PASTOR LARRY D. JONES

Reverend Larry D. Jones is Founder and Pastor of Christian Compass Ministries, Inc. located in Stone Mountain, GA. The principal objective of this ministry is to add to the Kingdom of God through “preaching and teaching the good news of the Gospel for practical and spiritual living.” 

A native of Buckingham County, Virginia, Reverend Jones is the youngest of 10 children born to the late George and Martha Jones. He is a graduate of Virginia State University, Petersburg, Virginia; he holds a Juris Doctorate degree from Washington and Lee University Law School, Lexington, Virginia, and attended the Interdenominational Theological Center, Atlanta, GA for his Masters of Divinity. In honoring his call to the ministry, Reverend Jones was ordained an Elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church in 1996. In 2000, he was appointed Pastor of Saint John AME Church, East Point, GA. In 2004, he returned to his home church, Saint Philip AME Church in Decatur, GA where he served as the Assistant Pastor for nearly a decade. For a brief time, Reverend Jones served as Senior Pastor at Nelson Chapel AME Church in Bainbridge, GA.

His career and employment history are varied and distinguished. He served as an officer of Wachovia Bank in Winston-Salem, NC, and then as Public Safety Attorney for the City of Winston-Salem. Subsequently, he moved to Virginia where he was employed at Bank of Virginia for several years, and then Reynolds Metals Company, both located in Richmond, VA. Later, Reverend Jones served as Director of Marketing for The Prudential Insurance Company before moving to Atlanta, Georgia where The Coca-Cola Company employed him until his retirement.

Determined to address the problems of discrimination in county government, and to involve citizens in the electoral process, in 1983, Reverend Jones ran for public office in Henrico, Virginia. While that effort was unsuccessful, it opened the door for others and the eventual election of the first African American to the Board of Supervisors in Henrico County.

Having grown up in rural Virginia, Reverend Jones is acutely aware of the needs of the poor, the downtrodden and the marginalized. In an effort to raise the level of public awareness regarding employment discrimination, and to hold companies accountable, Reverend Jones led a couple of challenges against companies for racial and employment discrimination — Wachovia Bank and Trust Company of Winston-Salem, NC, and The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, GA. In the case against Coca-Cola, he was instrumental in helping to achieve one of the largest employment discrimination settlements.

He has served on several boards and commissions — Metro Richmond Chamber of Commerce, Governor’s Council on the Homeless, the Virginia State University National Alumni Association, Family and Children’s Services Board of Directors, Richmond, VA, and the Richmond Urban League Board. He has received numerous awards and recognitions, including Who’s Who in the South and Southeast. Currently, he serves as the Public Board Member for a subsidiary of United Healthcare Insurance Company. Perhaps his most significant and gratifying achievement is the founding of Christian Compass Ministries, Inc.

Reverend Jones is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. He is married to the former Thelma J. Givens of Emporia, VA; they have three wonderful children, Kelli, Alexis, and Forrest, and five awesome grandchildren, Jordan, Cameron, Kayden, Christopher, and Macy.

In his spare time, Reverend Jones is an avid stamp collector. If you ask him, he would tell you that his greatest joy is service to God and humankind.