Born in New Orleans and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Bishop Lands accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior at the age of 12 during a revival at Greater New Guide Baptist Church. He later earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette).
After relocating to Atlanta, Georgia, Bishop Lands and his wife quickly became active in ministry. From 1982 to 1983, they served as Youth Ministry and Church Leader Advisors at Union Grove Baptist Church under the leadership of Pastor Rugene Bryant (deceased). Between 1984 and 1988, they continued their service at Mt. Herman Missionary Baptist Church under Pastor Nathaniel Wilbourne (deceased), supporting the Youth Ministry and Young Adult Choir and serving in the Diaconate Ministry.
Outside of the pulpit, Bishop Lands is the founder and CEO of Alfred Lands Creative Design Solutions, a freelance design studio, for over 35 years. He is the president of TruFaith Music, LLC, an independent gospel record label supporting both emerging and seasoned artists. Notable acts under its banner include God’s Gurls, Gospel Rapper Rev. Taj B, The Heavenly H.O.R.N.S., and Rev. Darien Brooks, also known as “The Vocalist Warrior.” As a producer, songwriter, drummer, and artist manager, Bishop Lands continues to influence the gospel music industry with creativity and excellence.
His love for family and community birthed L.I.F.E., Inc. (Love Involves Family Everyday)—a ministry dedicated to strengthening families holistically. He and his wife hosted Taking the Family to Godly Heights on KISS 104.1 FM, which evolved into their own broadcast, The Bishop and His Bride, now being relaunched as a podcast. Bishop Lands also leads Just Man Talk, a monthly and annual men’s forum addressing spiritual growth, leadership, and community empowerment—hosted at Family Life MBC and Barbershop throughout the regent. He is an author. He wrote his first book last year, “Put A CAP On It.”
committed to theological and ministerial excellence. His academic achievements include:
Bishop Lands accepted the call to preach in 1991 and was licensed at New Calvary Missionary Baptist Church under Pastor P.L. Redmond Jr (deceased). He was ordained in 1994 at Greater Piney Grove Baptist Church by Dr. William E. Flippins. His leadership continued to expand with key appointments, including his installation as Overseer in The Lord’s Churches Fellowships and Ministries International, Inc. in 2002.
In 2011, he was consecrated as a Bishop by Family Life International Fellowship, Inc., where he later served as Vice Presiding Bishop. On April 24, 2025, Bishop Lands was unanimously elected and affirmed as the Presiding Prelate of Family Life International Fellowship. He is also a distinguished member of the House of Bishops, Master’s Circle Christian Fellowship, and the Evangelical Episcopal Communion. Additionally, he is the co-founder and former moderator of the Statewide Association of Baptist Assemblies (S.A.B.A.), an Atlanta-based body serving the Southwest region.
Presiding Bishop Dr. Alfred T. Lands is a devoted shepherd, dynamic leader, visionary builder, and loving family man. His unwavering commitment to God, to his family, and to the greater community stands as a testament to the power of faith, purpose, and obedience. Through every sermon, song, initiative, and relationship, he continues to model what it means to live a life poured out in service to God and others.
Bishop Alfred and Bishop Rosemary Lands have been faithfully married for 43 years. Together, they have built a legacy centered on love, leadership, and service. Their family includes:
Pastor of New Bethany Baptist Church, Washington D.C.
He serves on several Travis County committees including EXPO/Palm, Housing, Information and Technology Services, Investments, Legislative, Purchasing Board, Operations Management, Transportation and Natural Resources, and Veteran’s Affairs.
He has more than thirty-five years of experience providing management solutions in the public, private, and non-profit sectors. During his career, he has conducted extensive operational reviews of State agencies, City Departments, and worked on teams producing recommendations adopted by the Texas legislature that saved the State of Texas more than $8 billion. He has analyzed, designed, and implemented organizational improvements that have enhanced the effectiveness of several non-profit organizations. He has also developed and presented policy recommendations at the local, state, and national levels.
Jeffrey received his undergraduate degree with honors from Jackson State University and participated in the University’s W.E.B. Dubois Honors Program and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Delta Phi Chapter. He was an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellow who studied at the Carnegie-Mellon University Heinz School (formerly the School of Urban and Public Affairs), the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government. He received his Master’s Degree at the University of Texas at Austin, LBJ School of Public Affairs.
