Jones was born on June 20, 1943, in
Youngstown, Ohio, the son of John Henry Jones and Jean Clark. He was raised in
Fairmont, West Virginia. He studied at
West Virginia University and graduated with a
Bachelor of Arts in history in 1965. On June 5, 1965, he married Mary Kennedy Biddle and together has two children. He then enrolled for a
Master of Divinity at the
Virginia Theological Seminary and graduated in 1968. He also graduated with a
Doctor of Ministry from Virginia Theological Seminary in 1991 and was awarded an honorary
Doctor of Divinity in 1996. ==Ordained ministry==