Rev. Dr. John Vaughn serves as the Executive Pastor of the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. He works closely with the Church’s Senior Pastor and one of the United States Senators from Georgia, the Rev. Dr. Raphael G. Warnock in managing the overall vision, ministries, and operations of this iconic, international congregation. Known as America’s Freedom Church and the spiritual home of the Rev. Martin Luther King Sr. and Rev Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, Ebenezer remains at the forefront of the fight for social justice and community transformation, while remaining committed individual growth and discipleship. Previously, Rev. Vaughn served for almost ten years as the Executive Vice President at Auburn Theological Seminary. Auburn is a national leadership development and research institute that equips leaders of faith and moral courage for multi-faith movements for justice.
Before joining the staff of Auburn Seminary, Rev. Vaughn served as the Program Director for the Twenty-First Century Foundation based in Harlem, New York, a national foundation that advanced strategic giving for Black community change. He also previously served as the Executive Director of the Peace Development Fund, which provides funding, training and assistance for grassroots peace and justice community organizing throughout the United States and select countries internationally.
From 1996 to 2000, he served as the Minister for Education and Social Justice at the Riverside Church in New York City. His responsibilities included overseeing the Church’s ministries with children, youth, young adults, adult education, social justice, social services and small grants. Rev. Vaughn has also served as the Director for Community Development at the Community Training and Assistance Center (CTAC) in Boston, Mass; The executive director of East Harlem Interfaith in New York City; The Action Assistant at The Riverside Church, and the Assistant Minister at the Hamilton United Methodist Church in San Francisco, Ca.
Rev. Vaughn, an ordained minister in the American Baptist Churches, received his undergraduate degree from Holy Cross College in Worcester, Mass, his Master of Divinity from the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California, and a Doctor of Ministry from Drew Theological School. He is married to the Rev. Dr. P. Kimberleigh Jordan, an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ . They are the proud parents of a two, teenage sons – James, a junior at Columbia University and member of the baseball team, and Caleb, a high school junior at DeKalb School of the Arts with a focus on musical theater both on and behind the stage.
