The Rev. Olu Brown

Denomination: United Methodist Church (UMC)
Organization: Impact Church, East Point, GA

Olujimi (Olu) Brown is father of Daya Elom Brown and Langston Wesley Brown. Olu is a native of Lufkin, Texas. He graduated from Jarvis Christian College in Hawkins, Texas and earned a Master of Divinity degree from Gammon Theological Seminary of the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia.

Olu has served as the Lead Pastor of Impact Church, a young congregation in the East Point community of Metropolitan Atlanta (impactdcd.org). With Olu’s vision and leadership, since its founding in 2007, Impact has grown from a core team of 25 people to more than 5,000 online viewers with a $4M budget, making it one of the fastest growing United Methodist Churches (UMC) and new church starts in the United States. To that end, Impact was listed at number 5 in 25 Fastest Growing Large United Methodist Churches, 2018 Edition.

Olu strongly believes in an active church, one that makes a meaningful impact in the lives of individuals and communities. Impact is a multicultural community committed to Doing Church Differently™. Impact DCD redefines the church experience through inclusiveness, relatable messages, energetic weekly gatherings, unique events and activities, relevant youth programs and community outreach. The people of Impact are compelled to help bring healing, justice and compassion to the world.

Through Olu’s leadership and visionary direction, Impact has grown from a core group of 25 to a present-day dedicated staff of 62 individuals who work on the Finance, Marketing, Operations, Care and Creative Worship teams. In addition to more than 200 volunteers who serve each Sunday during the worship experiences, Impact has key volunteers on the Leadership Team: SPRC, Lay Leadership/Lay Servants, Nominations, Trustees and Finance. Olu is constantly challenging Impact’s community to destroy the status quo and to make a remarkable difference in our community and the world.

On May 16, 2021, Olu announced his retirement from the local church effective June 2022. For his retirement, Olu is using the phrase, Normalizing Next™, which is the concept about how to best prepare for the future, especially churches that experience any kind of change or transition. Normalizing Next™ is when you are no longer afraid to do your best to prepare for and strategize so that one can be fully successful.

Olu is looking forward to 2022, as he begins a new season, transitioning from Impact where he will coach of business leaders, church leaders and church teams.

Olu is the contributing author of Zero to 80: Innovative Ideas for Planting and Accelerating Church Growth, author of Leadership Directions from Moses: On the Way to a Promised Land; 4D Impact: Smash Barriers Like a Smart Church and Hope: An Advent Journey, A New Kind of Venture Leader, as well as a contributing author to Flipping Church: How Successful Church Planters Are Turning Conventional Wisdom Upside-Down (access www.olubrown.com for more details, to purchase a copy of his latest books and to listen to his Smart Church podcasts).

Impact meets around the world, online at Impact on Sylvan at 8:00 am, 10:00 am and 12:00 pm: www.impactdcd.org