Bishop Albert L. Downing

Born in Plymouth, North Carolina, Dr. Albert L. Downing graduated from Plymouth High School. He is the first African American male to graduate from Roanoke Bible College in Elizabeth City, NC (now Mid-Atlantic Christian University). He received a Master of Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC, and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (Charlotte Campus) in Charlotte, NC. Dr. Downing began his ministry at the Macedonia Church of Christ, Holy Disciples, where he delivered his first sermon at the age of eighteen.

In 1989, he taught as a Professor at Winston-Salem Bible College in Winston-Salem, NC.

In January 1998, he became a chaplain in the United States Army, fulfilling a promise he had made to the Lord. Dr. Downing served in the military for twenty-four years. He served three years as an enlisted Soldier in the United States Army; three years as a chaplain in the United States Navy at Camp Pendleton, CA; and eighteen years as a United States Army Chaplain. As a United States Army Chaplain, he served fourteen months deployed in Iraq and received the Bronze Star Medal. He also received the Legion of Merit Medal. Dr. Downing founded and serves as senior pastor of Living Faith Christian Center (LFCC), a multicultural, non-denominational church. He also established a School of Theology in the Philippines and has numerous churches affiliated with A. L. Downing Ministry.