A.R. Bernard

Founding Senior Pastor, Christian Cultural Center

A.R. Bernard is one of the most influential religious leaders, and transformative visionaries in the United States. He is the Founding Senior Pastor of Christian Cultural Center (CCC) in Brooklyn, NY, with a membership of more than 40,000, and campuses in Long Island, and Orlando, Florida as well as a virtual campus that reaches thousands across the country and around the world. Bernard enjoyed a successful career 10-year career in Finance before opening a small storefront church in 1978 in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn.

Bernard is a preeminent thought leader in faith and culture and a is highly sought-after media contributor. He has made frequent appearances on Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, NBC, CBS, BET, NY1, TBN, and Daystar TV. Bernard embraces radio, TV, social media, and other communications platforms to share the message of Christ in culture. In March 2021, Bernard launched ARBtv—a digital platform that features diverse topics at the intersection of faith, culture, and media. As an author, Bernard shares transformative messages in his two books, Happiness Is… and Four Things Women Want from a Man.

A lifelong civil rights activist, Bernard often collaborates with national and global faith leaders building solid partnerships that advocate for religious freedom and social justice. Bernard previously served as the president of the Council of Churches of the City of New York and is currently the president of the Commission of Religious Leaders of New York City (CORL), an organization representing all faith traditions.

Bernard holds a Master of Professional Studies and a Master of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary. He received an Honorary Doctor of Divinity from Wagner College and an Honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Nyack College/Alliance Theological Seminary. Under Bernard’s leadership, the newly established New School of Biblical Theology (NSBT) offers master’s degrees and eventually a doctoral program in Public Theology. Currently, NSBT is in the process of obtaining full accreditation with the Association of Theological Schools.

Bernard and his wife, Karen, are married over 51 years; they are the proud parents and grandparents of seven sons and 26 grandchildren, respectively.