Reframing urban Black historic church leadership’s view of the mission of God: increasing African American legacy congregations’ relevance for effectively ministering in their changing communities of the twenty-first century

This transformational leadership project addresses the numeric decline of historic Black churches in urban centers across the United States. The focal church of this task, Nineteenth Street Baptist Church (NSBC) in Washington, D.C., which was the founding church of seven Black historic congregations in the District, and home of several revered pastors who started Postbellum churches on the Atlantic Coast, has joined dialogs about Black Church declines since the year 2000. Speaking to the concern, this work builds on Robert L. Smith’s Black Existential Theological Hermeneutic, called the BETH approach, a practical theology method that assist leaders with African American church revitalization processes. Using NSBC’s Christian Education Ministry as the focal ministry, this project engaged the three stages of Smith’s BETH approach: Analyze, Assess, and Act. The outcomes of these stages led to offering a transformative framework for assisting the ministry’s leadership in the practices of creating a prophetic mission statement. Chiefly, this development will lead to developing and/or renewing practices authentic to Black Church witness, faithful to the mission of God in the Bible, consistent with Christian history, and relevant to the 21st Century society, all from a People of Color perspective.2023-03-26T00:00:00