New Birth Missionary Baptist Church Converts 35 Acres Into 390 Affordable Homes for Black Families
New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Georgia, led by Pastor Jamal Bryant, is converting 35 acres of church-owned land into New Birth Village, a development of approximately 390 affordable homes. The project targets Black middle-class families and is designed to increase homeownership and build generational wealth in the Atlanta area.
New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Georgia, is converting 35 acres of church-owned land into an affordable housing development called New Birth Village, Senior Pastor Jamal Bryant announced. The project will include approximately 390 residential units, with a mix of micro-homes and townhomes priced below market value.
The development targets Black middle-class families, including teachers, nurses, seniors, and young professionals who have been priced out of homeownership in the Atlanta metropolitan area. Pastor Bryant described the project as a direct response to the racial wealth gap and declining Black homeownership rates.
"We are turning renters into owners," Bryant said. "This is not charity. This is economic justice."
New Birth, which identifies as the largest land-owning Black church in the United States, is contributing the 35-acre parcel debt-free to the project. The development is structured as a public-private partnership and will include retail and restaurant spaces, green areas, and an amphitheater, creating what Bryant describes as a "work, live, and play" community.
The project builds on the church's "Target Fast" initiative, which concluded in March 2026 after drawing national attention to economic disparities in Black consumer spending. Bryant said the housing development represents the "build phase" of a longer-term economic justice strategy.
Micro-homes in the development will range from 650 to over 1,200 square feet. Future phases of the project may include multifamily housing and senior living units.
The initiative comes as Black homeownership rates in the United States remain significantly lower than those of white households, a gap that economists attribute to decades of discriminatory lending practices, redlining, and unequal access to wealth-building opportunities.
Community leaders in Stonecrest have expressed support for the project, which is expected to bring hundreds of new residents and significant economic activity to the area.
