He became a minister of the Disciples of Christ denomination in 1901 and held pastorates in Kentucky, Ohio, Illinois, and Michigan. Following graduation from the College of the Bible 1901, he took charge of four rural congregations in Boone County, Kentucky, one of which was the church in Bullitsville, which served as the basis of his novel published in 1917 "Fairhope, the Annals of a Country Church." He took up residence at Erlanger, KY, living in a boarding house until his marriage to Frances Rumble. He would organize a congregation in Erlanger in 1902, while giving up three of his other charges—the exception being Bullitsville. From there he was called to Cleveland's historic Franklin Circle Christian Church, which he served for three years beginning in 1903. In 1906, four months short of his thirtieth birthday, he was called to serve as pastor of First Christian Church of Bloomington, IL, where stayed for fourteen years, during which time the congregation grew to nearly two thousand members. It was during this period that Jones began his writing career, publishing his first book in 1914 -- "The Inner Circle." Additionally, during this period he served as president of the Illinois Convention of the Disciples (1915-1916) and then as the President of the International Convention of the Disciples (1917-1919).