Jim Cymbala turned a struggling, twenty-member congregation in a rough part of downtown Brooklyn into one of the most recognised churches in America. He did it without a seminary degree, a marketing plan, or a background in ministry. What he had was a weekly prayer meeting and a stubborn belief that God still answers prayer.
Today the Brooklyn Tabernacle draws thousands of people each week, and its Grammy-winning choir carries the church’s message far beyond New York City. This article covers Cymbala’s early life, how he entered ministry, his teaching on prayer, his books, his family, and the legacy he has built over more than fifty years.
Who Is Jim Cymbala?
Jim Cymbala is the senior pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle, a non-denominational church in downtown Brooklyn. He has led the congregation since 1971 and is known for his focus on prayer, biblical preaching, and reliance on the Holy Spirit rather than polished programs.
He is also a bestselling author. His book Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire won the Gold Medallion Christian Book of the Year award and has sold more than a million copies. Cymbala’s wife, Carol, directs the church’s seven-time Grammy Award-winning choir, and together they have shaped the Brooklyn Tabernacle into a multicultural congregation that draws visitors from around the world.
Early Life and Education
Childhood and Family Background
James R. Cymbala was born on May 4, 1943, in Brooklyn, New York. He grew up in a working-class household with no early plans to enter ministry. His path to pastoral leadership came later, through marriage and a call he did not expect.
Growing Up in Brooklyn, New York
Cymbala’s Brooklyn roots run deep. He was raised in the borough and later returned to lead a church in one of its more difficult neighbourhoods, a place he already knew from his own upbringing.
Education at the University of Rhode Island
Cymbala attended the University of Rhode Island before entering the business world. He had no formal theological training when he later took over the Brooklyn Tabernacle, a fact he has openly discussed in his books and sermons.
Basketball Career Before Ministry
Before ministry, Cymbala played competitive basketball, first at the United States Naval Academy and then at the University of Rhode Island. Friends from those years would not have guessed his path led to pastoral leadership. After college, he entered business and married his childhood sweetheart, Carol.
How Jim Cymbala Entered Ministry
Marriage to Carol Cymbala
Cymbala married Carol Hutchins, his childhood sweetheart, in January 1969. Carol was the daughter of a pastor, and her spiritual background would later shape the direction of both their lives. The couple settled into ordinary careers, with no expectation that ministry was ahead of them.
God’s Calling to Ministry
Carol’s father asked the couple to help a small, failing church in downtown Brooklyn. Cymbala had no pastoral training and little desire to preach, but he agreed to step in. That decision, made reluctantly, became the turning point of his life.
Joining Brooklyn Tabernacle
In 1971, Cymbala took over as pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle. The congregation met in a rundown building in a low-income part of the borough and had fewer than twenty members. There was no budget for a real ministry program, and the building itself needed repair.
Challenges During the Early Years
The first years were difficult. Cymbala has spoken candidly about nearly resigning during that period, discouraged by slow growth and a congregation that seemed unable to break out of decline. He has said that a moment of desperate prayer, rather than a new strategy, marked the point things began to change.
Transforming Brooklyn Tabernacle
The Church’s Humble Beginnings
The Brooklyn Tabernacle started with a small group meeting in a run-down building in a part of Brooklyn marked by poverty and crime. Few would have predicted the church’s later reach.
Growth From a Small Congregation
Over the following decades, the congregation grew from fewer than twenty members into a body of thousands. The church now gathers in a large, renovated theatre in downtown Brooklyn, where weekly services draw large, diverse crowds.
Becoming a Multicultural Church
The Brooklyn Tabernacle reflects the diversity of New York City itself. Its congregation includes people from many ethnic and economic backgrounds, and Cymbala has often pointed to that mix as one of the clearest signs of the church’s health.
Expansion and Community Outreach
As the congregation grew, so did its reach. The church built a ministry known for accepting people from difficult circumstances, including those struggling with addiction and poverty, and it became a well-known name in Christian circles well beyond Brooklyn.
Jim Cymbala’s Teaching on Prayer
Why Prayer Is Central to His Ministry
Prayer sits at the centre of everything Cymbala teaches. He credits the Brooklyn Tabernacle’s turnaround not to strategy or staffing but to a season of concentrated prayer that began when the church was still small and struggling.
The Tuesday Night Prayer Meeting
The church’s weekly Tuesday night prayer meeting became a defining feature of its identity. What began as a small gathering grew into a standing-room-only event, and Cymbala has pointed to it repeatedly as the engine behind the congregation’s growth.
Dependence on the Holy Spirit
Cymbala often teaches that churches lose their vitality when they rely on programs and personality instead of the Holy Spirit. He has said the early church succeeded not because its leaders were educated or polished, but because they had no choice but to depend on God.
