Rev. Eboni Marshall Turman is writing a new chapter after one of the most closely watched church leadership disputes in recent years.
Just over a year after a federal judge dismissed her gender discrimination lawsuit against New York City's historic Abyssinian Baptist Church, the Yale Divinity School professor has officially launched her own congregation, Harlem First, giving supporters a fresh place to worship while closing the door on a battle that sparked national debate over women in church leadership.
The new church held its first worship gathering on July 19 at The Ailey Citigroup Theater in Harlem, drawing about 150 attendees for what Marshall Turman described as an emotional homecoming. The venue carries deep personal significance, as she trained there as a young dancer and later worked as a teaching artist with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Foundation.
"Launching the Harlem First worship experience at The Ailey Citigroup Theater feels like a full-circle moment for me," Marshall Turman said. "To be in a space surrounded by the spirit of my dance ancestors, including my beloved mentor Judith Jamison, while delivering a message that I hope was one of healing, revelation, and transformation, is so profound."
The launch represents a dramatic new beginning for the minister, who spent more than a decade serving as an assistant pastor at Abyssinian Baptist Church and, in 2007, became the youngest pastor ever ordained by the famed Harlem congregation.
Her name dominated Christian headlines in 2023 after she sued the nearly 220-year-old church, alleging she was denied the opportunity to become senior pastor because she is a woman. The congregation ultimately selected Rev. Kevin R. Johnson to lead the historic church instead.
The lawsuit quickly became one of the most talked-about church legal battles in America, raising difficult questions about gender, pastoral leadership, and the limits of civil court involvement in church decisions.
Those questions were largely settled in March 2025 when U.S. District Judge Dale E. Ho dismissed the lawsuit under the First Amendment's ministerial exception. The judge ruled that courts cannot second-guess a church's decision about who is qualified to serve as its ministers because doing so would improperly entangle the government in ecclesiastical matters.
While the legal challenge came to an end, Marshall Turman's ministry clearly did not.
Instead of stepping away from pastoral leadership, she has built a new faith community centered on spiritual formation, justice, hope, and belonging. The inaugural service also highlighted young voices, with children and teenagers participating throughout the worship experience rather than remaining spectators.
Marshall Turman, who is the mother of three daughters, said it was important that young people help proclaim God's message from the very beginning of the church's life.
Until Harlem First secures a permanent home, the congregation will meet monthly, with its next worship service scheduled for September.
For many observers, the launch marks a striking turnaround. After losing a high-profile courtroom fight over leading one of America's most historic Black churches, Marshall Turman has chosen not to continue looking backward. Instead, she is building something entirely new-creating her own congregation just blocks away in Harlem and inviting a new generation of worshippers to help shape its future.
