Eddie Long
| Eddie Long | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Eddie Lee Long May 12, 1953 Huntersville, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | January 15, 2017 (aged 63) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Alma mater |
North Carolina Central University International College of Excellence |
| Occupation | Pastor |
| Years active | 1985–2017 |
| Employer | New Birth Missionary Baptist Church (1987–2017) |
| Spouse(s) |
Dabara S. Houston (m. 1981; div. 1985) Vanessa Griffin (m. 1990; his death 2017) |
| Children | 4 |
| Awards | Trumpet Award |
Eddie Lee Long (May 12, 1953 – January 15, 2017) was an American pastor who served as the senior pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, a megachurch in unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, from 1987 until his death in 2017.
When Long started as pastor for New Birth Church, there were 300 church members, which grew to 25,000. During this time, Long was a subject of a Senate investigation, concerning whether he personally profited from his church's tax-exempt status, which eventually ended without a finding of wrongdoing. Also, civil lawsuits were filed against him alleging sexual abuse of underage male members of his parish. Long denied wrongdoing through his attorneys and privately settled the lawsuits out of court for undisclosed amounts.
Long was born in Huntersville, North Carolina, on May 12, 1953, the son of the Rev. Floyd M. Long, Jr. and Hattie Long. He attended North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina, where he received a bachelor's degree in Business Administration in 1977. In 2008, Long donated $1 million to the university to establish a professorship in his name, saying "I am making (the donation) from my own personal income," which comes from various real estate ventures and also as royalties from his books. Long then worked as a factory sales representative for the Ford Motor Corporation, but was fired after he submitted expense reports that included personal telephone calls.
Long claimed to hold a doctorate in "Pastoral Ministry" from the unaccredited International College of Excellence, which is not recognized by either the Council for Higher Education Accreditation or United States Department of Education, the two institutions responsible for recognizing educational accrediting institutions in the United States
...
Wikipedia