Pastor John J. Nicholas, Jr. accepted an invitation to assume the pastorate of St. John's Baptist Church in July 1975. He immediately set the Church on a course of meaningful new goals, which included the enhancement of church ministries and auxiliaries, and planning for church building expansions. Pastor Nicholas is a nationally-recognized preacher, biblical scholar and mentor. He is an active leader on local, state and national issues which need input from the Christian community. Rev. Nicholas was licensed in 1969 and ordained in 1972, he pastored Burrell Memorial Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., before coming to St. John's Baptist Church.

He has served as Moderator of the Northern Virginia Baptist Association and President of the Northern Virginia Minister's Conference, President of the Missionary Baptist Ministers Conference, Washington, D.C. and vicinity and second Vice President of the Baptist Educational Congress of Washington, D.C. He continues to work in the Northern Virginia Baptist Association, the Lott Carey Foreign Mission Board, the D.C. Baptist Convention and the Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc. He is also a member of the Executive Board Baptist Convention of the District of Columbia, Trustee of the Washington Baptist Seminary and Life Member of the NAACP.