The Reverend Reginald Wayne Sharpe Jr., first born child of Reginald Sr. and Fay Phillips-Sharpe, serves as Senior Pastor of the Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago, Illinois. Sharpe is a proud native of Lithonia, Georgia, and a son of The Greater Travelers Rest Baptist Church ~ The House of Hope Atlanta.

Sharpe earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religion from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia (2013), a Master of Theological Studies degree from Vanderbilt University Divinity School in Nashville, Tennessee (2016), and a Master of Theology degree from Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia (2018). Currently, Sharpe is pursuing a Ph.D. in African American Preaching and Sacred Rhetoric at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, Indiana. Reverend Sharpe is one of the proud charter members of the Academy of Preachers and was one of the youngest inducted into The Martin Luther King Jr. Board of Preachers at Morehouse College in 2018. He also taught as an adjunct professor in the Religion and Philosophy Department at Morehouse College. In addition to his notable achievements, Reverend Sharpe holds the honor of being the youngest preacher to be the featured speaker at the esteemed Hampton University Ministers Conference. Among his many distinctions, Reverend Sharpe is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated.

Reverend Sharpe faithfully served as Campus Pastor of the House of Hope Macon for 3.5 years. Under Sharpe’s dynamic and Spirit-led leadership, the church experienced astronomical growth both spiritually and numerically.

Since December 31, 2019, Reverend Sharpe has faithfully served as the Senior Pastor of the historic Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church. Sharpe is honored to follow in the pastoral lineage of the late Reverend Clay Evans and Pastor Charles Jenkins. Under the leadership of Reverend Sharpe, Fellowship Chicago has experienced astonishing growth in all aspects of ministry as evidenced in the welcoming of over 1500 new members. After suspending in-person worship in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Fellowship launched #TheVirtualShip, a virtual extension of the church’s ministry, which engages an average weekly audience of 25,000 people. Sharpe unrelentingly believed that, “Although the building was closed, the church was still open.”

As the peak of the pandemic receded, the Ship continued to sail onward under Pastor Sharpe’s leadership, charting a course marked by remarkable milestones such as gifting over $150,000 to graduating high school seniors through scholarships, the erasure of over 2 million dollars in debt since assuming pastoral duties and the inauguration of The Anchor Project Community initiative—an affirmation of the church’s steadfast commitment to elevating and enriching its community. As a result of his exemplary work in the community, Sharpe was awarded the 2023 Men of Excellence Award by The Chicago Defender.

While Reverend Reginald Wayne Sharpe Jr. is mostly known for his preaching ministry, those closest to him know that he values quality time with family and friends, is a committed student of theology and homiletics, and believes in the virtue of kindness. In December 2015, Reverend Sharpe married the gifted and talented, Brianna Sullivan Sharpe. Together they serve in ministry and currently live in Chicago, Illinois.

RWS Jr. Biography Updated May 2024