Bishop Jim Lowe is the Senior Pastor of The Guiding Light Church in Birmingham, Alabama. He has frequently stated his intention is not to have people merely attend church but to become disciples in the church. He desires to empower them to think, speak, and to act to transform society. After every service, the congregation chants their word of faith in God as, “We have been created to excel, not fail, that is our divine potential.”

Bishop Jim Lowe is also a founding member of the Gatekeepers Association of Alabama. A diverse association of pastors and church leaders organized to extend the influence of God’s Kingdom into the governmental realm. 

Bishop Lowe was called into the ministry at the age of six and grew up as a young man in Birmingham, Alabama, in an era of segregation and great civil rights distress and struggles. At the age of 11, he experienced a life-changing event when he nearly lost his life in the 16th St. Baptist Church bombing in 1963, causing the death of four young girls in Sunday School. He recognized that type of hate could only be conquered when God’s love changes the haters’ heart.

The Bible is the compass Bishop Lowe uses to direct his life. He believes there are only two types of people; those who know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and those who do not. He also believes every human being was created by God and must be treated with respect, dignity, and honor.  

Bishop has been married to Patricia Bruce of Holly Springs, Mississippi for 42 years. He has three children, Bobby, James Louis, and Adrienne. He is the grandfather to three grandchildren; Kaydence, Samuel, and Jonathan. 

He is the Chairman of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame and an honors graduate of A.H. Parker High School and Birmingham Southern College, receiving a B.A. in Business Administration.