Who is Kenneth McFarland and why was he arrested? Charges and allegations against the axed Atlanta Megachurch pastor explored

Kenneth McFarland, a pastor who was previously associated with the Atlanta-based megachurch 2819 Church, was arrested after he was accused of beating his 15-year-old stepson with a gaming system cord, as per The Independent.

McFarland has been charged with cruelty to children in the second degree, according to the police report by the Stockbridge Police Department. He was arrested on November 10 and taken to the Henry County Jail, as per The Sun.

According to The Independent, the teachers at Creekside Christian Academy called the police after discovering blood on the pants of McFarland’s stepson.

The police report quoted McFarland’s stepson, who told his teachers at school,

“my dad called himself disciplining me.”

The report also noted that the teenager had bruises on his upper thigh and his backside. His stepfather allegedly hit him before arriving at school for receiving an in-school suspension, as per the report.

After his arrest, McFarland posted bail and was released, according to a spokesperson for the Henry County Sheriff’s Office, Lt. D. Davis, as reported by USA Today. McFarland is also involved in God Family Guns, a gun-training enterprise.

The 2819 Church announced that it had severed ties with Kenneth McFarland

A growing number of Black evangelicals revere the 2819 Church and boast 1.4 million followers on YouTube, according to The Independent. It is known for holding sermons on a large stage fitted with music and fluorescent lighting.

The Church addressed the incident with its pastor, Kenneth McFarland, in a post on X. In their statement, the Church emphasized the importance it places on family values, and wrote,

“Dear 2819 Family, As you know, our church is a place of deep relationships and shared mission. And now we must face a difficult moment together. Last week, church leadership learned that Kenneth McFarland was arrested and charged with a serious crime involving the physical harm of a child in his family.”

The Church also shared that after becoming aware of McFarland’s arrest, they initially suspended him. In their statement, they remarked,

“After learning about his arrest, we immediately reached out to his wife to offer our unwavering support and commitment to them. We immediately suspended Kenneth indefinitely so that we could better understand the facts. He agreed to step down until a decision was made about his future employment.”

After verifying additional information, the Church ultimately decided to fire McFarland on November 18. They wrote,

“Based on the information that we were able to gather and verify, we made the decision to dismiss Kenneth McFarland from our staff as of Tuesday, November 18th. Yesterday, our team made necessary arrangements, and our staff was notified earlier today.”

Official Statement | Part 2#OfficialStatement#2819Church pic.twitter.com/gG88iA0CCj

— 2819 Church (@2819Church) November 20, 2025

In a second statement, the Church notified its followers that it had decided to continue to support McFarland’s wife and son. They added,

“We will continue to support and care for Kenneth's wife and son. At this time, we ask that you do not engage in any form of slander or gossip, but instead respect the difficult nature of this for the family, and offer prayers for healing, strength, and unity for our church.”

The leadership of the Church also emphasized that it took its decision to best align with the Scripture and to maintain its code of conduct.

Church Leaders reported that after his dismissal, McFarland’s sermons were removed from the 2819 Church’s social media accounts.