Lessons Churches Can Learn
Cymbala’s central message to other pastors is simple: a church that stops praying will eventually stop growing in any meaningful spiritual sense. His teaching encourages leaders to treat prayer as the foundation of ministry, not an accessory to it.
Ministry Philosophy and Leadership Style
Leading Through Faith
Cymbala’s leadership style favours faith and dependence on God over rigid planning, built on the idea that spiritual results come from spiritual means, not organisational skill alone.
Biblical Preaching
His preaching stays close to Scripture and focuses on straightforward biblical teaching aimed at real, practical change in people’s lives.
Encouraging Church Leaders
Through his books, conferences, and speaking engagements, Cymbala has spent decades encouraging other pastors, particularly those leading small or struggling congregations. His own story of near-failure gives that encouragement extra weight.
Vision for the Local Church
Cymbala’s vision centres on the local church as a place where anyone, regardless of background, can find help and transformation. He has resisted building a wider ministry platform, keeping his focus on the Brooklyn Tabernacle itself.
Jim Cymbala’s Sermons and Bible Teachings
The Calling Series
Among Cymbala’s teaching resources is a series often referred to as the Calling series, which explores what it means to be set apart for God’s purposes and to renew a sense of spiritual mission.
Devotional Bible Studies
Cymbala has produced devotional and study guide materials tied to his books, designed for individual or small group use, translating his sermon themes into daily study formats.
Most Popular Sermon Topics
Prayer
Prayer remains Cymbala’s most consistent sermon topic, tied directly to the Brooklyn Tabernacle’s growth.
Revival
Cymbala frequently addresses revival, describing it as a work of the Holy Spirit rather than a planned event.
Faith
Sermons on faith focus on trusting God during uncertainty, drawing on his own early ministry struggles.
Church Leadership
Cymbala speaks often to pastors and church leaders, encouraging humility and dependence on God over management techniques.
Christian Living
Practical Christian living, including how believers handle daily struggles, is a recurring theme across his preaching and writing.
Jim Cymbala’s Books
Cymbala has written or co-authored numerous books, many with longtime collaborator Dean Merrill. His most notable titles include:
- Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire (1997): Cymbala’s breakthrough book, which tells the story of the Brooklyn Tabernacle’s transformation through prayer. It won the Gold Medallion Christian Book of the Year award and has sold more than a million copies.
- Breakthrough Prayer: A study of what it means to connect with God through consistent, honest prayer.
- Spirit Rising: Tapping into the Power of the Holy Spirit: A look at the role of the Holy Spirit in everyday Christian life.
- Fresh Faith: An exploration of what happens when believers commit to real, active faith rather than routine religion.
- Fan the Flame: Let Jesus Renew Your Calling and Revive Your Church: A message aimed at pastors and church leaders who feel spiritually worn down.
- You Were Made for More: The Life You Have, the Life God Wants You to Have: A book focused on discovering a deeper sense of spiritual purpose.
- Other notable works include Fresh Power, The Church God Blesses, The Life God Blesses, Transforming Prayer, and Jesus Every Day, a devotional drawn from his years of ministry.
Jim Cymbala’s Wife and Family
Who Is Carol Cymbala?
Carol Cymbala, Jim’s wife since 1969, is the daughter of a pastor and has served alongside her husband since the earliest days of the Brooklyn Tabernacle. While Jim leads through preaching, Carol leads through music and worship.
Her Leadership of the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
Carol founded the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir in 1973, starting with just nine members. She has since written hundreds of songs, released more than thirty albums with the choir, and continues to direct its music ministry.
Children and Family Life
Jim and Carol Cymbala have three grown children, Chrissy, Susan, and James, along with grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The family has remained closely tied to the Brooklyn Tabernacle throughout its growth.
Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
History of the Choir
What started as a nine-member group in a struggling Brooklyn church grew into one of the most recognised gospel choirs in the world. The choir now represents the same ethnic and economic diversity found in the congregation it comes from.
Grammy Award Achievements
The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir has won seven Grammy Awards, including six consecutive wins for Best Gospel Choir or Chorus Album, more than any other artist in that category, and a 2026 win for Best Roots Gospel Album for the live album I Will Not Be Moved.
Global Influence Through Worship
Beyond its Grammy recognition, the choir has performed at major national events, including a presidential inauguration, and its recordings have reached listeners well outside the Christian music world.
Major Achievements and Recognition
Christian Book of the Year
Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire won the Gold Medallion Christian Book of the Year award in 1998, cementing Cymbala’s reputation as one of the more influential Christian authors of his generation.
