Reverend Robert James

Youth Pastor
rjames@mt-ararat.org

Ministries
Youth Ministry

Rev. Robert James, also known as Pastor RJ, is a native of Baltimore, Maryland. He has

served in ministry for over 16 years with churches, ministries, and communities all across the

United States. He was also blessed to serve as a Missionary to South Africa (Johannesburg,

Durban, Cape Town, and Soweto).

Pastor RJ currently serves as the Pastor of Youth at the Mt. Ararat Baptist Church in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where Rev. Dr. William H. Curtis is the Senior Pastor. As Pastor to

Youth, Pastor RJ along with his ministry team has made a significant impact in youth church

attendance, community outreach, discipleship and youth leadership development at Mt.

Ararat Baptist Church.

Pastor RJ has added multiple components to the Youth Ministry of Mt. Ararat that

includes Eleven47, a multi-sensory worship experience for teens that combines drama, music

and the preached Word.

Pastor RJ is also the visionary leader for The SHIFT. The SHIFT is a youth movement

comprised of young people from various communities whose goal is to share the gospel of

Jesus Christ through dance, mime, drama, spoken word and other visual arts.

In the community, he serves as a counselor, youth advocate, lecturer, teacher, mentor

and preacher. He ministers at schools, colleges, youth retreats, conferences, youth camps and

worship services throughout the United States.

Pastor RJ has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering from Morgan State

University in Baltimore, Maryland and a Masters of Divinity Degree from United Theological

Seminary in Dayton, Ohio.

He is married to Penda James and they have one daughter Amaris.