New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Georgia is one of the most prominent megachurches in the nation. And despite its storied history, particularly the tailspin the church found itself in after a sex scandal with Bishop Eddie L. Long, who served as its senior pastor until his passing in 2017, the church continues to enjoy a significant presence in the Atlanta metropolitan area and wields strong influence in the religious community and various civic programs and initiatives.
When he arrived current pastor Jamal Bryant took the reins four years ago, new Missionary was $32M in debt. Today, the church is $13M in debt. It was the late board chair Tommy Dortch who led the hiring of Jamal to the ATL megachurch.
Bryant is a popular pastor with a remarkable ability to connect to not only his constituents, to people of all ages in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The former husband of Real Housewives of the Potomac star Gizelle Bryant, the progressive pastor proposed growing marijuana on much of the church’s vast property holdings, sending a tidewave of responses from local clergy and laymen alike.
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