Megachurch pastor Jamal Bryant wants to reach the masses, and he’s got an unorthodox strategy to do it.
The pastor of Atlanta’s New Birth Missionary Baptist Church talked about his plans during a recent appearance on The Cool Soror Podcast with Rashan Ali.
“New Birth is the largest land-owning Black church in America,” Bryant said. “My position to my deacons is, ‘Why aren’t we not raising cannabis?”
He added he was looking for male congregants that “smell like weed.”
When asked what he meant by this, Bryant explained that he wants to introduce concepts of sustainable farming and preserving the “ecosystem” by teaching men how to handle business.
“I’ll be able to bring in Black males. They’re able to do it legally. I’m teaching them farming. I’m helping them to enhance the ecosystem,” Bryant explained. “So if the guy, Black boy, in Bankhead said, ‘They growing weed at the church? Where do I join?’ I don’t need no pamphlet for him.”
Culturally, marijuana is increasingly accepted today, and even Christians have shifted their perspective on weed in recent years. The most current surveys show that 60 percent of Protestants believe weed should be legalized.
Just one problem for Bryant’s plan, though: Marijuana isn’t legal in the state of Georgia.
Pastor Jamal Bryant says he is looking to leverage the land owned by his New Birth Baptist church to grow and sell weed. It will help teach black boys & men farming. “They growing weed at the church, where do I join” pic.twitter.com/omCq5ozUNZ
— Black Millionaires ® (@Blackmillions_) December 7, 2022
Watch the full conversation with Bryant below.
