Famous Black Spiritual & Religious Leaders

Nigerian charismatic pastor, televangelist, and philanthropist T. B. Joshua is the founder of The Synagogue, Church of All Nations (SCOAN). He is extremely popular across Africa and Latin America, and his YouTube channel, Emmanuel TV, has over a million subscribers. He is considered one of the most influential people from Africa and is the recipient of several awards. 

Better known as Daddy Go, Nigerian pastor Enoch Adeboye serves the Redeemed Christian Church of God and has millions of followers. However, the media has often called out his sexist attitude, reflected in his social-media posts, one of which advised men to marry only women who could cook.

Sold as a slave in childhood, Denmark Vesey adopted the surname of his master. He later purchased his freedom with the money he had won in a lottery. Earning a living as a carpenter, he simultaneously launched a slave rebellion and planned a coup but was eventually hanged to death.

Born in Uganda, John Sentamu was a Supreme Court lawyer in his country before he fled to the U.K., having faced jail for criticizing President Idi Amin. He later devoted himself to theology and became the Archbishop of York, thus also becoming first black Archbishop of Britain.

Native American leader Jack Wilson, or Wovoka, was the man behind the cult of the Ghost Dance. He believed the dance was a way through which the living Native Americans could unite with the spirits of their dead ancestors and make them fight on their behalf to drive out the Whites.

Wilton D. Gregory, the Archbishop of Washington, is widely known as the first African-American cardinal. He had aspired to become a priest even before being baptized at age 11. One of his greatest contributions was his efforts to counter incidents of child sex abuse within the church.

Peter Turkson is a Ghanaian cardinal of the Catholic Church. From 2009 to 2017, he was president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. In 2017, he became the first Prefect of the Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development.  Pope John Paul II made Turkson a cardinal in 2003, and he is widely regarded as papabile. 

Ethiopian religious leader Abune Paulos, who led the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church for 2 decades, began his journey as a trainee deacon in his youth. He later joined the doctoral program at the Princeton Theological Seminary. His humanitarian work earned him a Nansen Medal from the UNCHR.

Alexander Crummell was an African-American minister, African nationalist, and academic. He studied at the University of Cambridge with the support of abolitionists and developed the concepts of pan-Africanism while studying at the university. He worked towards educating Africans and spent 20 years in Liberia. He is also credited with founding St. Luke's Episcopal Church.

Born into a poor neighborhood, Leon Sullivan later bagged an athletic scholarship but had to abandon his sports career due to an injury. He later became a Zion Baptist Church pastor and was actively involved in the civil rights movement and Operation Breadbasket, the latter meant to uplift Blacks economically.

South African journalist Tiyo Soga is best known for his collection of fables and legends. He also translated the Bible and John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress into Xhosa, his native language. He also became the first Black to be ordained in South Africa under the United Presbyterian Church.