Jim Cymbala

Pastor Jim Cymbala was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Upon graduation from the University of Rhode Island, where he enjoyed a successful career playing basketball, he entered the business world and married his childhood sweetheart, Carol.

Although unforeseen by them, God soon called Pastor Cymbala and Carol into ministry. Arriving at the Brooklyn Tabernacle, they found a congregation of fewer than twenty people meeting in a rundown building located in an impoverished part of downtown Brooklyn.

During his early years of ministry, discouragements and challenges nearly led Pastor Cymbala to resign. He desperately sought the Lord for a breakthrough in the church and in his ministry that would reflect what could be seen in the early church in the book of Acts. God clearly spoke to his heart that prayer was the source of the power and the change that they needed. As a result, the Tuesday night prayer meeting became the most important service of the week for the church. Today Pastor Cymbala's ministry is still characterized by his emphasis on prayer in the church and dependence on the Holy Spirit for his leading and power.

Over the years, God has shown his faithfulness to Pastor Cymbala and Carol and their congregation in many miraculous ways. Their present campus includes a large, renovated theater in downtown Brooklyn, where thousands of people come each week to hear the good news of Jesus.

Pastor Cymbala has a strong burden for the local church and has been blessed with the opportunity to encourage thousands of pastors around the country and the world with what God has taught him throughout his fifty-plus years of ministry.

Pastor Cymbala is the author of several books, including Spirit Rising; Breakthrough Prayer; and Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire, which was named 2000's Christian Book of the Year. He has also preached a number of sermon series and made several video series on prayer and other important topics for the Christian church.

Pastor Jim Cymbala continues to serve as senior pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle. His wife, Carol, directs the six-time Grammy Awardwinning Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, whose music has blessed people around the world. Together they have been blessed with three children, seven grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.