“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it.!”
Dr. Winterbourne Harrison-Jones is a man whose life and ministry have been shaped by a fierce love for humanity, a profound reverence for culture, a holy impatience with injustice, and a steadfast commitment to the sacred dignity of every human life.
A native of Washington, D.C., Dr. Harrison-Jones was formed within the rich cultural, intellectual, and political landscape of the nation’s capital — an environment that instilled in him an enduring belief in the power of faith, education, and cultural memory to shape institutions, strengthen communities, and expand civic possibility. Inspired by the words of Calvin O. Butts III — “Education and faith are the Tigris and Euphrates of our liberation: twin rivers at the source of our redemption” — Dr. Harrison-Jones approaches leadership as both a sacred calling and a vehicle for institutional renewal, civic transformation, and the cultivation of communal hope.
In the tradition of Howard Thurman, Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, and Alain Locke, Dr. Harrison-Jones stands within a lineage of Black spiritual, cultural, and scholarly leaders who understand, in the words of Albert Cleage, that “any ministry to Black people which is not designed to effect their empowerment is designed to perpetuate their enslavement.” Informed by the scholarship and pragmatism of Derrick Bell, Kimberlé Crenshaw, Margaret Burroughs, James H. Cone, Benjamin Mays, and bell hooks, his work interrogates the moral and structural realities of race, power, faith, and public life while advancing a broader vision of justice, cultural dignity, and human liberation.
Through public witness, cultural stewardship, philanthropic engagement, and institutional innovation, Dr. Harrison-Jones has earned a national reputation as a distinguished Churchman whose work reimagines the role of faith in public life while strengthening institutions, preserving cultural memory, and advancing the flourishing of historically marginalized communities. Whether through educational advocacy, historic preservation, community development, or philanthropic collaboration, his ministry reflects a sustained commitment to translating faith into tangible expressions of empowerment, dignity, and collective flourishing.
His moral and creative witness moves fluidly across sectors where he is frequently sought as an advisor, strategist, lecturer, and thought partner on matters of culture, public life, institutional leadership, and social transformation — all of which are shaped by the spiritual and prophetic traditions that continue to inform his life and work.
Dr. Harrison-Jones holds degrees and advanced training from Fisk University, Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School, Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, and Harvard Graduate School of Education. Committed to lifelong learning, he has also pursued additional academic study and cultural immersion abroad through summer institutes at the Hertie School in Berlin, Germany; Estudio Sampere in Salamanca, Spain; and the University of Ghana in Accra, Ghana.
While simultaneously matriculating through two national doctoral programs, Dr. Harrison-Jones earned the Doctor of Ministry degree from Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School and is currently completing the Ph.D. in Urban Education at the Indiana University School of Education, where his research examines the Black Church as an enduring civic and cultural institution and transformative “third space” shaping moral consciousness, communal agency, and pathways toward liberation within urban communities.
For nearly a decade, Dr. Harrison-Jones has served as Senior Pastor of the historic Witherspoon Presbyterian Church — often described as “the Abyssinian and Ebenezer of Indianapolis.” Under his leadership, the congregation has experienced sustained growth through expanded outreach, strengthened stewardship, strategic planning, and international mission engagement. Throughout his tenure, he has helped steward more than $6 million in real estate assets, land development projects, and long-range institutional initiatives that have strengthened the church’s ministry and deepened its long-term community impact.
Amid the global COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Harrison-Jones led Witherspoon through the largest campus expansion in the congregation’s history, guiding the transition from its historic 16,000-square-foot home on Michigan Road to a transformed 40,000-square-foot ministry campus designed to support worship, education, community engagement, and congregational growth for generations to come. As part of this historic undertaking, he also led the campaign that raised nearly $1 million through congregational generosity and private philanthropy while overseeing a comprehensive campus renovation in partnership with church leadership. Through disciplined stewardship and strategic financial leadership, the congregation retired the campus mortgage in less than one year — a landmark achievement in the life of the church.
As Dr. Harrison-Jones approaches ten years of faithful leadership, he has set his sights on a bold new chapter in the life of Witherspoon. His vision includes the creation of a nonprofit community development corporation to guide expanded community engagement and strategic land development efforts, the launch of a million-dollar endowment campaign, the establishment of a missions campus in Ghana, West Africa, and the creation of the Heritage Fellows — an internal ministerial training program designed to mentor and equip emerging clergy and faith leaders for transformative ministry. Together, these priorities seek to expand the church’s ministry, deepen its civic engagement, and strengthen its legacy and community impact for generations to come.
Dr. Winterbourne Harrison-Jones has also emerged as a dedicated cultural steward and collector. Grounded in the African proverb, “Until the lion learns to write, every story will glorify the hunter,” he has amassed a private collection of nearly 500 original works — including paintings, sculptures, textiles, rare books, photographs, and historical artifacts — exploring themes of Black liberation, sacred memory, faith, resistance, and cultural identity, some of which are periodically exhibited through public installations and curated presentations at institutions with which he is affiliated. His collection reflects a broader commitment to preserving the intellectual, artistic, and spiritual traditions of the African Diaspora while ensuring that historically marginalized communities retain stewardship over their own narratives, histories, and cultural inheritance.
Dr. Harrison-Jones is married to Dr. Jillian Ardelia Harrison-Jones, a celebrated concert vocalist, clinician, conductor, and arts leader who has performed internationally in Prague, Poland, New Zealand, Japan, and at Carnegie Hall. An accomplished educator and sought-after clinician, she has previously served on the faculties of Butler University and Thomas More University and has held leadership roles as Music Director of the MUSE Cincinnati Women’s Choir, founding Associate Artistic Director of the Delaware Academy of Vocal Arts, and Richard Wesp Assistant Conductor of the Cincinnati Children’s Choir. Dr. Jillian Harrison-Jones currently serves as Visiting Professor at the University of Arkansas and Director of Choral Music at Witherspoon Presbyterian Church.
Together, the Harrison-Joneses continue to cultivate a ministry rooted in faith, culture, education, and the arts — one committed to shaping institutions, strengthening communities, and inspiring future generations.