ATLANTA (GA)
The Independent [London, England]
November 21, 2025
By Josh Marcus
The former religious leader has since posted bond and been released from jail, according to officials
A popular Atlanta-area church with a large online following has dismissed a pastor who was arrested after being accused of hitting his stepson with an electrical cord.
The 2819 Church learned last week that pastor Kenneth McFarland had been arrested and charged with a “serious crime involving the physical harm of a child in his family,” executive pastor Lonnell Williams told The Independent in a statement via email.
“I want to be very clear that 2819 Church will not tolerate violence of any kind, from any member of our team, especially involving children, as this does not reflect our culture and values,” the statement continues. “We will continue to support and care for Kenny’s wife and son.”
The Independent has contacted McFarland for comment.
McFarland, 43, was arrested on November 10 by the Stockbridge Police Department, after teachers at his stepson’s school, Creekside Christian Academy, noticed the 15-year-old had blood on his pants, according to a police report obtained by religious news sites.
The teen told his teachers that the wounds were a result of his father “disciplining” him with the cord of a gaming system after the boy got an in-school suspension. An officer reportedly said they observed bruising on the teen’s upper thigh and bottom, according to the police report.
McFarland was taken to Henry County Jail that day on allegations of second-degree cruelty to children, public records show.
The Independent has contacted Creekside, the Stockbridge Police Department, and the Henry County Sheriff’s Office for comment.
The pastor later posted bond and was released, the sheriff’s office told USA Today.
McFarland has been working as a minister or pastor since 2011, according to a LinkedIn page matching his name.
He also appears in posts related to a gun-training business, God Family Guns, and a mobile home real estate company.
A 2023 Facebook post from Philip Anthony Mitchell, founder of the 2819 Church, describes himself and McFarland as two men who were “from the street in deep darkness” until religion “brought them into the Kingdom of light.”
The church has a “large following among Black evangelicals” in the Atlanta area, according to Christianity Today, along with a massive social media presence, counting some 1.4 million YouTube followers.
Its services are held on a concert-style stage with neon lighting and live music.
Mitchell previously attracted controversy for a sermon that said some police killings of Black people were because parents hadn’t taught their children to be “obedient to authority.”
The founder later apologized for the comments, calling his rhetoric “harmful.”
By Josh Marcus in San Francisco