An Atlanta megachurch pastor has been arrested and charged with cruelty to children, after allegedly striking his stepson with a power cord until he bled.
Kenneth McFarland, 42, associate pastor of the multiethnic 2819 Church, was arrested Nov. 10 in Stockbridge, a suburb south of Atlanta, according to arrest records.
Earlier the same day, McFarland’s 15-year-old stepson went to his private Christian school in Hampton, Georgia, with blood on his pants, according to the Stockbridge Police report. The boy asked the assistant principal if he noticed the blood. The assistant principal asked the boy what caused the injury.
“(M)y dad called himself disciplining me,” the boy answered.
The assistant principal then called police, police records state. The boy told police that his stepdad used an extension cord from a video game system to hit him. McFarland was disciplining his son that morning at home for receiving an in-school suspension, the boy told police. The injuries also included bruising on the boy’s thigh and rear end, police records state.
Your tax-deductible gift supports our mission of reporting the truth and restoring the church. Donate $50 or more to The Roys Report this month, and you can elect to receive “To Heal or Harm” by Steven R. Tracy, haga clic aquí.
McFarland has a second-degree charge for cruelty to children, according to the arrest record. If convicted, McFarland could serve one to 10 years in prison, according to Georgia law.
McFarland also owns a gun training business, called GFG Trains or God Family Guns.
“We have been in a fight since the day we were born, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually,” stated a publicación de instagram for his business. “A never-ending loop of battles with adversaries and ourselves. But enough is enough. We have to fight back, fight back against the things that have held us back.”
McFarland was booked in the Henry County Jail on Nov. 10 and released two days later on a $2,500 bond, said Lt. Dale Davis, public information officer for the Henry County Sheriff’s Office.
El Informe Roys (TRR) reached out to McFarland but received no comment. TRR also tried to contact Philip Anthony Mitchell, head pastor at 2819 Church, to ask whether McFarland still works at the church, but received no response. Past and present versions of the church website do not list McFarland as a pastor there.
Mitchell recently atrajo críticas for blaming police killings on people’s disobedience in a April 13 sermon. 2819 Church has a large black population, and in his sermon, Mitchell urged parents to teach their kids not to fight against authority or police. Mitchell later se disculpó.
Mitchell also appeared on Daystar TV President Joni Lamb’s Table Talk program last January, despite allegations Lamb had covered up the sexual assault of her granddaughter. During the show, Mitchell explained that the church, formerly called Victory Church, renamed itself after Matthew 28:19, following hard times faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Matthew 28:19 is also known as the Great Commission verse in which Jesus commands his disciples to spread the Gospel and baptize others.
En un 2023 social media post, Mitchell stated that both he and McFarland came from “the street in deep darkness” but that God had brought them into the kingdom of light to do ministry.
Rebecca Hopkins es una periodista radicada en Colorado.
Spanish 
English
6 Responses
Glad this came to light, zero excuse for child abuse in any form.
Sounds like he learned under the Voddie Baucham method of child discipline.
Sounds like another character who needs to be sitting under a tree on a regular basis reading & reflecting on the gospels with pastoral ministry being the last thing on his mind. Interesting to say the least how many want to go from A straight to Z, while side stepping the need to include going from B all the way through to Y. There may be short cuts in this life to be exploited, but non in the present & future Kingdom of God.
🤔
With a Second Amendment side order, judging from the GFG poster with the Christian Manhood Conference vibe.
We need to pray for the child, the mom and for Kenny. They are all battling scars, demons and pain. Prays for healing 🙏
“McFarland also owns a gun training business, called GFG Trains or God Family Guns.”
Church of Zardoz? Somehow I am not surprised.
The promo pic TRAIN TO SURVIVE — three guys blazing away with pistols against a background of fire — looks like some gunpowder men’s action movie poster or paperback cover, appealing to the fantasy of wannabes.