An Atlanta pastor faces child cruelty charges after allegedly beating his stepson with a power cord until he bled.
What is Kenneth McFarland being accused of?
Kenneth McFarland, 42, was arrested on Nov. 10 and charged with cruelty to children in the 2nd degree after the assistant principal at his 15-year-old stepson’s school, Creekside Christian Academy in Hampton, Georgia, was concerned over the teen’s well-being and called the police, according to a police report.
When officers of the Stockbridge Police Department arrived at the school, they spoke with assistant principal Lawrence Gwyn, and he stated that the young man had a blood stain on the back of his pants. When Gwyn asked the teen about what happened, he said his stepfather had caused it.
“My dad called himself disciplining me,” the teen told Gwyn, according to the police report.
Why did McFarland beat his stepson?
He said his father struck him with an extension cord at their home. After learning the details of the incident, Gwyn then called the Henry County Police. The Henry County Fire Rescue arrived at the scene and was shown pictures of the teen’s bruises, which were located on the upper right thigh and lower buttocks, the police report states.
The teen said his father used the power cord from his gaming system to hit him with before heading to school. He also stated that his father disciplined him after learning that he had in-school suspension.
McFarland was taken into custody and transported to the Henry County Jail.
Who is Kenneth McFarland?
McFarland is the associate pastor of Atlanta’s 2819 Church, according to The Sun. His LinkedIn profile stated he was previously an assistant pastor of Victory Church, also located in the city.
2819 Church said in a statement on Facebook, “As a team, we are deeply disappointed in the circumstances at hand, and grieved for the hurt and pain that was inflicted by someone who carried responsibility in our church. We want to be very clear that 2819 Church will not tolerate violence of any kind, from any member of our team, especially involving children, as this does not reflect our culture and values.”
In a 2023 Facebook post, Philip Anthony Mitchell, the lead pastor of 2819 Church, spoke highly of McFarland after he preached at the church.
“This is what GRACE looks like,” Mitchell said in the post. “How God took two dudes from the street in deep darkness and brought them into the Kingdom of light to do His glorious work.”
The church removed McFarland’s sermons from its social media pages, but they remain available on Subsplash, a digital platform churches use for online engagement and audience outreach, ChurchLeaders.com reported.