Eddie L. Long

Since his installation as pastor in 1987, Bishop Eddie L. Long has seen the congregation of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church grow from three hundred to twenty-five thousand members. Located in Lithonia, a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia, New Birth offers countless outreach programs and is involved in grassroots movements. The founder of New Birth Christian Academy, Bishop Long also serves as vice chair of the Morehouse School of Religion Board of Directors; a member of the Board of Trustees for North Carolina Central University; a member of the Board of Trustees for Young Life; and a member of the Board of Trustees for Fort Valley State University.
Bishop Long and his wife, Vanessa, have four children and serve as surrogate parents for many other children in the church and community.