About Our Pastor

"Proclaiming the Gospel that All Might Believe"

The New Mt. Vernon

Missionary Baptist Church

21009 Ithaca Avenue

Ferndale, MI 48220

Office: (248) 541-3870

FAX: (248) 541-2831

Biographical Compendium

Dr. James E. Flakes

James Edward Flakes was born, April 25, 1941, to the union of Otis and Ruby Flakes, in Humboldt Tennessee. At an early age, his family moved to Muncie, Indiana where he was raised.

Flakes came from a family of singers and musicians. He sang with his family's singing group, "The Flakes Family." A great singer, he became a member of Calvary Baptist Church at an early age and sang in the church choir. He was also a member of the Northeastern District Baptist Association Choir and The Choraleers, a singing group, both in Muncie. While living in Louisville Kentucky, he was a member of The Traveling Notes before he was called to the ministry.

Flakes graduated from Central High School of Muncie, IN. He continued his education at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana and Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana. He earned his B.A. and Master of Divinity degrees from Earlham College. He attended Simmons Bible College of Louisville, Kentucky, and Crossroads Bible College, of Farmland, Indiana. He received his Doctor of Divinity from Tennessee School of Religion.

James E. Flakes was licensed and ordained in ministry at Greater Good Hope Baptist Church, of Louisville, Kentucky; where he served as Associate Minister. In 1962, Flakes preached his first sermon at age twenty-one (21).

James met the woman of his dreams, in the fall of 1962. He married Martha Ann House, June 27, 1964. To this union, two children were born, Teresa, 01-03-1966 and Tonja, 12-10-1967.

At age twenty-five (25), he first became a pastor at St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church of Princeton, Indiana (1966-1967). He later pastored the Mt. Olive Baptist Church of Richmond, Indian (1967-1972). He then moved his family to Detroit, Michigan to become the pastor of the Prince of Peace Missionary Baptist Church (1972-1984). When the building that housed the Prince of Peace M. B. C. burned down, Pastor Flakes organized a new church, Greater Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church (1984). This new church moved into its permanent building, on the corners of Joy Road and Hubbell in Detroit, and changed its name to Joy Road Missionary Baptist Church (1985-present).

Pastor Flakes has continuously served, actively in both religious and secular communities. He served as Chairman of Mission Board N. E. D. Association of Indiana, where he led several sit-ins and civil rights demonstrations; vice-president of Indiana State Baptist Sunday School and B.T.U. Congress; member of Board of Christian Education, Indiana Baptist State Convention; Chairman of Board of Wayne County Community Action Commission; member of Orthodox Commission, National Baptist Convention of America; Chairman of Commission on Scouting of the National Baptist Convention of America; served as Chaplain for the Wayne County Sheriff's Department for several years; council member of the Council of Baptist Pastors of Detroit & Vicinity, Inc.; and vice-president of the General Baptist State Convention of Michigan.

Dr. James Edward Flakes has remained a dutiful and loving husband, father and grandfather for 43 years. He retired from the position as pastor of Joy Road Missionary Baptist Church on December 31, 2007. In October 2009 Dr. Flakes was appointed to serve as Interim Pastor of The New Mt. Vernon Missionary Baptist Church. On February 21, 2010 he accepted the call to serve as Pastor of New Mt. Vernon. He pledges to remain faithful to his call to continue preaching until God calls him home.

"And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which

shall feed you with knowledge and understanding." Jeremiah 3:15

WHAT IS A PASTOR?

The epistles of Apostle Paul contain the sum and substance of New Testament teaching on this subject. He gives three functions:

1. The pastor's ministration in divine service includes the ordering of worship, administering the ordinances, preaching and teaching the Word of God. Here the pastor is appropriately termed MINISTER.

2. The pastor's responsibility of the pastoral care springs out of the former. The feeding of the flock is the instruction of its members, but it is also the vigilant distributive attention to all its interests in the whole economy of life. The pastor must imitate the Chief Shepherd, Jesus, "who calleth his own sheep by name." The pastor should know each member of his flock and seek to share with them the Word of God that will meet their every need. Here the pastor is appropriately termed UNDERSHEPHERD.

3. This pastoral relation passes naturally into what we have scriptural authority for calling the spiritual government of the local church. The pastors are called rulers and all its members are bidden to "obey them that have the rule" (Hebrews 13:17) as they follow Christ. The design of the Lord's gift of pastors and teachers is the "perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ" (Ephesians 4:12). Pastors are to be watchful (Hebrews 13:17; 2 Timothy 4:5); gentle and affectionate (1 Thessalonians 2:7,8); should exhort, warn and comfort (1 Thessalonians 2:11; 1 Corinthians 4:14,15); examples to the flock NOT lord's over them (1 Peter 5:3).

In conclusion, the pastor is God's gift to the local. He is God's Spirit-endued gift to enable the members of the local ministry to "grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ" (Ephesians 4:15).