Dr. Teresa Hairston is a woman of leadership and legacy. She is an Ordained Elder and dynamic preacher and teacher who loves to empower people using Kingdom principles. She is also a Certified (John Maxwell) Coach and Mentor that develops emerging leaders through seminars and one-on-one counseling.
Dr. Hairston is an internationally known and respected pioneer. In 1989, she established Gospel Today Magazine, a publication she launched with an investment of only $300, while working two jobs and being a single (divorced) mother to three young children. Over the 20 plus years of her leadership, Gospel Today grew to become the longest running and most widely-distributed Urban Christian Lifestyle magazine in history. In 2011, she retired from Gospel Today and passed this great legacy to her son.
In 1994, Dr. Hairston founded The Gospel Heritage Foundation, which celebrates and perpetuates the great Gospel legacy –in word and music. Gospel Heritage sees its primary goal as educating worshipers to understand that Worship isn’t just a musical style, it’s a lifestyle. Through Gospel Heritage, Hairston is helping to raise the standard of Biblically-ordained worship in the 21st Century Church. Each year, thousands of people from across the world attend the annual International Worship Summit, which has become the genre’s leading praise & worship gathering.
Dr. Hairston is the author of two nationally distributed books, How to Pursue Your Purpose (2010); and Stop Waiting, Start Winning! Live Your Vision NOW! (2014). Hairston is single, lives in Atlanta and is the doting grandmother of five.