Background

"Inspirational preacher, pastor and public theologian who believes the gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ for the poor who seek liberation and the poor in spirit who seek transformation in a broken, sinful, and unjust world".

The Rev. Dr. Raphael Gamaliel Warnock began his pastorate of Ebenezer on October 1, 2005. Dr. Warnock is a pastor with deep scholarly interests and a liberationist understanding of the gospel. Moreover, he comes with rich experience in urban ministry contexts, having served as associate minister of Birmingham’s Sixth Avenue Baptist Church, assistant pastor at Harlem’s Abyssinian Baptist Church and senior pastor of Baltimore’s Douglas Memorial Community Church. His dedication and commitment to the teachings of Jesus Christ and concern for the community provide a holistic ministry perspective on the work of the church. This is setting the tone for a ministry that evangelizes the sinner, champions the work of social justice, embraces the arts in worship and lifts up the name of Jesus Christ in bold and creative ways. With soul stirring sermons and great vision, Pastor Warnock has picked up the mantle and is leading the Ebenezer family to a new phase: From Heritage to Horizon, From Horizon to Higher Ground. Under Pastor Warnock's leadership, the congregation is pressing toward the high mark, which is Jesus Christ.

Biography

The Reverend Raphael Gamaliel Warnock, Ph.D.
Senior Pastor
Ebenezer Baptist Church
Atlanta, Georgia

The Rev. Dr. Raphael Gamaliel Warnock has served, since 2005, as the Senior Pastor of the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, spiritual home of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Having responded to the call to ministry at a very early age, Dr. Warnock became, at age 35, the fifth and the youngest person ever called to the senior pastorate of this congregation, founded in 1886.  Yet, before coming to Ebenezer, “America’s Freedom Church,” he was blessed to train and serve within the pastoral ranks of leading congregations also known for their deep spiritual roots and strong public witness.  He began as an intern and licentiate at the Sixth Avenue Baptist Church of Birmingham, Alabama, a leading light during Dr. King’s Birmingham Campaign.  From there, he served for six years as the Youth Pastor and four years as the Assistant Pastor of the historic Abyssinian Baptist Church of New York City – also one of the nation’s leading congregations, led by the likes of The Rev. Congressman Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., The Rev. Dr. Samuel Dewitt Proctor and now The Rev. Dr. Calvin O. Butts.  Finally, before taking the helm of Ebenezer, Pastor Warnock immersed himself further in the challenges of urban ministry, in the 21st century, while serving for 4 ½ years as the Senior Pastor of Baltimore’s Douglas Memorial Community Church, also a spiritual base of social activism.

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