Who is Jamal Bryant? New Birth pastor claims he wants to bring black men to church by growing weed

On December 7, 2022, podcast interview with Cool Soror With Rashan Ali, Jamal Bryant expressed his wish to launch a cannabis business to help drive membership and entrepreneurship in the Black community. The pastor of the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church is now going viral for his idea on how to get Black men who smoke weed interested in church. During the interview, he said:

“I’m mindful that I’m not after Christians, I’m after people who don’t go to church. Churches are just recycling people from other churches. I’m looking for people who smell like weed.”

Furthermore, when the host started to laugh, Bryant explained how serious he was about his new business plan. He exclaimed:

“No, no, really. New Birth is the largest land-owning Black church in America. So my position to my deacons is, why are we not raising cannabis?”

At the same time, Jamal Bryant also emphasized his idea of teaching the men farming and helping them enhance the ecosystem.

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Jamal Bryant has led 70,000 in his six years of leadership at NAACP

After Jamal Bryant shared his thoughts on "looking for people who smell like weed," netizens became more curious about the senior pastor of the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church.

Born in May 1971, Jamal Harrison Bryant is an American minister and author. Having graduated from Morehouse College and Duke University, he also pursued his doctorate of ministry from the Graduate Theological Foundation.

Speaking of his early life, Jamal was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to John Richard and Cecelia Bryant. He also has a younger sister and was raised in Maryland. At the time, he attended the church Bethel A.M.E with his father, where he preached his first sermon when he was only 18 years old.

Having earned a degree in political science and international studies, Jamal is also a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. Moreover, the website of the New Birth states that Jamal "embodies a rare balance of spiritual gifts and practical educational experience." It further claims:

“Dr Bryant is equipped and poised to initiate theological revival, decisive commitment and rededication to the teachings of Jesus Christ as the foundation for personal living, family stability and community development.”

The New Birth website talks about Jamal Bryant leading more than 70,000 men in his 6 years of leadership, where he is a senior pastor in the church. (Image via New Birth)

As per the website, Bryan has been the director of the NAACP for over six years now and has led more than 70,000 young people worldwide in non-violent campaigns.

On the personal front, Jamal was married to Gizelle Bryant, an American model who appeared on various TV shows, including The Real Housewives of Potomac. The duo tied the knot in 2002 but got separated seven years later in 2009.

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It remains to be seen how Jamal Bryant will achieve his goal of bringing black men smoking weed into the church since Georgia’s Department of Health states that marijuana laws are tougher there than in most states.