Cost to Attend

This cost to attend is $40 per person. Breakfast, lunch and other snack/drink items provided throughout the day. REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED.

Location details for in-person participation will be included at the bottom of your registration receipt. Please check your spam/junk folder or email info@lpts.edu if you do not receive your confirmation.

About the Black Presbyterian Rural Church Summit

The Black Presbyterian Rural Church Summit is sponsored by the Black Church Cornerstone Collaborative and stewarded within Louisville Seminary’s Black Church Studies Program. The Summit convenes rural Black Presbyterian congregations, presbyteries, and ministry partners to equip and empower leaders serving in rural and small-town contexts.

The Summit creates space for connection, shared learning, and strategic support through educational workshops and practical tools. These efforts are aligned with the four priorities of the Black Church Rural and Small Towns Ministry Initiative: Black Women in Ministry, Church Growth, Evangelism, and Congregational Heritage.

In 2026, the Summit will gather under the theme, “Big Enough: Using What You Have in Your Hands—Co-Laborers for Christ.” Grounded in Isaiah 54:2, this theme calls us to enlarge our vision and trust that what God has already placed in our hands is more than enough. As co-laborers with Christ, we come together to strengthen one another, build unity across congregations and communities, and steward our gifts with intentionality—trusting God to multiply them for the flourishing of Black Presbyterian rural and small-town ministries.

All collaborating congregations and cohort participants are encouraged to register and engage in this shared work, and partners are invited to extend this invitation across their networks.

The event will be held at Union Presbyterian Seminary (Charlotte Campus) located at 5141 Sharon Rd, Charlotte, NC 28210. The Katie Geneva Cannon Center for Womanist Leadership at Union Seminary serves as the host collaborator.

Summit Schedule:

