Vanessa Long, the widow of Bishop Eddie Long, named Bishop Stephen A. Davis as the successor of Bishop Long’s beloved New Birth Missionary Baptist Church pulpit on Sunday, January 29, 2017, effective immediately.
Bishop Eddie Long died on January 15, 2017, at the age of 63 after battling cancer. Allegedly, in 2013, New Birth and Long devised a succession plan, with Davis named as his eventual successor.
“My wife, Darlene and I, are blessed beyond measure and thoroughly thrilled to serve New Birth Lithonia, building on the foundation that Bishop Long established for this amazing ministry,” he said.
Bishop Stephen A Davis is the former senior pastor, President and Chairman of the Board of New Birth Birmingham one of many New Birth expansion churches across the world.
Bishop Stephen A Davis has quite a track record with church growth, as the current The 2,300-member New Birth Church in Birmingham was formerly known as the Refiner’s House. A church that Davis started in a former auto parts store in 2001, rapidly grew and in 2006, Bishop Davis reached out to Bishop Eddie Long seeking mentorship.
In 2011, the Refiner’s House changed its name to New Birth and affiliated with Long’s church. Bishop Long ordained Davis as a bishop in 2015 for the Global Apostolic Council.
Davis, 49, grew up in Pinson and started preaching at 15. He graduated from Pinson Valley High School in 1985. He received his ministerial training and ordination through the Pentecostal Holiness Association in 1996. He received a master’s degree and a doctorate in theology through the New Birth Bible Institute.
”I’m very bold, very loud from the platform,” Davis said. ”They will receive a straightforward message that they are loved first.” The video above depicts his style of preaching.
Bishop Stephen A Davis and his wife, Darlene, have been married more than 27 years and have three daughters and two grandchildren.