ChristianNews
Dr. Irishea Hilliard made history on Friday night, when she became the senior pastor of New Light Church in Houston, Texas.
Pastor Irishea’s parents, Bishop IV Hilliard and Bridget Hilliard announced at the end of 2017, that Bishop Hilliard was stepping down from the Houston mega church and passing the baton to daughter, Irishea Hilliard.
On Friday, Feb. 23rd Dr.New Light installed Dr. Irishea as their senior pastor, making her the first African American woman to lead a mega church with over 20,000 members.
In early February, Dr. Irishea shared with Rolling Out some of the obstacles she’s had to face being a woman in a senior pastor role.
One of the obstacles I have had to overcome is gaining the trust and support of our male parishioners. It’s a fact that most churches are filled with mostly women, but our church has a strong male presence. I wanted to make sure the men in our church knew that as their pastor, I can still be a voice of hope, guidance and direction. It’s been amazing with the launch of our men’s ministry, Light Keepers, to rally our men to stick with the vision and support me as their pastor.
Congratulations to Dr. Irishea Hilliard, and make sure to catch her at Women Who Win 2018, April 18th-20th in Houston.
