Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley

Biography

Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley is the exciting, gifted and anointed Senior Pastor of the historic Alfred Street Baptist Church (ASBC) in Alexandria, VA. A courageous, dynamic, and visionary leader, he is only the eighth pastor in the church’s 220-year history of worshipping Christ while serving humankind. Under Dr. Wesley’s extraordinary leadership, the Alfred Street Baptist Church has grown from 2,500 members to 10,000 members, and 80 active ministries with an emphasis on children’s ministries and missions. Since 2020, Alfred Street Baptist Church, under the guidance and direction of Dr. Wesley through the Tithe-the-Tithe initiative, has donated more than $5.4 million dollars to over 200 organizations.

A native of Chicago, Dr. Wesley is the product of the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools and graduated magna cum laude from Duke University with a bachelor of science in biomedical and electrical engineering. While in medical school, Dr. Wesley yielded to the call of God and walked away from a path to a medical career to attend seminary at the prestigious Boston University School of Theology where he was a Martin Luther King, Jr. scholar and a summa cum laude graduate in biblical studies and African American religious history. He received his doctor of ministry in preaching from Northern Baptist Seminary. In 2021 Dr. Wesley received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Stillman College and Tougaloo College, respectively. In 2022 he received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Paul Quinn College.

Dr. Wesley is the son of the late Rev. Dr. Alvin and Dr. Helene Wesley and represents the fourth generation of Baptist preachers in his family. He is an avid golfer, moviegoer, spades player, and aspiring chef. He is a Lifetime member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., as well as a member of Sigma Pi Phi, the first successful and oldest AfricanAmerican Greek-lettered organization. His sons, Howard-John II (Deuce) and Cooper Reece, are the greatest joys of his life.