For 45 years, the Rev. A. Lincoln James Jr. shepherded Trinity Baptist Church and shaped Richmond’s community life, leading a congregation that peaked at around 2,000 while expanding humanitarian programs across the region.

James died last Wednesday at 80, leaving a wave of grief and remembrance from both local and national leaders who praised his decades of service. 

“A. Lincoln James served Trinity Baptist Church for 45 years, but his impact on the broader Richmond community and the Commonwealth is immeasurable,” Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan said in a statement. “I am saddened by his passing, but know God has welcomed him into Heaven with, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant.’” 

James was born on May 26, 1945, in San Antonio to a family of ministers. He grew up in Chicago, where religion played a central role in his early life. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from North Park College and Seminary and later a master of divinity from Virginia Union University’s Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology. He also received honorary doctorates in divinity and humanities from McKinley Theological Seminary and Baltimore Seminary and College. 

After serving as youth minister for his father’s Greater Bethesda Missionary Baptist Church, James returned to Virginia to lead churches in Kilmarnock, Petersburg and Prince George County before joining Trinity Baptist in 1980. 

James used his ministry to bring change both inside and outside the church, including the ordination of Trinity Baptist’s first female deacons. He also oversaw the construction of the Trinity Family Life Center, which provides programs and services for youth, parents and the broader community. 

In addition to his pastoral work, James served as vice president of the National Baptist Congress of Christian Education, president of the Virginia Baptist State Convention Inc., a member of the University of Lynchburg’s board of trustees and an adjunct professor at Virginia Union University’s Proctor School of Theology. 

“I am thankful to have benefited from his counsel and friendship throughout my career,” Congressman Bobby Scott said in a statement, “and I sincerely offer my heartfelt condolences to Rev. James’ family, loved ones, congregation and people who were impacted by his ministry and body of work.” 

James was preceded in death by his parents; his first wife, Mary; and son Alexander III. He is survived by his wife, Louise; his children, Torrey and Alexandra; and his grandchildren, Torrey Jr., Samira and Asata Lucas, and Amia, Alexa, Decarey and Uziah James. 

The Rev. Wendy Bullock, who serves as Trinity Baptist’s executive minister, is now the church’s interim pastor. A funeral will be held Saturday, Jan. 3, at 11 a.m. at Trinity Baptist Church, 2811 Fendall Ave. 

“Today, we stand in the sacred space between tears and trust,” Bullock said during Trinity Baptist’s service Sunday. “We grieve, but not as those who have no hope. Though the voice that preached to us is silent, the word he preached is still alive.”