Pastor · Scholar · Activist · Founder

Faith that
does the work.

Serving at the intersection of faith, justice, and community — building something worth belonging to in Atlanta and beyond.

Asst. Pastor, Community Engagement & Justice Founder, Raise Your Voice Academy Doctoral Scholar Community Organizer Podcaster
Raise Your Voice Revision Church Connect
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Jaime M. Kowlessar

About

Pastor. Founder.
Change-maker.

⭐ Founder · Raise Your Voice Academy

Jaime M. Kowlessar is a pastor, scholar, community organizer, and arts advocate based in Atlanta, Georgia. He serves as Assistant Pastor of Community Engagement and Justice at Revision Church Atlanta — a role that places him at the crossroads of faith and public life, working to ensure the church shows up where it matters most.

As the Founder of Raise Your Voice Academy, Jaime has channeled a deep belief in the power of the arts to create a program that gives young people a platform, a voice, and a community. He believes that creativity isn't separate from justice — it is justice.

Beyond the pulpit and the stage, Jaime is a doctoral scholar, published thinker, and podcast host — bringing the same rigor and fire to every space he enters.

ATL
Based in Atlanta, Georgia
RYV
Founder, Raise Your Voice Academy
PhD
Doctoral research in progress

What I Do

Four pillars of
purpose-driven work.

⛪

Pastoral Ministry

Serving Revision Church Atlanta as Assistant Pastor of Community Engagement and Justice — connecting the congregation to the neighborhood, and faith to action.

🎤

Arts & Empowerment

Founder of Raise Your Voice Academy — an arts education program equipping young people with a voice, a platform, and the confidence to use both.

✊🏾

Justice & Organizing

Deep roots in community organizing across criminal justice reform, housing advocacy, and civic engagement. Faith without action isn't faith.

📚

Scholarship

Pursuing doctoral research at the intersection of theology, liberation, and community. Writing and teaching that takes the academy seriously without abandoning the street.

Revision Church Atlanta

Planted, not
passing through.

At Revision Church Atlanta, Jaime works on ensuring that the church exists beyond the four walls — taking the ministry into the community, the neighborhood, and the streets where people actually live.

Alongside the leadership of Lead Pastor Dr. Charles Wesley Knight, Jaime serves as a bridge between the congregation and the broader community — connecting the church's faith to the real needs of the city, and the city's needs back to the church.

"Revision Church was never meant to be a congregation that merely gathers on Saturdays. Our name declares our identity: we exist to revise — to reimagine what the church can be."
— Jaime M. Kowlessar, Asst. Pastor of Community Engagement & Justice
Visit Revision Church Get Involved

Founded by Jaime M. Kowlessar

Raise Your
Voice Academy

⭐ Founder & Visionary

Raise Your Voice Academy was born from a conviction: that young people already have something worth saying — they just need a space that believes in them enough to listen.

As the founder, Jaime built RYV to be more than an arts program. It's a community, a platform, and a training ground — equipping the next generation with the tools to speak up, perform, lead, and create change through the power of their own voices.

The arts aren't a detour from justice work. They are justice work.

Learn About RYV

Your Voice Matters.

Empowering young people through the arts, performance, and community

🎤 Spoken Word & Performance
🎭 Theater & Creative Arts
✊🏾 Leadership & Civic Voice
🌱 Community & Mentorship

Writing & Research

Ideas that work
at street level.

Jaime's written and scholarly work spans theology, justice, and community — grounded always in the real lives of real people. From doctoral research to public op-eds, the goal is the same: thinking rigorously so we can act faithfully.

2025–
Doctoral Dissertation (In Progress)
Ongoing doctoral research exploring the intersection of theology, community transformation, and justice — from methodology to constructive proposals for the church's public role.
Academic Research
2026
A Church for Such a Time as This
A vision document making the theological and community case for Revision Church's acquisition of 1775 Buckeye Street SW in Atlanta's Sylvan Hills neighborhood.
Vision Document
2023
Op-Ed: Justice for Andre Thomas
A public essay calling for justice in a high-profile criminal case — demonstrating the prophetic responsibility of faith leaders to speak clearly into public life.
Op-Ed / Commentary
2020
Black Preaching and the Prophetic Voice
An essay exploring the tradition of prophetic preaching within Black church life — its roots, its urgency, and its continuing power to transform communities.
Essay

Community & Activism

Faith that
shows up.

01
Raise Your Voice Academy
Founded RYV to empower young people through the arts, performance, and leadership development.
02
Arts Activate
A community arts initiative using creativity as a catalyst for neighborhood transformation in Atlanta.
03
Criminal Justice Reform
Advocacy and public writing on behalf of those impacted by an unjust criminal justice system.
04
Civic Engagement
Connecting faith communities to their civic responsibility — voting, organizing, and showing up.
05
Housing Justice
Protecting long-term residents of Sylvan Hills and Atlanta's Black neighborhoods from gentrification and displacement.

Podcast

Carlene + Jaime

Honest conversations about faith, life, and what it means to build something meaningful together — hosted with Carlene Kowlessar.

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Get in Touch

Let's build something
worth belonging to.

Whether you're interested in speaking invitations, ministry partnership, supporting Revision Church's building campaign, connecting with Raise Your Voice Academy, or just want to say hello — reach out.

muchisgiven@gmail.com Revision Church YouTube / Sermons LinkedIn
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