John Ioannou John, best known as J.John, is an
evangelist,[2] author and broadcaster based in the United Kingdom.[3][4]
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.[5] He studied
psychology[6] at Hendon College London from 1974 – 1976, where in 1975 he was introduced to Christianity by his friend, the Rev. Andy Economides.[7]
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.[8] During this time he took part in reconciliation work as a member of the community, including mission work and prison work.[9]
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 January 1998 J.John began teaching on the
Ten Commandments; just10 is his ten-week course which teaches why he believes that following the 10 laws given to
Moses by God leads to a better life. just10 was originally named TEN and the original series was filmed in front of a live audience at
Capitol Studios. The same year, J.John received a Lambeth MA from Archbishop George Carey, in recognition of Church Growth and Evangelism.[10] In February 2003, J.John was appointed an
honorary Canon of
Coventry Cathedral.[11][12]
In 2017, J.John hosted the first JustOne event at
Emirates Stadium, home of
Arsenal Football Club in London.[13][14] 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'.[14] The second JustOne event took place at
Priestfield Stadium on 9 June 2018. Over 100 churches partnered to make the event possible.[15]
In 2023 J.John expressed support for evangelist
Mike Pilavachi, who was accused of abuse of power and inappropriate relationships; J.John faced backlash for his statement.[17][18]
Philo Trust
J.John established Philo Trust as a charity in 1980 in Nottingham, which in 1997 moved to
Chorleywood, England.[19] 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 and
Andrew White, who are also supported by the trust.
Television
J.John has a weekly television and radio series called Today with J.John[20]. The series features a mixture of his sermons and Facing the Canon interviews and is broadcast on
GOD TV[21], Shine TV [22], Revelation TV [23], Branch FM [20],
UCB Ireland [24].