Dr. Lorenzo T. Neal is a native of Monroe, Louisiana and current pastor of the St. Matthew African Methodist Episcopal Church in Shreveport, LA.. In preaching ministry for over 30 years, Dr. Neal has overcome many challenges including the tragic death of his mother Sharon in 1980 to domestic and gun violence. He accepted his call to preach at the age of 12 at the Riverside Missionary Baptist Church under the leadership of Rev. CR Jackson, and was licensed to preach at the age of 16. He was ordained to the ministry at Christian Fellowship Baptist Church in Pine Bluff, AR under Dr. R. J. Lightsey, Sr at the age of 20 and served as Youth Pastor and Pastor of Worship there and later at Family Time Ministries with Pastor Michael E Williams, Sr. He later joined the African Methodist Episcopal Church under the the late Rev. Mack Talley and Dr. W.R.Norful, Sr. and in 1999 was re-obligated as an Itinerant Deacon under Bishop Frederick Hilborn Talbot. In 2001, He was ordained an Itinerant Elder in the AME Church under Bishop Richard Allen Chappelle, Sr. He went on to serve as pastor of Mt. Zion, Palestine, and Tyree Temple AME Churches in the 12th Episcopal District of the AME Church before being transferred to the 8th Episcopal District and serving at Union Bethel in Amelia, LA and New Bethel in Jackson, MS..

Dr. Neal has a B.S from the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff ( GO GOLDEN LIONS) is in Music Education with a minor in English/Journalism. He has and M.Div from Jackson Theological Seminary in North Little Rock, AR, M.A in Liberal Studies from the University of Arkansas-Little Rock in Music Composition/Theory and Rhetoric and Writing (now called Technical and Professional Writing), M.Ed in Leadership and Supervision from the University of Phoenix and Ed.D in Pastoral Community Counseling Psychology from Argosy University (Dissertation Title: Differentiation of Self and Ministry Job Satisfaction of Itinerant Clergy in the African Methodist Episcopal Church). Dr. Neal has conducted workshops and trainings in Counseling, Education and Leadership, Rhetorical Criticism, Biblical Studies, and Composition and Rhetorical Theory. For 13 years, he hosted the Zera Today Radio Show, and the short term series “Be Your Differentiated Self Podcast” on Spotify. He is the author of several published articles and five books. He is also an adjunct professor at Bonner Campbell Institute of Religion and Wiley University.

Dr. Neal served as the Dean of Ministerial Training and Social Action Chair for the Mississippi Conference of the 8th Episcopal District. He is involved in a number of community and professional organizations including: The American Psychological Association (APA), Clergy for Prison Reform (CPR), Douglass Leadership Institute, Frederick Douglass Foundation of MS, Intentional Insights/Pro-Truth Pledge (Board of Advisors Member), Founding Signer of the Prayers and Action Petition, and A Senior Fellow with the Everytown Survivor Network.

Dr. Neal is married to the lovely April Lodge Neal and has two daughters Imani and Amina.