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.
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On Nov. 28, 2022, Kenneth McFarland preaches at 2819 Church in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo: Facebook)
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 Instagram post 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.”
Promotional photo for GFG by Kenneth McFarland. (Photo courtesy of Instagram)
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.
The Roys Report (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 drew criticism 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 apologized.
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.
Worship service at 2819 Church in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo via social media)
On a 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 is a journalist based in Colorado.
