
In Atlanta, Georgia, Megachurch Pastor Bryan Meadows Admits Affair With Co-Pastor, Who Calls It Abuse
Bryan Meadows, senior pastor of an Atlanta megachurch, admitted to an affair with a co-pastor during a YouTube interview, according to The Roys Report. The reports differ on the church’s name. The Roys Report and JubileeCast refer to Embassy City Church, which Meadows founded in 2011 with his wife, Patrice, also a senior pastor, and which the Roys Report says he leads with the title apostle. Christian Post describes him as the founding pastor of Embassy Church International in Atlanta. Christian Post also states that Meadows is married.
The co-pastor is Stephanie Prescott, 34. The Roys Report says Prescott publicly identified herself as the victim and described the relationship as abuse, including grooming and misuse of power. JubileeCast describes Prescott as a co-pastor and reports that she has described the relationship as involving grooming, abuse of power and clergy se[the report’s description is cut off in the source]. Christian Post identifies Prescott as a graduate of Emory University’s Candler School of Theology.
According to The Roys Report, Prescott first spoke about her experience in a YouTube interview last June with Bishop Demetrius Sinegal, without naming Meadows. Her book, *95 Theses to The American Church*, released a year ago, also did not name him. Prescott has since confirmed that the man in question is Meadows. Christian Post reports that she made the claim to The Roys Report and said she did not mind confirming it was Meadows. Christian Post also reports that Prescott had said the affair was with a man known as “Apostle Fred,” a name the source attributes to her claim. The Roys Report says Meadows did not respond to its request for comment about Prescott’s revelation.
Meadows later admitted to the affair in an interview with Jessica Laine MacDonald on the “Hardly Initiated” podcast, a Christian relationship podcast. According to The Roys Report, the interview has drawn 71,000 views. Christian Post reports that Meadows, 40, described the affair as “tortured” and “youthful” and said it began in his early 20s. Christian Post reports that he acknowledged wrongdoing and framed the affair as a struggle with addiction.
The accounts also differ on the length of the relationship. The Roys Report and JubileeCast describe it as 12 years, while Christian Post’s headline and summary describe it as 13 years.
Christian Post reports that Prescott claimed she made the decision to end a pregnancy during the affair and said she now regrets it deeply. This is Prescott’s claim as reported by Christian Post, and the other two reports do not address it in the material provided. Prescott’s account of misused power is a matter of protecting the vulnerable (Psalm 82:3).
Sources (3):
- Atlanta pastor admits 12-yr ‘affair’ with co-pastor; she calls it 'abuse' (roysreport.com)
- Woman claims she aborted megachurch Pastor Bryan Meadows' baby during 13-year affair (christianpost.com)
- Atlanta Megachurch Pastor Bryan Meadows' 12-Year Relationship With Co-Pastor Sparks Abuse Allegations – JubileeCast (jubileecast.com)