YOUNGSTOWN — The spiritual journey has been extensive for Youngstown-based Bishop Benjamin Dwayne Hardin.

It started at age 6 when Hardin said he gave his life to the Lord, leading to his first message at a church in Warren.

“It was impactful. It became my path. I knew I had a calling, and there was something unique about me,” Hardin said.

All of his blessings brought to fruition an opportunity last year to step into a new role, having been consecrated as a bishop. The consecration ceremony and robing ceremony took place at the Embassy Church in Atlanta.

Hardin founded the Embassy Church in 2008, and it has been a staple of Atlanta for over 14 years with its members helping to house the homeless, donating to shelters and committing various acts of kindness in the community.

Hardin called the lead-up to his consecration a structured process.

“You go through an Episocpal Academy that can last between three days, eight hours a day up to six weeks,” Hardin said. “You go through various things to learn the responsibilities as a bishop, help with your garments, your investiture. It’s a long but rewarding process.”

His educational ascent toward consecration saw him developing a relationship with bishops.

“It takes three bishops to make one, and they have to hear from people around you, the community,” Hardin said.

YOUNGSTOWN CHILDHOOD

“My hands are deep in Youngstown. My feet are all over that city,” Hardin said.

Now living in Atlanta, he’s the son of a pastor, steelworker father and a mother who was an accountant in Youngstown. The two also had their own church in Warren.

As a child growing up in the church, Hardin found solace in his religious pursuits early on from his godmother, who frequently traveled to his father’s church.

“Being in a space where kids weren’t acknowledged, she made sure I was encouraged. She taught me Scripture, leadership and character,” Hardin said.

Hardin said the collapse of the steel industry led to more crime and poverty in the area. He recalled at one point his family lost their home.

His time spent in prison ministry gave him a first-hand look at the effects of the city’s struggles.

After graduating in 1989 from Youngstown State University, Hardin moved to Jacksonville where he became a pastor at New Covenant Ministry. He only stayed away for five years, returning to the area where he spent time under the tutelage of Bishop Norman L. Wagner.

Wagner was nationally recognized, and was a pastor at Mount Calvary Pentecostal Church in Youngstown that eventually became Calvary Ministries International.

Eventually in 2002 until 2004, Hardin moved back to Jacksonville where he served as an assistant pastor to Merrill Lynch’s church, with a fellowship of more than 1,000. Hardin also was maintaining a Para-church ministry with increasing global demand to speak to groups from around the world through events and media outlets.

From there, he moved to Nashville, Tenn., where he rebased his ministry and reunited with his initial love of music.

“My family was always musical. I grew up like brothers with (Bishop) Kenneth Paramore. He played the keyboard, and I played the drums, my sister sang, and one of my uncles played the drums,” Hardin said.

While in Nashville, Hardin won awards and received a Grammy nomination for his work and hosted a monthly series of worship gatherings that he described as “very musical” but still “a heavy preaching environment” called the School of the Holy Spirit.

He was affirmed as an apostolic leader in 2004.

Hardin has given his counsel to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, former President George W. Bush and former President Barack Obama, who awarded him the President Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014. He also spent an extensive amount of time working with former President Donald Trump.

“I spent more time with Trump than anyone helping with policies like opportunity zones, school choice and the First Step Act, which got a lot of our black inmates out of prison,” Hardin said.

Dedicated to serving both domestic and foreign governments , he took a trip in 2016 to Israel where he met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, members of the government and other prominent Israeli figures to advise them in their efforts to unite Israeli Jews and Christians.

“I studied alot about the country but to me, it was like speaking to any leader around the world; there’s similar issues of racism and economics,” Hardin said.

Looking back, Hardin said he was thankful for his lessons from Wagner that helped him navigate conversations about policy, community and voting rights.

PLANS

He plans eventually to become an archbishop. But first, Hardin said he’d rather continue helping the people of Atlanta: “I’m more interested in helping kids through the crisis they’re going through and helping build us out of fatherlessness. My satisfaction is helping the community.”

As a pastor, Hardin purchased a 21,000-square foot facility in Georgia’s Cobb County. He said he hopes to turn the space into a day-care center, financial literacy center, music and recording studio, after-school program site, business center incubator and adult day-care center.

“My goal is for no ounce of real estate to go wasted; I want everything to go toward something that helps serve the church and community,” Hardin said.

To suggest a Saturday profile, contact Features Editor Burton Cole at bcole@tribtoday.com or Metro Editor Marly Reichert at mreichert@tribtoday.com.

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