Leroy Barber
Leroy Barber has dedicated more than 20 years to eradicating poverty, confronting homelessness, restoring local neighborhoods, healing racism, and living out what Dr. King called “the beloved community.”
Leroy starts projects that shape society. In 1990, burdened by the plight of Philadelphia’s homeless, he founded Restoration Ministries to serve homeless families and children living on the streets. In 1997, he joined FCS Urban Ministries to serve as the founding director of Atlanta Youth Academies—a private elementary school—to provide quality Christian education for low-income families in the inner city.
He is currently the president of Mission Year—a national urban initiative introducing 18 to 29-year-olds to missional and communal living in city centers for one year of their lives—and executive director of FCS Urban Ministries in Atlanta. Leroy is the co-pastor of a church plant, Community Life Church and serves on the boards of Word Made Flesh and the Christian Community Development Association. He is the author of New Neighbor: An Invitation to Join Beloved Community and Everyday Missions: How Ordinary People Can Change the World, and was also chosen as a contributor to the groundbreaking book unChristian: What a New Generation Thinks about Christianity… and Why It Matters.
Leroy is married to Donna and together they have three adult children—Jessica, Joshua, Joel, and two adopted children—Asha and Jonathan.
