{{Short description|American pastor (born 1971)}} {{Use American English|date=March 2026}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2026}} {{Infobox Christian leader | honorific_prefix = The Reverend Doctor | name = Jamal Harrison Bryant | image = | caption = | birth_name = | birth_date = {{birth_date and age|1971|5|21}} | birth_place = Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | education = Morehouse College (BA)<br />Duke University (MDiv)<br />Graduate Theological Foundation (DMin) | occupation = Senior Pastor | spouse = {{marriage|Gizelle Graves|2002|2009|reason=divorced}} {{marriage|Dr. Karri Turner|2024}} | parents = | ordination = | denomination = | church = New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, Stonecrest, Georgia }}
'''Jamal Harrison Bryant''' (born May 21, 1971) is an American minister, author and former political candidate. He is the senior pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Georgia.
==Early life and education== {{refimprove section|date=March 2025}} Jamal Harrison Bryant was born on May 21, 1971, in Boston, Massachusetts, to John Richard and Cecelia Bryant (née Williams). He has a younger sister. He was raised in the Westside neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland, where, as a child, he attended his father's church Bethel A.M.E. Church. He preached his first sermon when he was a child at Bethel titled "No Pain, No Gain."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ajc.com/lifestyles/things-know-about-new-birth-pastor-jamal-bryant/UEtvFLu6ixr6xjn8aNQvZN/|first= Shelia |last= Poole |title=9 things to know about New Birth pastor Jamal Bryant, LIFE |date=November 20, 2018|work=Atlanta Journal-Constitution}}</ref>
Bryant attended Morehouse College where he earned an undergraduate degree in political science and international studies. He obtained a master's of divinity degree from Duke University. He received a doctorate of ministry degree from the Graduate Theological Foundation. Bryant is a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity.
===Ministry=== In April 2000, Pastor Jamal Bryant founded the Empowerment Temple African Methodist Episcopal Church in Baltimore, Maryland, and served for 18 years.<ref name="Fox5">{{cite news |first=Marissa |last=Mitchell |title=Pastor Jamal Bryant plans to usher in a rebirth of New Birth |url=http://www.fox5atlanta.com/local-news/pastor-jamal-bryant-plans-to-usher-in-a-rebirth-of-new-birth|date=December 8, 2018|publisher=Fox 5 Atlanta|access-date=5 April 2019}}</ref> In December 2018, he became pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Georgia.<ref> Leonardo Blair, [https://www.christianpost.com/news/jamal-bryant-gets-rock-star-welcome-at-new-birth-offered-full-support-of-county-govt.html Jamal Bryant gets rock star welcome at New Birth, offered full support of county gov't], christianpost.com, USA, December 10, 2018 </ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theroot.com/new-birth-and-jamal-bryant-time-for-the-black-church-t-1830833988|title=New Birth and Jamal Bryant: Time for the Black Church To Address Its Culture of Sexism, Misogyny and Homophobia|last=Greene-Hayes|first=Ahmad|website=The Root|language=en-US|date=December 4, 2018|access-date=2018-12-08}}</ref>
==Politics== Bryant ostensibly ran for U.S. Congress in 2015, aiming to represent Baltimore, Maryland, as a Democrat.<ref>{{cite web |author= John Fritze |url= https://www.baltimoresun.com/politics/bs-md-ci-jamal-bryant-20150914-story.html|title=Baltimore pastor Jamal Bryant will run for Congress |date= Sep 14, 2015 |work= baltimoresun.com |access-date= }}</ref> He suspended his campaign less than two weeks after announcing his run.<ref>{{cite web |author= John Fritze |url= https://www.baltimoresun.com/bs-md-jamal-bryant-out-20150922-story.html |title= Jamal Bryant to end his House campaign |date= Sep 22, 2015 |work= baltimoresun.com |access-date= |archive-date= April 10, 2023 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230410171630/https://www.baltimoresun.com/bs-md-jamal-bryant-out-20150922-story.html |url-status= dead }}</ref>
