Teresa Hairston Jackson

Dr. Teresa Hairston is an internationally known and respected pioneer in the field of Gospel arts. In 1989, she established Gospel Today magazine, a publication she launched with an investment of only $300, while working two jobs as a single, divorced mother to three young children. Over the 20-plus years of her leadership, Gospel Today grew to become one of the longest running and most widely distributed urban Christian lifestyle magazines in history. Dr. Hairston retired from Gospel Today in 2013 and passed the magazine onto her son.

In 1994, Dr. Hairston founded the Gospel Heritage Foundation. Each year, thousands of people from around the world attend GHF’s annual International Worship Summit, which has become the genre’s leading praise and worship gathering.

Dr. Hairston is currently based in Atlanta, Georgia, where she serves as an ordained elder, preacher, and teacher at Changing A Generation Full Gospel Baptist Church. She is also a John Maxwell-certified coach and works as a publishing coach, consultant, and ghostwriter.

Dr. Hairston is the author of five nationally distributed books, How to Pursue Your Purpose (2010); Stop Waiting... Start Winning: 10 Essential Principles to Living Your Vision Now! (2014); A Worshiper's Handbook (2015); Wisdom For Everyday Life: A 12-Month Devotional (2017); and The Ultimate Flight Plan for Self-Publishing Your Book (2018).