Michael K. Jones, Senior Pastor of Progressive Baptist Church and host of Community Connection, a daily talk show on AM 1310, passed away Tuesday of an apparent heart attack.
Jones was born in St. Paul Minnesota on January 4, 1964 to parents Parenthia Jones and Sam H. Jones, a local civil-rights activist and former president of the Indianapolis Urban League. He was raised in Indianapolis and graduated from Park Tudor High School after which he attended Harvard University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics (1986). In 1994, he received a Master of Divinity degree from Christian Theological Seminary. In September of that same year, Jones began his tenure as Senior Pastor of Progressive Missionary Baptist Church in Indianapolis, IN where he served under the philosophy, “You can’t lead where you won’t go and you can’t teach what you don’t know.” until his untimely passing.
As a pastor and community leader, Jones served in several social and civic capacities including; team chaplain for the Indiana Pacers, Adjunct Homiletics Professor at Christian Theological Seminary, Co-Chair of the Race Relations Leadership Network, board member of National City Community Development Corporation, special lecturer to the Baptist Minister’s Alliance of Indianapolis and Vicinity and many others.
Beyond his work from the pulpit, the microphone and the classroom, Jones authored two books; “Lord, Teach Me to Pray: Exposing the Power and Practice of Daily Prayer” and “Abundant Relationships” as well as two R&B/Smooth Jazz albums titled, “Loving You” and “Smooth Sailing.”
In March of 2016, Jones took his talents to the airwaves as the host of Community Connection, taking over for the late Amos C. Brown, III. Of the appointment, Jones said, “I’m fortunate to stand on something I didn’t build, to be able to continue something I didn’t start. I could never fill Amos’s shoes. I just hope to be a voice that his shoes will say, ‘That’s what I want to see after me.’ That’s the best I can offer,”
Jones is survived by his mother Parthenia Jones, brother Sam H. Jones, Jr. and sister Marya Jones.
Funeral arrangements and service details have not yet been released.