Jeffrey is involved in a number of civic activities, including Deacon at the Abundant Life Community Baptist Church, Chairman of the Board CapMetro Transportation Authority, Board member of the Austin Transit Partnership (ATP), Member of the National Association of County Committees for Urban Counties, Social Services and Education (NACo), Member of the Community Advancement Network, Member of the Capitol Area Regional Transportation Planning Organization (CARTPO), Member of the Capitol Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO), Graduate of Leadership Austin, Chairman of the Civic Affairs Committee for the Texas State Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He is married to Perri McKinney Travillion. They have three children, Jeffrey, Jr., Paige, and Andrew, and two grandchildren, Jeffrey, III and Teegan.
He has been described as “called by God, shaped by experience, a man of action, and a Renaissance man” and in his pastorate, “he's led David Chapel in a community- oriented direction, becoming a bastion of leadership for the Chestnut neighborhood, for the Eastside, for Black Austin, and for the city at large, being a church with a heart for the community."
A 1974 graduate of Morehouse College, Pastor Parker earned a master's degree in public administration from the University of Georgia in 1976 and his law degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1982, where he was selected as a member of the Order of Barristers as one of the top 10 graduating students in trial advocacy and received the Gene Woodfin Award as a graduating University of Texas law student “who is bright and shows great promise of future leadership.” In May 1997 he graduated magna cum laude with his master of divinity degree from Baylor University’s Truett Seminary, where he was the first African-American graduate, served as the first alumnus and African-American chairman of the seminary's board of advisers, and in 2004 was selected as the first “Distinguished Alumnus of the Year.” In 2003 he earned a doctor of ministry degree in urban ministry from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Boston.
From 1976-79 and prior to law school, he served as a management/budget analyst/staff assistant in the Dallas, Texas City Manager Office. Starting in 1982 and prior to being called as Pastor in September 1992, he served David Chapel as an associate minister/pastor. Since 1983, he has been licensed to practice law in the Texas and federal courts, and practiced as a trial attorney and mediator, including in the Travis County Attorney Office, a private civil law firm, as chief of litigation for the State Bar of Texas, and private practice.
In 1996 he became the first African-American elected to serve as president of the Austin Bar Association. Consequently, in recognizing his “blazing the trail for minority lawyers who followed in his footsteps, as he also spent his life and work championing the equal, ethical, and fair treatment of all people, and raising awareness of the need to diversify our community,” the Austin Bar Association named the “Joseph C. Parker, Jr. Diversity Award” in his honor. The State Bar of Texas has also honored him as a “Trail Blazer” and he received the 2018 “Distinguished Lawyer of the Year” award from the Austin Bar Association. He is a Master of the Court Emeritus in the American Inns of Court; his framed photograph, biography and autograph are on permanent display in a law school classroom as a part of the Distinguished Minority Alumni Portrait Collection.
Pastor Parker has taught preaching at Truett Seminary and advanced civil litigation in trial advocacy at the University of Texas School of Law. He also has written articles for the Baptist Standard newsmagazine, the on-line Smyth & Helwys Uniform Series Bible Study, the quarterly publication, Christian Reflection: A Series in Faith and Ethics, and published a book, Holy Change: A Systemic Approach to Transforming A Community.
Pastor Parker has been involved in a variety of faith-based, interfaith, education, social justice, legal, improving race relations, and community efforts with service on several boards. He has also received numerous awards and recognitions for that work including KFIT Radio Station’s 1998 Pastor of the Year, Leadership Austin’s 2002 Polly Scallorn Community Trustee Award, Wake Forest University Divinity School 2009 selection to participate in an all-expense paid two-week pastoral pilgrimage to Israel, Morehouse College’s induction into the Martin Luther King, Jr. International Chapel Board of Preachers, the Interfaith Action of Central Texas’ 2011 Hope Award, the University of Texas at Austin’s 2013 Heman Marion Sweatt Civil Rights Legacy Award, and the Austin NAACP’s 2018 Founder’s Award. He is a Life Member of the Morehouse College National Alumni Association and the NAACP, and a member of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity (“The Boulé”) and currently serves as the President of the Ministers Conference of the National Missionary Baptist Convention of America.
He has been married to J. Laverne Morris-Parker since 1976. They have three daughters – Jessica L. Parker- Battle, Jennifer L. Parker, and Janetta L. Parker and three grandchildren – Jordan L. Battle, Jeremy D. Battle, Jr. and Jennifer-Jocie L. Battle.