D. Jakes.
The book draws on nearly four decades of pastoral experience, walking other church leaders through the biblical principles and practical strategies that carried First Baptist from a struggling congregation to a megachurch.
Endorsements came from figures including Richard Stearns, former president of World Vision, and Bible teacher Priscilla Shirer.
Personal Life
Wife: First Lady Trina Jenkins
John and Trina Jenkins married in 1980. Trina accepted Christ in 1976 during a service where a young John Jenkins was preaching, and the two built a life and ministry together from there.
She earned a Bachelor of Arts in sociology from the University of Maryland in 1982 and later received an honorary Doctorate of Divinity from Truth Bible College in Jacksonville, Florida, in 2004.
Trina now serves as Chief Ministry Officer at First Baptist Church of Glenarden, overseeing more than 30 ministries focused on men, women, and families.
She also preaches and teaches at churches, retreats, and conferences across the United States and in Africa.
Children and Family
John and Trina Jenkins have six children and seven grandchildren. Jenkins has spoken publicly about treating fatherhood and grandfatherhood as his highest priority, ahead of his many board roles and speaking commitments.
Personal Interests
Jenkins is a licensed private pilot. He has said that training for his pilot’s license reinforced how much coaching and mentorship matter, a lesson he carries into how he develops other pastors today.
[IMAGE: Pastor John K. Jenkins Sr. and First Lady Trina Jenkins]
Theology and Ministry Philosophy
Jenkins describes First Baptist’s mission as developing “dynamic disciples,” people who grow enough in their faith to strengthen their own families and communities. His preaching leans on expository, precept-by-precept Bible teaching rather than a purely topical style.
He is also candid about the emotional cost of church leadership. He has spoken about learning not to let critics and resistant members distract him from the people who showed up to support him, especially in his early years pastoring a small, struggling congregation.
If you want a deeper look at that kind of steady, disciplined faith walk, our guide on 10 Ways to Live a Holy Life covers similar ground.
Influence and Legacy
Jenkins built one of the largest and most respected Baptist congregations in the Washington, D.C. metro area, and did it without chasing a national television platform the way some of his megachurch peers have.
His influence shows up more in the pastors he has personally mentored and in his denominational leadership than in celebrity culture.
His appointment as Converge president marked a historic moment for a predominantly white, Swedish Baptist-rooted denomination choosing its first Black leader, a signal of how far that organization has moved on church planting and racial partnership.
First Baptist Church of Glenarden has also been recognized locally, winning the Hoodie Award for Best African American Church multiple times, including in 2012.
Net Worth and Financial Information
There is no verified, publicly documented net worth figure for John K. Jenkins Sr. Several websites publish specific dollar estimates for him, but those figures are not backed by any disclosed financial filing, interview, or credible reporting, and some repeat clearly fabricated details about his life.
First Baptist Church of Glenarden, like most churches, does not publish individual pastoral compensation. His income sources are understood to include his senior pastor salary, book royalties from Grace to Grow, and speaking engagements, but no reliable total exists.
Awards and Recognition
- Honorary Doctor of Divinity, Southern California School of Ministry, Inglewood, California
- Honorary Doctor of Divinity, Denver Seminary, Littleton, Colorado (2022)
- First African American president of Converge (appointed 2022)
- First Baptist Church of Glenarden received the Hoodie Award for Best African American Church multiple times, including 2012
Interesting Facts
- He was licensed as a minister at just 15 years old, in 1973.
- His first church had an outhouse for a restroom. His current church seats 4,000 in one auditorium.
- He met his future wife, Trina, the night she accepted Christ, at a service where he was the youth preacher.
- He is a licensed private pilot.
- He went back to school to pursue a master’s degree in his early 60s, decades into his pastoral career.
- President George W. Bush met his family at First Baptist Church of Glenarden during a 2003 Martin Luther King Jr. Day service.
Timeline
- 1973: Licensed as a minister at age 15.
- 1976: Trina accepts Christ at a service where Jenkins is the youth preacher.
- 1980: John and Trina Jenkins marry.
- February 1987: Becomes senior pastor of Union Bethel Church in King George, Virginia.
- October 1988: His mentor, Dr. John W. Johnson, pastor of First Baptist Church of Glenarden, passes away.
- 1989: Becomes the seventh senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Glenarden.
- 1996: Founds SHABACH! Ministries, Inc.
- 2007: First Baptist Church of Glenarden dedicates its Upper Marlboro sanctuary with a 4,000-seat auditorium.
- 2012: The church wins its third Hoodie Award for Best African American Church.
- 2018: The church opens a community center with a gymnasium and health club.
- 2022: Appointed president of Converge, becoming the first African American to lead the organization; receives an honorary doctorate from Denver Seminary.
- Present: Continues as senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Glenarden, serving a congregation of more than 11,000.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Pastor John K. Jenkins Sr.?
Jenkins was licensed as a minister in 1973 at age 15, which puts his birth year around 1957 or 1958. That makes him roughly 67 to 68 years old as of 2026. His exact birth date has not been publicly released.
What church does Pastor John Jenkins lead?
He is the senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Glenarden, a Baptist megachurch with campuses in Landover and Upper Marlboro, Maryland, plus an online congregation.
Who is Pastor John K. Jenkins Sr.’s wife?
His wife is Trina Jenkins, whom he married in 1980. She serves as Chief Ministry Officer at First Baptist Church of Glenarden and holds an honorary Doctorate of Divinity.
How many children does Pastor John Jenkins have?
John and Trina Jenkins have six children and seven grandchildren.
What is Pastor John K. Jenkins Sr.’s net worth?
No verified net worth figure exists for Jenkins. Church compensation isn’t publicly disclosed, and the dollar estimates circulating online are not backed by credible sources.
When did John K. Jenkins Sr. become pastor of First Baptist Church of Glenarden?
He became the church’s seventh senior pastor in 1989, one year after the death of his mentor, Dr. John W. Johnson.
Where is First Baptist Church of Glenarden located?
The church has two campuses in Maryland: Landover and Upper Marlboro, along with an active online campus.
What denomination is Pastor John Jenkins part of?
First Baptist Church of Glenarden is affiliated with Converge, a national Baptist church-planting movement. Jenkins has served as Converge’s president since September 2022.
