Jonathan Pate Falwell (born September 7, 1966)^[1] is the senior pastor at the Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia,^[2] and Chancellor at Liberty University.^[3]

Education

Falwell earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Liberty University in 1987, his Master of Arts degree in Religion from the Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary in 1995, and a Juris Doctor degree in 2005 from the Taft Law School in Santa Ana, California.^[4]

Family

He is the son and successor of the late Reverend Jerry Falwell and the brother of former Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. His older sister, Jeannie, is a surgeon. During a 1974 family discussion about abortion as the 'national sin' of America, Jonathan asked his father why he did not do something about it, which was the start of his father's reading of other evangelical writers such as Francis Schaeffer on the issue.^[5]

Career

As a young adult and minister in his father's church, Thomas Road Baptist Church, Jonathan invested in video processing technology and began overseeing the operations of the church ministry.^[6] He became the executive pastor of Thomas Road, and was named senior pastor after his father died in 2007. Since then the church has grown and its influence in the community has expanded. He has been voted by local publications as one of the most influential people in the city multiple times. He has led the church to start multiple campuses, and created a church network (Liberty Church Network) to help equip pastors and plant churches. Under his leadership the church plants thousands of churches each year through the Liberty Church Network as well as partnerships with The Timothy Initiative.^{[citation needed]}

In April 2021 the trustees of Liberty University named Falwell as the university's pastor.^[3]

Personal life

Falwell and his wife, Shari, have four children: Jonathan Jr., Jessica, Natalie, and Nicholas. They reside in Lynchburg, Virginia.^{[citation needed]}