In a February 2, 2025, service, Bryant announced a 40-day initiative to boycott the retailer Target for eliminating their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) commitments.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Report |first=Tribune News |date=2025-02-03 |title=Rev. Jamal Bryant calls for 40-day economic boycott of Target |url=https://www.phillytrib.com/news/across_america/rev-jamal-bryant-calls-for-40-day-economic-boycott-of-target/article_d5494223-37a1-5221-8e5f-85a20c7b0dea.html |access-date=2025-04-28 |website=The Philadelphia Tribune |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Stacey M. |date=2025-03-24 |title=Rev. Dr. Jamal Bryant’s Black Church Target Boycott Mobilizes 150,000 and Growing |url=https://www.birminghamtimes.com/2025/03/rev-dr-jamal-bryants-black-church-target-boycott-mobilizes-150000/ |access-date=2025-04-28 |website=The Birmingham Times |language=en-US}}</ref> The original boycott was planned to run from March 3 to April 19, but on April 20, Easter Sunday, he announced that the initiative would now be indefinite.<ref>{{Cite news |date=April 24, 2025 |title=From Fast to Full Boycott: Pastor Jamal Bryant Calls for Continued Economic Pressure on Target |url=https://www.birminghamtimes.com/2025/03/rev-dr-jamal-bryants-black-church-target-boycott-mobilizes-150000/ |access-date=April 28, 2025 |work=KTXL}}</ref>
==AME review after divorce== Officials of the A.M.E. denomination intended, as of February 2008, to enter into discussions regarding Bryant's leadership, following mutual filings for divorce by Bryant, his spouse, Hampton alumna and future ''Real Housewives of Potomac'' star Gizelle Bryant.<ref>Reddy, Sumathi (February 16, 2008). [https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2008-02-16-0802160155-story.html "Questions, concerns over pastor's divorce"]. ''The Baltimore Sun''. Retrieved February 21, 2016.</ref> However, they said that Bryant did not face a disciplinary trial because no one came forward with a complaint against him. Church officials said that Bryant "was never charged through the church system with anything".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.christianpost.com/news/ame-church-jamal-bryant-trial-affair-empowerment-temple.html|first= Leonardo |last= Blair |title= AME Church Says Rev. Jamal Bryant Did Not Face Trial for Affair Because No One Came Forward. |date=May 12, 2016|work=The Christian Post}}</ref> In 2019, the couple briefly dated. Many speculated this was just to give Gizelle a storyline as Jamal remained in Georgia and was seen with other ladies, including singer Tweet.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.www.bravotv.com/the-daily-dish/gizelle-bryant-ex-husband-jamal-bryant-back-together-rhop-recap|title=Gizelle Bryant Is Back Together with Ex-Husband Jamal Bryant: "I Feel Like He's a Different Person"|website=The Daily Dish|first=Laura|last=Rosenfeld|date=September 15, 2019|access-date=August 28, 2021}}{{Dead link|date=February 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.people.com/tv/rhop-gizelle-bryant-ex-husband-jamal-split-again-still-best-friends/|title=RHOP's Gizelle Bryant Says She and Ex-Husband Jamal Are Still 'Best Friends' After Splitting Again|website=People|first=Katie|last=Campione|date=July 8, 2021|access-date=August 28, 2021}}</ref>
==Controversies== In 2022, in Rashan Ali's "Cool Soror" podcast, he said he wanted to develop a "new gospel for adults" who are used to having sex (suggesting celibacy as a reasonable message for teenagers, but an off-putting one for older single adults), and further suggested that he wanted to grow marijuana on the land of the church to attract young men.<ref name=BlairCP2022>{{cite web | author = Blair, Leonardo | date = December 20, 2022 | title = Pastor Jamal Bryant Suggests New ‘Gospel for Grownups’ Who are 'Used to Getting Some' Sex | work = Christian Post | url = https://www.christianpost.com/news/pastor-jamal-bryant-suggests-new-gospel-for-grownups.html | access-date = 6 March 2025}}</ref> Bishop Patrick Wooden Sr., pastor of the Upper Room Church of God in Christ in Raleigh, North Carolina, said, "I’m holding out that this is like that Babylon Bee thing [i.e., satire]," but continued, addressing the likelihood that it was not, saying that "[m]arijuana is not... a harmless drug... Depressions are up... suicides are up. It’s a gateway..." that "in and of itself [it] is bad," even if not leading to other drugs, "ruining high school students, messing up their minds, messing up their development".<ref name=BlairCP2022/> He continues with what he perceives to be the spiritual implication, referencing Romans 1:28-32:<blockquote>we are witnessing... [t]he worst thing that God can do... to turn us over to ourselves... [f]or that means the Holy Spirit will no longer... bring any conviction".<ref name=BlairCP2022/></blockquote>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [https://jamalbryant.org/ Jamal Harrison Bryant's website] *{{C-SPAN|44132}}
{{NAACP Image Award – Chairman's Award}} {{Black church}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bryant, Jamal Harrison}} Category:1971 births Category:Living people Category:People of the African Methodist Episcopal church Category:American evangelists Category:American motivational speakers Category:American Pentecostals Category:American television personalities Category:Religious leaders from Baltimore Category:Duke University alumni