Nearly six months after former co-pastors Anthony and Harriet Jinwright were sentenced to prison for conspiracy and tax evasion, their former west Charlotte congregation installed a new senior minister Saturday.

Bishop Alan G. Porter

Bishop Alan G. Porter, who at one point served as executive pastor under the Jinwrights, became the 12th senior pastor of Greater Salem Church. He inherited a congregation still struggling in the aftermath of the Jinwrights’ imprisonment and a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition that was filed to avoid a foreclosure sale after the church defaulted on a $5 million loan.

Porter was raised in Washington, D.C., and led churches in suburban Maryland. He now lives in Huntersville and had served as Greater Salem's interim pastor since shortly after the Jinwrights were sentenced. He did not return repeated calls from Qcitymtro.com.

At Saturday’s instillation service, no mention was made of the Jinwrights, but several speakers alluded to the church’s recent struggles.

Bishop Ralph L. Dennis of Kingdom Worship Center in Baltimore, who performed the installation, told Greater Salem members they had earned the right to rejoice.

“You’ve been through enough,” he said, “But we are still here… You’ve earned this praise. ”

The Jinwrights were convicted in May 2010 on multiple counts relating to tax evasion. In December, Anthony Jinwright was sentenced to eight years and nine months; his wife was sentenced to six years and eight months. Both are serving their sentences in federal prisons in West Virginia.

Witnesses testified during the couple five-week trial that the Jinwrights routinely collected "love offerings" from Greater Salem members, sometimes taking the cash home in bags. Others told of luxury cars, lavish expense accounts and vacations, all funded by the church.

An IRS agent who testified during sentencing said the Jinwrights failed to report more than $2.3 million in income between 1991 and 2008. Based on those calculations, the agent said, the couple failed to pay $1.4 million in state and federal taxes.

Less than a month before the Jinwrights were sentenced, the church filed for bankruptcy protection to prevent a California credit union from selling its properties.

An estimated 300 people attended Porter’s instillation, which was presided over by Bishop David Wallace of Brooklyn, NY.

Wallace told the congregation that God sent Porter because he would not let them be sheep without a shepherd.

Bishop Dwayne Bull, another speaker at the event, told the congregation, “You can trust again. It’s a safe house again.”

Church Mother Mary Louise Hunter, who outlined the occasion, described Porter as a strong leader who stands on God’s word with the heart of a true shepherd. She likened him to King David in the Old Testament.

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Qcitymetro.com editor Glenn Burkins contributed to this report.

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