John A. Sanford was born in Moorestown, New Jersey, a township in Burlington County.

His
parents were both leaders in the spiritual healing movement. His father, Edgar L. Sanford, was
born in Vermont in 1890 and was an Episcopal priest, as was his own father and grandfather.
He was the author of God's Healing Power. His mother was Agnes Sanford (born Agnes Mary
White; 1897-1982) who was born in China. She became the founder of the Inner Healing
Movement and was the author of The Healing Light. His siblings were Edgar L. Sanford Jr. (born
in China in 1925) and Virginia F. Sanford (born in Pennsylvania in 1926).

In his early 20s, Sanford decided to follow his father, grandfather, and two great-grandfathers,
and entered the Episcopal Theological Seminary in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to study to be
an Episcopal priest. He earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy, graduating Phi Beta
Kappa at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio. Later on, he obtained an honorary Doctor of
Divinity degree from Kenyon, based on his work in the fields of religion and psychology. He
studied and mastered Greek mythology, Greek language, and American Indian history.