For decades, Bishop Hezekiah Walker’s voice has been a constant in Black households. His songs play at Sunday services, family reunions, hospital bedsides, and victory celebrations. But the gospel legend says the work he is most proud of right now has nothing to do with a stage.
Today, Walker is expanding his ministry into real estate and community development. His latest project, HezHouseApartments in Brooklyn, is a 10-story affordable housing development where residents begin moving in this spring.
“I see myself as part of the legacy, but I also see evolution,” Walker told BLACK ENTERPRISE.
“Growing up in the Black church, I went because my mom made me go. And when I got old enough to make my own decisions, I decided to stay. I decided to help the church grow.”
For Walker, music became the door that led him to ministry. When people began approaching him for prayer following concerts, he realized he wasn’t confident in his biblical knowledge. Soon, he enrolled in Bible school. Preaching followed, then pastoring. Eventually, he founded his own church, renting spaces and slowly expanding. Years later, he purchased a property he didn’t yet know how to use. He held onto it, even when plans to build a larger sanctuary seemed obvious.
“Something just said don’t sell that property,” he recalled. “I was in prayer, and the Lord spoke to me and said, ‘Don’t build a church.’”
Not long after, the pandemic reshaped congregations nationwide.
“Every church is online,” Walker said. “God, thank you. Because I would have built this church, 2,000-seater, and the church would have been on a decline.”
When New York City’s Mayor Bill de Blasio approached him about using the property for housing, his congregation immediately supported the pivot.
“They stood up and started clapping,” he said. “They were so excited. They were like, ‘Yes, let’s do something for the community. Let’s leave a legacy.’”
The first residents of HezHouse Apartments, Walker’s $80 million affordable housing development in East New York, Brooklyn, will move into the 236-unit building this month. A remarkable feat, considering Walker first entered the project with no real estate experience.
“I didn’t know anything about development. I didn’t know anything about the contracts,” he said. “It took us six years.”
The bishop assembled lawyers, advisors, and members from inside and outside his church to guide him through financing, city approvals, and negotiations. At one point, the city attempted to buy the land outright. Walker refused.
“You can build the building, but the land will always be ours,” he said. “So we still own the land. We leased the land for 99 years. That’s what legacy is all about. We leave it for those that’s behind us.”
The development also includes commercial space that hasn’t yet been designated, but Walker told Black Enterprise he is leaning toward creating an adult daycare for seniors whose families work during the day.
“We talk about community, but we don’t do community,” he said. “The church must evolve. We can no longer sit.”
And while he’s heard the jokes about megachurch pastors and performative theology, Walker argues the Black church remains one of the most underestimated economic forces in America.
“They definitely underestimate that,” he said. “They just look at what we get and what we obtain. And unfortunately, we have those who obtain for themselves, but we have others who obtain for the people.”
In his own church, he points to practical programs such as financial education, credit repair, and first-time homebuyer support.
“We have a clean-up-your-credit ministry,” Walker said. “We have first-time homebuyers. We show them how to do that. We give them the principles of wealth.”
Even as Walker leans deeper into housing and community development, music remains central to his ministry. A new single, “Favor,” will be released this month.
“I’ve been so busy with the housing
until I happened to have the time to concentrate on the music, but I like to listen and see what our culture needs, and that’s when I start looking for songs,” Walker shared. “There was a young man who introduced the song to me, I listened to the lyrics, I added some stuff to it, and it’s a testament that’s on my life and on many lives.”“Favor will open doors that were closed in your face,” he continued. “We would not be who we are if we did not have favor. Even in the midst of what our people went through, favor was on our people. And we’re here because of that favor.”
That favor has led Walker to extend his ambitions internationally. After visiting South Africa more than 15 years ago, he says the trip transformed him.
“It changed my entire life,” he said. “When I got there, I felt like this is where I belong. I felt like, ‘I’m home.’”
He is now developing a performing arts center in Cape Town to provide young people with access to music and performance training.
“There are so many talented kids over there, but they just don’t have the resources,” he said. “I want a place where they can learn music, learn dance, and showcase their talent.”
Back stateside, HezHouse Brooklyn is only the beginning. Walker is already planning housing projects in North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
“The Lord pulled the brakes and told me to build housing,” he said.
For Walker, the mission is clear. The church, he believes, cannot only inspire. It must also build.
“Everybody’s not walking in the church,” he said. “We bring the church to the people.”
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