Bishop C. L. Carter, Sr. & First Lady Deborah V. Carter
Bishop C. L. Carter, Sr. has been the spiritual Pastor and Founder of the First Missionary Baptist Church of Atlanta, Georgia since 1982. Bishop Carter is married to Elder Deborah V. Carter.
He is a native of Atlanta where he attended Carver Bible Institute and College. He furthered his studies at College School of Continuing Education. On March 3, 1992, Pastor Carter received an Honorary Doctor of Divinity from World Changers Ministries Christian Center where Dr. Creflo Dollar, Jr. is the pastor and his son in the ministry.
Through a vision, God challenged Pastor Carter to establish a Bible Institute that would fully train men and women to continue to carry out Jesus’ final words to His followers as stated in Matthew 28:19. From that challenge the Carter Theological Institute of Ministry, formerly Carter College of Ministry was officially established and consecrated on May 27, 1990.
On April 8, 2002, Pastor Carter was consecrated as a Bishop. Bishop Carter is affliated with the United Covenant Churches of Christ, International. On March 16, 2005 he was bestowed with an Honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree from Christ United Theological School in Cleveland, Ohio where Bishop J. Delano Ellis, II is the president. The Morehouse College of Atlanta, Georgia inducted Bishop Carter into the Martin Luther King Jr. Board of Preachers on April 5, 2007. He was featured in the August 2007 Gospel Today Magazine as one of “The Most Loved Pastors.” The Concerned Black Clergy of Metropolitan Atlanta, Inc. recognized and honored him as one of the Top 25 Pastors at their Annual Salute to Black Fathers Banquet on June 15, 2008.
Bishop Carter has made an incalculable contribution to the creation, the promotion and the maintenance of a healthy spiritual atmosphere in the community and at First Missionary, where he has the responsibility for the teaching, training and guidance of the ministers under his care and leadership. He has constantly encouraged and actively assisted over twenty pastors in the establishment of their own churches.
Bishop Carter, a godly man, exhibits the heart of a true shepherd. Just like the shepherd, Bishop Carter is available to his flock 24/7. He is a Bishop who is interested in every area of his members’ lives. His love and concern for God’s people are not confined to the walls of his church only. Through the media ministry of the church as well as his prayerful counseling of other pastors and ministers, Bishop Carter’s impact upon the spiritual welfare of this church, this community and this state is as far reaching as it is immeasurable.
Bishop Carter’s unlimited love and devotion to the First Missionary family and the community is a precious gift from God to us. Bishop Carter is truly God’s Minister, Counselor, Teacher, Healer, Prophet, Evangelist and Preacher to every man, woman, boy and girl.
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