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Written by: A. Smith
Published November 24, 2025 @ 4:55 PM ET
HENRY COUNTY, Ga. – A Henry County pastor has been arrested after police say he beat his son with an extension cord, prompting his church to dismiss him from its staff.
Kenneth McFarland, 42, an associate pastor at 2819 Church on Greenbriar Parkway in southwest Atlanta, was taken into custody on Nov. 10 and charged with second-degree cruelty to children. He was later released on bond.
According to a Stockbridge Police Department incident report, officers were called to Creekside Christian Academy in Henry County after a staff member noticed blood on the back of the child’s pants. The school’s principal told officers he questioned the student, who responded, “My dad called himself disciplining me,” and said McFarland had hit him with an extension cord because he had received in-school suspension.
Police noted the teenager had bruising on the upper right thigh and lower buttocks. The child told investigators the cord had come from a gaming system at the home.
McFarland serves as a pastor in the community and is well known in the neighborhood.
In an online statement, leaders of 2819 Church said McFarland was immediately suspended after they learned of the charge, and that he ultimately agreed to step down. Executive Pastor Lonnell Williams later announced that McFarland had been dismissed.
“Based on the information that we were able to gather and verify, I made the decision to dismiss Kenneth McFarland from our staff,” Williams said. “Every person on our staff must align with scripture and a standard of conduct that inspires others to draw closer to Jesus. We determined that the standard of conduct we have as a church, especially for those involved in pastoral ministry, was violated.”
McFarland declined to comment.
The church said it maintains a zero-tolerance policy for violence, especially involving children.