Eddie Long

For the Canadian ice hockey player, see Eddie Long (ice hockey).

Eddie Long
Born
Eddie Lee Long

(1953-05-12)May 12, 1953
Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
DiedJanuary 15, 2017(2017-01-15) (aged 63)
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Alma materNorth Carolina Central University
International College of Excellence
OccupationPastor
Years active1985–2017
Employer(s)New Birth Missionary Baptist Church
(1987–2017)
Spouses
Dabara S. Houston
​
​
(m. 1981; div. 1985)​
[1]
Vanessa Griffin
​
​
(m. 1990; death 2017)​
Children4 Grandchildren = 3
AwardsTrumpet Award[2]

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.[3] 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.

  1. ^ Boone, Christian; Tygami, Ty (December 29, 2010). "Bishop Eddie Long—Ex-wife accused him in divorce papers of abuse". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved September 29, 2010.
  2. ^ "Brand pastor built fosters fierce member loyalty". Fox News. Associated Press. October 2, 2010. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference SST was invoked but never defined (see the help page).