9:00am-9:30am Registration & Breakfast
9:30-10:00am Welcome, Remarks, and Devotional Worship
Rev. Patricia Bligen Jones, Preacher
Rev. Tiffany Williams, Worship Leader
10:00am-10:45am Plenary: Rev. Dr. Jerry L. Cannon
”Big Enough to Adapt: Reimagining Pastoral Leadership for Rural and Shared Ministry”
Led by Jerry L. Cannon, Vice President for Ministry Innovation at Board of Pensions of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), this plenary addresses the realities of rural and small-town ministry where pastors often serve part-time, lead multiple congregations, and carry significant responsibility with limited capacity. The session reframes pastoral leadership from isolated and unsustainable expectations toward shared, collaborative models. Drawing on his work, Dr. Cannon will explore approaches such as shared ministry and organizing pastors that offer more sustainable ways of leading in economically challenged contexts. Participants will leave with a renewed vision for faithful leadership, language to help congregations rethink expectations, and practical insight into collaborative ministry, concluding with guided discussion and reflection on next steps.
10:45am-11:00am Break
11:00am-12:00pm Panel Discussion: Big Enough: Stories of Congregational and Community Impact of Black Presbyterian Rural Congregations as Community Cornerstones
This panel centers the ministry experiences of invited rural and small-town Black Presbyterian congregation leaders as enduring anchors of faith, care, and community transformation. The conversation lifts how leaders are faithfully stewarding the gifts, relationships, and resources already within their reach to cultivate church growth, sustain congregational heritage, uplift Black women in ministry, and engage in meaningful evangelism. Through story, testimony, and reflection, panelists will offer both inspiration and practical insight, affirming that even within constraints, these congregations are already “big enough” to nurture resilience, strengthen community, and participate in God’s ongoing work of flourishing.
12:00pm-1:00pm Resource and Ministry Equipping Lunch
Remarks: Steffan Johnson, Mission Specialist, Young Adult Volunteer Program, Presbyterian Life and Witness
Join us for a time of fellowship within the Black Presbyterian rural church community. During lunch, participants will meet and hear remarks from Steffan Johnson, a Mission Specialist with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) through the Young Adult Volunteer (YAV) Program, as he reflects on ministry, service, and connection across communities.
1:00pm-1:15pm Break
1:15pm-2:00pm Concurrent Workshops
- Workshop #1
  Presenter: Rev. Dr. Lakisha R. Lockhart
  “Already Enough: Womanist Leadership and the Sacred Work of Rural Ministry”
  Grounded in the vision of the Katie Geneva Cannon Center for Womanist Leadership, this workshop centers Black women’s lived experience and leadership as essential resources for the thriving and flourishing of Black rural ministry. Participants will explore how womanist practices nurture church growth, sustain congregational heritage, and strengthen community through wisdom already present. Through reflection and dialogue, this session offers practical insight and renewed clarity for leading with intention, resilience, and shared purpose.
- Workshop #2
  Presenter: Rev. Dr. Charles C. Hewyard
  “Rooted to Grow: Cultivating Church Growth in Rural Black Presbyterian Congregations”
  This workshop draws on decades of pastoral leadership and congregational development to explore how rural churches can grow faithfully and sustainably using the gifts already within their reach. Grounded in the Summit’s call to trust what God has placed in our hands, participants will engage practical approaches to strengthening membership, deepening discipleship, expanding community presence, and building ministries that reach beyond the church walls. Through reflection and lived examples, this session affirms that even in small or resource-limited contexts, congregations are already “big enough” to grow, thrive, and make lasting impact in their communities.
- Workshop #3
  Presenter: Rev. Dr. Ella F. Busby
  “Seasoned to Lead: Equipping and Empowering Senior Adult Lay Leaders”
  This workshop, led by Rev. Dr. Ella F. Busby, centers the vital role of senior adult lay leaders in the life and sustainability of the church. Drawing from her years of pastoral leadership and ongoing work in congregational care and presbytery life, Dr. Busby will explore how churches can affirm, equip, and empower seasoned members as spiritual anchors, teachers, and ministry leaders. Participants will reflect on practical ways to cultivate leadership among senior adults, honor their wisdom and experience, and engage them as active co-laborers in strengthening congregational life in rural and small-town contexts.
2:00-2:15pm Break
2:15pm-3:00pm Concurrent Workshops
- Workshop #4
  Presenter: Rev. Jerrod Lowry
  “Called to Lead Now: Cultivating Youth and Young Adult Leaders as Co-Laborers”
  This workshop brings Rev. Jerrod Lowry’s commitment to equipping the saints for ministry into focused conversation around engaging youth and young adults as essential leaders in rural Black Presbyterian contexts. Drawing on his experience in presbytery leadership, congregational ministry, and innovative approaches to sustaining the church, this session will explore how congregations can move beyond passive inclusion toward intentionally forming youth and young adults as active partners in ministry. The conversation will center intergenerational collaboration, practical pathways for leadership development, and the creation of spaces where youth and young adults are seen, heard, and empowered to discern, lead, and serve. Participants will leave with a strengthened vision and tangible strategies for nurturing the gifts of youth and young adults within the realities of rural and small-town ministry.
- Workshop #5
  Presenter: Natarsha Sanders
  “Equipped to Lead: Tools, Pathways, and Possibilities for Clergy and Lay Leaders”
  Rooted in the Summit theme, this workshop, led by Natarsha Prince Sanders, focuses on practical resources and leadership pathways available to clergy and lay leaders within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Drawing from her work in leader development, Natarsha will introduce participants to leadership institutes, denominational opportunities, and formation tools that equip and connect Ministers of Word and Sacrament, Ruling Elders, and lay leaders for service across congregations, mid councils, and the wider church. This session equips rural and small-town leaders to strengthen their ministries by using the gifts and connections they already have, supported by accessible PC(USA) networks and resources.
- Workshop #6
  Presenter: Olanda Carr, Jr.
  “Faithful to Give: Cultivating a Culture of Generosity for Sustainable Ministry”
  Led by Olanda Carr, Jr., Assistant Vice President of Ministry Relations at the Presbyterian Foundation, this workshop reframes stewardship as a year-round practice of discipleship that strengthens the life and long-term sustainability of rural and small-town Black Presbyterian congregations. Drawing from his experience equipping churches to build cultures of generosity, Olanda will offer practical, accessible strategies for fostering trust, communicating clearly about giving, and developing strong stewardship and finance leadership. With a focus on sustaining faithful giving for the future of Black rural churches across generations, participants will leave with a clear framework and actionable tools to cultivate consistent generosity that supports enduring ministry and legacy.
3:00pm-3:15pm Break
3:15pm-4:00pm Concluding Forum: Rev. Dr. Perzavia Praylow, Moderator
“Big Enough to Build Forward: Strengthening the Growth, Leadership, and Witness of Black Presbyterian Rural Churches”
Serving as the culminating conversation of the Summit, this forum invites participants to move from reflection to action, discerning together the next faithful steps for sustaining and strengthening Black Presbyterian rural and small-town congregations. Grounded in the conviction that what we already hold is enough, this session will draw on the collective wisdom of pastors, lay leaders, and ministry partners to name both the challenges and possibilities shaping this moment in the Church. Facilitated in a way that bridges scholarship and lived ministry, the forum will lift up practical strategies for cultivating resilient, community-rooted congregations. Participants will leave with a clearer sense of shared direction, renewed commitment to collaboration, and concrete ideas for building forward together as co-laborers in Christ.

Your Summit Preachers, Presenters, and Ministry Leaders:

We invite you to read their full bios by clicking here!

The Black Presbyterian Rural Church Summit

June 4, 2026 | 9:00 AM-5:00 PM