Fr. Justin L. Gates was born in Oxford, MS. He began preaching at the age of 14 in the Methodist and Baptist churches and was ordained in 2007. Within the Baptist and Methodist Church, Fr. Gates has served congregations in Mississippi, Tennessee, Ohio and Arkansas. While in college (and pastoring a Methodist Church), Justin discovered the Anglican faith. Struggling with mainline denominational teachings, the division within the Methodist Church and the lack of acceptance of ALL people, Fr. Gates cut ties with the Methodist and mainline denominations and pursued the Anglican Way. After searching and much prayer, Fr. Justin became ordained as a Deacon in the Anglican Church in October of 2023 and ordained a priest in April of 2024. Fr. Gates currently holds a Bachelor of Ministry degree from Agape Old Catholic Theological Seminary and is currently pursuing a Master of Theological Studies from St. George Theological Seminary. Fr. Justin has a ministry in funeral service, a wedding ministry as well as a ministry to those in skilled nursing facilities.
In mid-2023, Fr. Justin was asked to become the new leader of the then St. Francis Old Catholic Church. Acceptance was made under the condition the church return to its former name of St. Francis Anglican Church and fully embrace the traditional Anglican faith. In April of 2024, Rev. Gates was ordained a Priest and officially became the second vicar of St. Francis Anglican Church which was reorganized in October of 2024 and became the Church of the Risen Christ.
Fr. Justin holds to two “life verses”; Micah 6:8 “He has told you, O man, what is good and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” and Colossians 2:2 “that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ,”