Wayne C. Thompson, a real estate executive who became a prominent evangelical pastor, passed away at the age of 84.
Thompson was born in Atlanta and was educated locally at Oglethorpe Elementary, Booker T. Washington High School, Morehouse College and Georgia State University. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps for four years and was honorably discharged in 1961 and later worked at General Motors and Lockheed.
In 1969, he launched Wayne C. Thompson Realty Co. in Atlanta, focusing on the city’s residential and commercial real estate markets. His company was one of the most successful Black-owned real estate companies of its time. During the recession of 1974, Thompson underwent a spiritual reconsideration of his life and decided to redirect his energy and skills to a higher calling.
As the founder and senior pastor of Fellowship of Faith Church International, he used in-person church services, missionary work and broadcast technology to reach the faithful. Thompson was also an educator, founding founded Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy in 1986 as a fully accredited college prep school that trains and educates children from early learning through 12th grade, with a stated mission to “Mix Faith with Learning.”
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