John Ioannou John, best known as J.John, is an evangelist, author and broadcaster based in the United Kingdom.[1][2][3]
Early life
J.John was born on 2 June 1958 in London, England, to George and Helen Ioannou. His Greek name is Ioannes Ioannou, which translates as John John. His parents were owners and managers of a local restaurant in London.[4]
J.John studied Psychology[5] at Hendon College London from 1974 – 1976, where in 1975 he was introduced to Christianity by his friend Andy Economides.[6]
In 1978, J.John studied theology at St John's Theological College, Nottingham, England. In 1979, J.John worked at the Christian Renewal Centre in Northern Ireland.[7] During this time he took part in reconciliation work as a member of the community, including mission work and prison work.[8]
The following year, J.John was appointed as the evangelist at St Nicholas' Church in Nottingham, England, under the leadership of David and Joyce Huggett. Whilst overseeing the evangelism work within the church and in Nottingham, he also began working as an itinerant evangelist. J.John spoke at colleges, youth events and churches. In 1998, J.John received a Lambeth MA from Archbishop George Carey, in recognition of Church Growth and Evangelism.[9] In February 2003, J.John was appointed an honorary Canon of Coventry Cathedral.[10][11] J.John is known for his Christmas sermons, which are popular in the United Kingdom.[12]
In 2023, at the height of the Mike Pilavachi scandal, J.John received backlash for a comment he made supporting him.[13][14]
Philo Trust
J.John established Philo Trust as a charity in 1980 in Nottingham, which in 1997 moved to Chorleywood, England.[15] The purpose of Philo Trust is to support J.John in his ministry ("philo" is the Greek word for brotherly love). Philo Trust has a number of associates, including Christine Caine, Joseph Boot, Paul McGee and Andrew White. The trust supports these people as they seek to positively impact people’s lives.
just10
In January 1998 J.John began teaching the Ten Commandments through a ten-week course called just10.[16] The series is aimed at people from all walks of life[17] and aims to show that following the 10 laws given to Moses by God.[18][19]just10 is split into 10 segments, with each segment focusing on a different commandment.
just10 was originally named TEN and the original series was filmed in front of a live audience at Capitol Studios. Over the years, just10 has developed into a just10 Toolkit, two separate DVD courses for Churches and for Small Groups (2010),[20] just10 for Kids, an online resource and book (2013). The latest version of the series and book were released in 2023.
In 2017, J.John hosted the first JustOne event at Emirates Stadium, home of Arsenal Football Club in London.[21][22] The name is derived from J.John's just10 course; the focus of the event is 'Just One Day, Just One Message, and Just One Invitation'.[22] The second JustOne event took place at Priestfield Stadium on 9 June 2018. Over 100 churches partnered to make the event possible.[23]
^Hawksley, Tom (17 January 2014). "What is J John's Real Name?". www.sternfieldthoughts.blogspot.com/. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
^Woodall, Richard (4 July 2014). "Evangelist J John". www.eauk.org. Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
