Jonathan Brooks
Jonathan Brooks serves as Senior Pastor at Canaan Community Church in West Englewood and as the Mentor and Recruiter for a dual degree program in partnership with Northern Seminary and Trinity Christian College. From 2016-18 he served as the Chicago City Director for Mission Year, a year long service program. Jonathan has also been an educator in inner city Chicago for well over a decade and as a firm believer in reinvesting in the community you grew up in, he has a deep desire to impress this virtue on all who will listen whether congregation, classroom or community.
Through various roles and partnerships, Jonathan is engaged in social activism, church planting, youth development, holistic health options, college scholarships, music lessons and continual support to the incarcerated and their families living in Greater Englewood and other Chicago communities.
Pastah J, as he is affectionately called, is a sought after speaker, writer and artist. Along with speaking, training and consulting he has written numerous blogs and contributed to various books. He just released his first book “Church Forsaken: Practicing Presence in Neglected Neighborhoods” published by InterVarsity Press. Canaan also released a gospel album titled "Recommend Jesus" to be used as an avenue to share faith as an integral component in community transformation. Lastly, Pastah J has also recorded four hip-hop albums with the group Out-World and is currently working on his solo project titled "Can I Get an Amen".
Jonathan has a Bachelor of Architecture from Tuskegee University, Master of Arts in Teaching from National Louis University and Master of Divinity from Northern Seminary in Christian Community Development. He hopes to merge his academic knowledge, practical tools and ministry training in order to turn his convictions into tangible solutions which will help change the Greater Englewood neighborhood for future generations.