The Massachusetts Council of Churches celebrates a $1.25 million grant from the Lilly Endowment. We will use these funds to launch a Black preaching program named Equipping the Saints: A Call to those on Guard, Sound the Trumpet Preaching Conference, and the Black Ecumenical Council of Massachusetts. We are excited to begin this journey of working together with black preachers across the commonwealth.
Black preaching is an art form. It comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable.
Harold Smith
About the Program
“Equip the Saints” is asset-based program of the Massachusetts Council of Churches, designed to support preachers in preparing, preaching biblically, beautifully socially-engaged sermons, grounded in the traditions of Black churches and open to all.
We envision a program that is unashamedly Black, unapologetically Christian, and unabashedly inclusive.
Purpose
Our purpose in “Equip the Saints” is first and foremost support for Black clergy. From our design meeting, Black clergy shared that they felt the despair and malaise of their congregation, and their own impending sense of burnout through the multiple pandemics of the past three years. Everything we do in this program point towards increased vocational support. We believe this focus on support for Black clergy is just and appropriate, given the systemic racism of our region and escalating white supremacist violence. Our overall objective also includes equipping all clergy to faithfully and biblically preach against the idolatry of white supremacy cloaked in Christianity and preach towards the unity of the body of Christ.
Process
Black clergy from across the Church in Massachusetts will be eligible to apply to join Cohorts of 20 preacher-practitioners per year over the course of five program years, starting in June 2024. We will support and strengthen compelling preaching through regular podcasts, annual clergy cohorts, via “Preachers-in-Residence,” and peer-to-peer support with an annual Preaching Symposium, “Blow the Trumpet in Zion.”
We prioritize Black preacher mental health with two sessions of support from a preacher-social worker each year. We aim to cultivate and strengthen a fellowship of committed and confident preachers across Massachusetts.
Each Cohort will begin their preaching formation journey together with a pilgrimage to the African Meeting House on Nantucket, an icon of local resilient Black preaching that very few people other than wealthy white individuals have been able to visit.
Each Cohort will engage in a rhythm of learning, practice, and reflection with Preachers-in-Residence. Preachers will then return to their congregation to practice their new skills or ideas. A second session returns to the Cohort for a reflection on their practice. In this way, we build up both preaching resources and capacity in our network of preachers. The annual Preaching Symposium, modeled off of CTS’s Mixed Methods Preaching Conference, serves as a Church wide gathering to learn, and grow in strength and solidarity.
Rationale
We at the Massachusetts Council of Churches are particularly called to this work as a historic, ecumenical organization with anti-racist commitments, our history of convening, our established denominational relationships. As Christians, we believe white supremacists’ propaganda is anathema to gospel of Jesus Christ. We can and must equip the preachers of this moment to effectively notice, name, and preach against this heresy. If not, history and God will hold us accountable.
Meet Our Preacher-Scholars
We are grateful for our Preacher-Scholars who will work with the Equipping the Saints 2024-2025 cohort.
Rev. Dr. Charles Goodman, Jr.
The Reverend Dr. Charles E. Goodman, Jr. celebrates 17 years as the Senior Pastor/Teacher of The Historic Tabernacle Baptist Church of Augusta, Georgia. Under his dynamic leadership and vision “one church in multiple locations” was birthed which now encompasses over 15,000 partners to include our TAB Global audience with multiple weekly services, virtually and in-person.
Rev. Dr. Carolyn Ann Knight
She is the founder and president of “CAN DO!” Ministries; a progressive, preventive youth advocacy ministry that is dedicated to the cultural, social, intellectual, and spiritual well-being of youth and young adults. For ten years, Dr. Knight served as assistant professor of homiletics at The Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia where she had the primary responsibility for teaching and training students in the art and craft of sermonic design, development and delivery. A preacher/pastor with scholarly interests, Reverend Knight has served as adjunct professor at LaGuardia Community College and New York Theological Seminary. She served as the permanent part-time professor of preaching at her alma mater, Union Theological Seminary in New York City. Dr. Knight serves on numerous boards and committees; among them are Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement, the Breast Examination Center of Harlem, The Black Leadership Commission on AIDS, and the advisory board of the African American Pulpit of Judson Press. For further reading on Rev. Dr. Knight, click here.
Meet Our Program Director
Rev. Kenneth Young
Rev. Kenneth Young earned a bachelor’s degree in Bible and Theology from American Baptist College, graduating with honors, in 2010. While in Nashville, he served as Overseer of Christian Education for the College Ministry of over 2,500 students at Mount Zion Baptist Church, Bishop Joseph Walker III, pastor. He also worked as a manager at Kroger where he was nominated for the Division’s President’s Award. He has completed a Master of Arts in Religion and a Master’s Degree in Church History graduating with honors at the Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts. He is a: Michael Haynes Scholar, Byington Scholar, member of the Theta Alpha Epsilon Honor Society, and served as president of the Black Student Association. He is honored to serve as Pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Haverhill, MA. Rev. Young believes that ministry needs to take root in desolate areas. He hopes to carry his ministry to impoverished regions helping in the areas of education and employment. Rev. Young is a native of Sylvester, GA. He is the middle of three children to Robert and Sue Young. Rev. Young is married to the love of his life, Adrianne D. Gladden-Young.
– Applications for the 2024-2025 Cohort are now closed-
The application deadline was June 15, 2024.
