The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
New Birth to launch senior pastor search
Interim appointee Davis resigned less than a week ago.
A national search will be launched following the resignation of interim senior pastor Bishop Stephen A. Davis.
A national search will be launched to find a new senior pastor for New Birth Missionary
Baptist Church.
Bishop Stephen A. Davis, who stepped in as interim senior pastor of the DeKalb County megachurch after the death of Bishop Eddie Long, resigned several days ago.
Thomas W. Dortch Jr., chairman of the church’s board, said that the “strain on Bishop Davis from having to come back and forth from Birmingham to Atlanta weekly while maintaining his other churches — one in Birming
ham and one in Tuscaloosa — became a major challenge for him.”
In a statement released by New Birth in Stonecrest, Davis called leaving the church bittersweet.
“I love my New Birth Family both in Birmingham and Stone- crest,” Davis said in the statement, which appears to be the first time he has addressed the matter publicly. “However, at this time, my wife, my children and the New Birth Birmingham family need my full attention. We will remain a New Birth Church in Birmingham and maintain a relationship with the New Birth Stonecrest Congregation.”
Elder Vanessa Long, the widow of Bishop Eddie Long, said in that same statement that she is
“grateful that Bishop Davis honored the wishes of my late husband by serving New Birth at a time of need. We pray God’s Blessings over him, his wife, First Lady Darlene, and the Birmingham church family.”
Davis could not be reached directly for comment. Several calls were made to his church in Birmingham. A woman who answered the phone there said Davis would be issuing his own statement, but no further details were available.
Long, an influential and controversial pastor, died in January 2017 from an aggres- sive form of cancer.
From the beginning, Davis had big shoes to fill. Long, with his gravelly voice and his bulging biceps, was known as a charismatic preacher with a global following. Politicians, athletes, prominent business leaders and enter- tainers were known to visit — and even belong to — his church.
At one point, the church membership rolls reached 25,000. After the church was rocked by a scandal in 2010, membership started to decline. Dortch said the membership roll today is just over 10,000.
Long was named in a 2010 lawsuit by former New Birth members Anthony Flagg, Spencer LeGrande, Jamal Parris and Maurice Robinson, who alleged the bishop used his influence, trips, gifts and jobs to coerce them into sexual relationships.
The court case was dismissed and was settled out of court.
Dortch said the board has asked Bishop Dale C. Bron- ner of Word of Faith Family Worship Cathedral in Austell, Bishop Neil C. Ellis of Global United Fellowship, based in the Bahamas, and Elder Vanessa Long, the wife of the late New Birth senior pas- tor, to be part of that team, among others. Bronner and Ellis could not be reached for comment.
Dortch said there will also be several “listening sessions” at the church so mem-
bers can weigh in on what they want in a new pastor.
Nichole R. Phillips, an assistant professor of sociology, religion and culture at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology, said a national search would provide “a more democratic process so stakeholders and congregants can be part of the decision-making process.”
Dortch said the new senior pastor is someone who is a “visionary,” “energetic” and can “inspire our congregation,” as well as rebuild its role in the community.
Davis was an ex-officio member of the board, which Dortch said would be expanded from about three to seven people.
“We’re not going to make a rush decision,” said Dortch. “We’re going to take our tim e . We really want to restore New Birth as an integral part of the community. ... We want someone who can look at where we are now and where we’re going. We’re not looking for another Eddie Long, but someone who has vision and can build on that legacy.”