Prominent Atlanta-Based Afro-Latino Mega-Church Pastor Being Installed as Bishop

On Saturday, June 10th, 2006 at 11A.M., Johnathan Alvarado, the Senior Pastor of Total Grace Christian Center in the cities of Decatur and Rex, Georgia, will be installed as the Presiding Bishop of the Grace Fellowship of Churches. This Holy Consecration service will be held at 4000 Covington Highway in Decatur, Georgia at the World Headquarters of Total Grace Christian Center and will be attended by hundreds of supportive bishops, pastors, elected officials, and other well-wishers from throughout Atlanta and around the world.

This community-wide event is open to the general public and signals a significant shift in the life of a prominent pastor whose churches have transformed blighted communities into beacons of hope. Leaders from throughout the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, Central America, India, and Africa will now have much greater access to training and support because of this move. Furthermore, this installation will make Bishop-Elect Alvarado one of the most prominent religious leaders with Latin heritage in the United States at a time of critical importance for all recent American immigrants.

As the Founding Bishop of the Grace Fellowship of Churches, Johnathan Alvarado will oversee and advise a diverse international network of para-church ministries, pastors, and congregations that all hold similar principles and values as those Alvarado has demonstrated as a local pastor. Included among these values is an emphasis on sound biblical teaching, intimate praise and worship, training and academic preparation, and healthy family and professional lives.

For years, Alvarado was reluctant to embrace requests from various denominations that he serve as a bishop because of what he perceived to be an insincere clamoring for titles and power with no real accountability on the part of too many charismatic, Pentecostal pastors. “Leadership without accountability is very dangerous. As a bishop in the Lord’s church I not only have men and women that are accountable to me, but I am a man under authority as well. I take very seriously this challenge before me,” stated Bishop-Elect Alvarado.

Bishop Alfred A. Owens, Vice Bishop of the Mount Calvary Holy Churches of America and Senior Pastor of Greater Mount Calvary Holy Church in Washington, DC will serve as the Chief Consecrator for this service alongside Bishop J. Delano Ellis of Cleveland, Ohio, Bishop Clifford Frazier of St. Louis, Missouri, Bishop Eric Garnes of Brooklyn, New York, and Apostle LaFayette Scales of Columbus, Ohio.

Bishop-Elect Johnathan and Co-Pastor Toni Alvarado launched Total Grace Christian Center in Decatur, GA in 1992 with less than 20 members. Total Grace now has nearly 5000 members and dozens of unique ministries in its Decatur and Rex, GA locations. Total Grace plans to launch a third, Gwinnett County location in 2007.