Saint John Coltrane Church



The Saint John Coltrane Church is an African Orthodox church located in San Francisco. The church believes that jazz composer and saxophonist is a saint, and uses his music and iconography as a focal point in their services. Earlier in its history, the church saw Coltrane as Christ incarnate (and as John the Baptist), but they have since "demoted" him to their patron saint.

The Coltrane church was founded in 1971 by Franzo and Marina King as the "One Mind Temple Evolutionary Transitional Body of Christ." The church's founders claim that they were inspired by a 1965 Coltrane concert at which Franzo felt "the presence of God." Franzo King refers to this epiphany as a "sound baptism which touched their hearts and minds," and claims that Coltrane was not just a jazz musician "but one who was chosen to guide souls back to God." They are really into

The church, in addition to more conventional social outreach, offers music classes and runs a four-hour weekly radio show of Coltrane's music.