Ministry Milestones
Cymbala has led the Brooklyn Tabernacle for more than fifty years, growing it from a congregation of fewer than twenty people into a church of thousands with a national and international profile.
Speaking Engagements
Cymbala remains active as a speaker at churches, conferences, and leadership events, where he continues to teach on prayer, revival, and dependence on the Holy Spirit.
Influence on Churches Worldwide
Pastors around the world cite Cymbala’s books and the Brooklyn Tabernacle’s story as models for what sustained, prayer-centred ministry can look like, particularly in difficult urban settings.
Jim Cymbala’s Net Worth
Estimated Net Worth
Some sources estimate Jim Cymbala’s net worth in the range of five million to ten million dollars. This figure is not independently verified and should be treated as an approximation rather than a confirmed number, since pastors and religious authors rarely disclose exact financial details.
Sources of Income
Any estimated wealth would likely come from a combination of book royalties, since several of his titles have sold in the hundreds of thousands or more, along with speaking fees and decades of ministry income.
Why Net Worth Estimates Vary
Public net worth figures for pastors and authors are usually built from indirect data, such as book sales estimates and typical speaking fees, rather than from tax records or financial statements. Readers should treat any specific number as a rough estimate rather than a verified fact.
Lessons We Can Learn From Jim Cymbala
The Power of Prayer
Cymbala’s central lesson is that consistent, honest prayer changes churches and individual lives in ways strategy alone cannot. He credits the Brooklyn Tabernacle’s growth to a decision to pray rather than to plan harder.
Trusting God’s Direction
Cymbala did not choose ministry as a career path. He stepped into it reluctantly and built a life around trusting a call he did not fully understand at first.
Humility in Leadership
Despite decades of visible success, Cymbala has kept his focus on the local church rather than building a wider platform for its own sake.
Building a Christ-Centered Church
Cymbala’s approach centres every decision, from outreach to worship, on Scripture and prayer rather than trends. That consistency has helped the Brooklyn Tabernacle keep its identity even as it has grown.
Jim Cymbala’s Lasting Legacy
Influence on Modern Christianity
Cymbala’s emphasis on prayer has influenced pastors well beyond his own denomination, and his books remain widely read in church leadership circles.
Impact on Pastors and Church Leaders
Many pastors point to Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire as a turning point in how they think about ministry, particularly leaders working in difficult or under-resourced communities.
Continuing Ministry Today
More than fifty years after taking over a failing congregation, Cymbala continues to serve as senior pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle, still teaching the same message of prayer and dependence on God that shaped the church’s early years.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Jim Cymbala?
Jim Cymbala is the senior pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle in downtown Brooklyn, New York, and the author of several bestselling Christian books, including Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire.
How old is Jim Cymbala?
Jim Cymbala was born on May 4, 1943, in Brooklyn, New York.
Is Jim Cymbala still the senior pastor of Brooklyn Tabernacle?
Yes. Cymbala continues to serve as senior pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle, a role he has held since 1971.
Who is Jim Cymbala’s wife?
Jim Cymbala’s wife is Carol Cymbala, who directs the Grammy-winning Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, which she founded in 1973.
What denomination is Brooklyn Tabernacle?
The Brooklyn Tabernacle is a non-denominational church.
What is Jim Cymbala best known for?
Cymbala is best known for leading the Brooklyn Tabernacle’s growth from a small, struggling congregation into a large, multicultural church, and for his teaching on prayer.
What are Jim Cymbala’s most popular books?
His most popular titles include Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire, Fresh Faith, Fresh Power, Breakthrough Prayer, and Fan the Flame.
What is the Calling series?
The Calling series is a set of teaching resources from Cymbala focused on discovering and renewing a sense of spiritual purpose.
Where can I watch Jim Cymbala’s sermons?
Sermons and teaching resources are available through the Brooklyn Tabernacle’s official website and its media channels.
What makes Jim Cymbala’s ministry unique?
Cymbala’s ministry stands out for its consistent focus on prayer over programming, and for a congregation that reflects the full economic and ethnic diversity of New York City.
Conclusion
Jim Cymbala’s story is not one of strategy or seminary training. It is the story of a reluctant pastor who took over a dying congregation, committed to prayer, and watched it grow into one of the most recognised churches in the country. His books, his teaching on prayer, and the Grammy-winning choir his wife built all trace back to that same decision made in a rundown Brooklyn building more than fifty years ago. For pastors and readers alike, his life offers a clear reminder that consistent prayer and humble leadership can outlast any short-term strategy.
Explore more Brooklyn Tabernacle resources and Jim Cymbala’s books to learn more about his approach to prayer-centred ministry.
