Solomon W. Kinloch Jr.
Pastor Triumph Church
MAN ON A MISSION
By Ju’an Henderson
At the tender age of 12, Solomon W. Kinloch Jr. knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, his calling was real. He felt it deep down inside. “It was like I was already there, on the pulpit, preaching to a church with thousands of people,” Kinloch says of his experience that confirmed his calling; “except I wasn’t, I was actually walking home from school; and by the time I got to my house, I felt inside like I had preached an entire sermon, I knew I had been called to the ministry.” Accepting his calling two years later, at the age of 14; when most young men his age were focused on making the high school football team, Kinloch was preparing to deliver his first sermon. Realizing his oratorical ability at a very early age and possessing the desire to help and encourage others, Kinloch had already begun grooming for his life’s purpose and now he was ready.
On Sunday, March 22, 1998, ten years after Kinloch preached his first sermon, he became the pastor of the 100-member Triumph Church. Even though he was only 24 years old, Kinloch embraced his appointment to leadership and says he felt blessed to have a congregation who was ready and receptive to the ministry in a new and relevant way. “I was called to lead a group of people who were ready to do something grand and great for God,” says Kinloch.
Since Kinloch has become pastor of Triumph Church, membership has grown from 100 to more than 15,000 and has gone from one service at one location, to 10 services in five different locations. Kinloch explains the purpose of having multiple solomon w. kinloch jr. Pastor Triumph Church locations is to maintain the intimacy of the church service and it also allows people to worship and serve where they live. Under Kinloch’s pastoral leadership he says Triumph has transitioned from a traditional ministry to a ministry that is more receptive to change. Kinloch states, “You can’t get a better Jesus, but you can get a better presentation of how you present Him to the community.” Kinloch strives to preach and teach in a way that encourages people to take a deeper look at themselves in such a way that they become catalysts to promote change in their community. He is a firm believer that we all should do something that allows us to leave our fingerprints on the wall of life.
When asked who has inspired him, Kinloch emphatically says, “Jesus first!” he continues “and Martin Luther King Jr., he has mentored me with his writings and his life works from the grave. My pastor, Robert Smith; former school teachers Clara Crowell and Mary Lou Sutton; and President Barack Obama.” The congregation at Triumph believes in the leadership they have found in Kinloch, but Kinloch declares, “great leadership is nothing without great followship.” Passionate about preaching the gospel, Kinloch became a young man on a mission when he made a decision at 14 years old, “I’m not gonna die without taking as many people as I can, to heaven with me.” Twenty-five years later, he continues to work fervently to win souls to Christ; proving he is still that man on a mission. Kinloch is married to the love of his life, Robin Kinloch and they share one son, Kadin.
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