Jonathan Andrew Nelson (born November 10, 1974) is an American gospel singer and songwriter from Baltimore, Maryland.
Nelson was born in Baltimore, Maryland to James Nelson, a pastor at the Greater Bethlehem Temple Church, and his wife Bessie Nelson. He studied at the Baltimore School for the Arts and Morgan State University. During a performance of Karen Clark-Sheard at his church, Nelson and his friends served as backup singers. After that, they continued to practice and sing together under the stage name 'Purpose'.