Black Church Institute

The liberation theme of the gospel and the human struggle for justice have been the primary concern of the African American church. The Black church stands at a critical juncture in its history, theology, and practice of Christian ministry. The need for theologically and culturally competent ministers in the African American community continues to grow. The Black Church Institute is designed to assist Black and cross cultural ministers, lay women and men, church administrators, deacons, lay associates and volunteers ministering among Black congregations and the broader Black community to develop a more meaningful and effective ministry within the Black community.

The Black Church Institute is a program designed to provide culturally specific ministerial preparation for African American church with in the context of the church at large. Through a proposed Black church studies program, modules will be developed that will generate a dialogue that presents a new Black praxis, one that will enliven the church for Christian and social ministry.

The work of the Institute is to bring together the Black Pastors, the church community and educators, as partners to study those issues important to the practice of faith and ministry in the Black church. Participants will find the Institute a holistic environment - a community life structure around prayer, liturgy, theological and ministerial studies as well as experiences designed to develop and enrich understanding of Black church and culture. The Institute, offers a variety of opportunities for intellectual, professional and spiritual growth that integrates the major teachings and traditions of the Black religious experience.

The development of leadership is central to this strategy of The Black Church Institute. The purpose of would be to equip leaders, with theological and practical skills needed to lead congregations of the 21st century. The Black Church Institute would train leaders in the following areas and other traditional areas as well.

Developing leadership Black Spirituality
Use of technology for evangelism Creative evangelism tools
Stewardship Value based budgeting
Congregational development Growth strategies

OUR MISSION

The basic mission of the Institute is to enter into partnership with the Black church community to reflect on the liberating elements of Black religion and to assist in defining a future for oppressed peoples, shaped by the prophetic vision of God's justice on earth. The Institute is a vehicle for generating conversation on the single most important institution in the Black community, enriching opportunities through a dialogue with lay and clergy leaders in America's Black churches. As a center for work on issues of ministry in the Black church tradition, the Institute focuses on:

1. Provide Classroom and Educational Opportunities: To provide or help arrange formal and informal, credit and non-credit, in-class and field-based educational experiences, which will assist in the development of religious leaders and the promotion of dialogue between Black theologians and Black church leaders.

• Networking: To cooperate with churches, church-related agencies, and other human service programs to respond educationally to the social and spiritual problems of people in the Black Church context.

• Continuing Education: To identify continuing education needs of pastors and others employed by churches as well as laypersons interested in better preparation for church work and Christian witness.

• Utilization of Community Leadership: To provide a well-rounded theological and community-based education experience that utilizes the expertise of religious leaders from throughout the community and the country.

• Educational Lab. Resource on Urban Ministry: To provide assistance to congregations and the community with scholarly research concerning urban ministry.

BLACK CHURCH PRAXIS

The praxis emphasis of the Institute provides opportunities to work with the Black church community in sponsoring study forums, clergy and laity study retreats, and classes and symposiums for the purpose of examining the critical social ministry needs of the Black community. It is our aim to disseminate the latest in Black theological thought and to provide settings in which the leading African American theological thinkers can hear from and can be engaged critically by those who lead the congregations, lay, and clergy. Through the Black church Institute seeks to generate a dialogue that will yield a new Black praxis, one that will enliven the church for Christian social ministry. Conferences sponsored by the Institute in the past have highlighted various liberation themes and praxis goals.


PREPARATION FOR MINISTRY IN THE BLACK CHURCHES

The Institute is an important resource for bridging Black church studies and theological education of Black laity and clergy for leadership in ministry. The Institute participates in the shaping of curricular offerings in Black religious tradition by:

1. Providing a source of primary information for those who wish to study the impact of Black communities within a predominantly European American religious body.

1. Providing a source of primary information for the study of the contributions of important Blacks both within African American society and within American society as a whole.

1. Providing a source of primary information concerning the important contributions made to the education of Blacks by church-run educational institutions.

1. Providing a useful source of primary information for better understanding the Black church experience generally.