Cost to Attend

The cost to attend the consultation is $25/per person and is open to the public. REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED.

About the Feb 26-28, 2025 Consultation

“Call and Response: The Black Church at the Intersection of Faith and Action” highlights the historic and ongoing role of the Black Church as a “place” of both spiritual faith and social action. While serving as a cornerstone of Black religious culture, the Black Church is both a place of spiritual transformation and a source of community impact providing a space for worship, community support and mobilization for social justice causes. Rooted in liberation theology, the Black Church connects biblical teachings to the struggle against oppression and mobilizes efforts for justice and equality. The Black Church has been a voice for social change, inspiring and engaging social action as an expression of Christian faith and witness. All worship services are inspired by the worship traditions and liberating witness of the Black Church and explore the BCS Consultation theme.

2025 Consultation Schedule:

Wednesday, February 26:

Thursday, February 27:

Noon - 1:00 pm - Black Church Studies Consultation Chapel
- Our featured chapel speaker is the Reverend Dr. Leslie D. Callahan, Senior Pastor of St. Paul’s Baptist Church, Philadelphia, PA.
- How to participate: In-person at Caldwell Chapel on the campus of Louisville Seminary or online at https://lpts.edu/watchlive/
5:30 - 6:30 pm - Ministry Resource Fair & Edward's Lecture Reception
- Ministry and nonprofit organizations share resources useful to the ministry and witness of The Black Church. Connect and collaborate with our resource partners.
- How to participate: In-person only in the Winn Center on the campus of Louisville Seminary.
6:30 pm - 2025 Hybrid Edwards Peacemaking Lecture: "Can I Get a Witness: Cultivating the Courage of Moral Leaders" presented by Dr. AnneMarie Mingo. (Separate registration is required here: https://givebutter.com/2025edwards)
- This engaging lecture explores a compelling story of the faith, courage, and moral imagination of civil rights-era Black Churchwomen who risked their lives to change our world. The lived theology and ethics of Black women will be centered as the lecture highlights the public witness of their faith and cultivation of courageous resistance against social injustices. The lessons from these moral leaders from the past reflect their hope that the way things were would not be the way things would always be and provide insights into our moral challenges today.
- How to participate: Separate registration is required, whether attending in-person or online, by clicking here. In-person and online options are provided in the registration confirmation.

Friday, February 28:

8:30 am - 2:00 pm - Black Church Studies Consultation Plenary Sessions.
- Plenary topics include speakers reflecting on the consultation theme considering varied topics including the Black Church and Social Action Beyond the Church; the Black Church and the well-being of the Black Community; the Black Church and Social Action.
- How to participate: In-person and online details are provided in the BCS Consultation registration confirmation.
  
  Plenary Speakers & Panelists Include:
- - Reverend Dr. Leslie Calahan
    Pastor, St. Paul’s Baptist Church, Philadelphia, PA
  - Reverend Dr. AnneMarie Mingo
    Associate Professor of Ethics, Culture, and Moral Leadership and the
    Director of the Metro-Urban Institute at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
  - Reverend Dr. Corrie Shull
    Senior Pastor, Burnett Avenue Baptist Church, Louisville, KY
  - Bishop Teresa Snorton
    Ecumenical Development Officer, The CME Church
  - Reverend Dr. F. Bruce Williams
    Senior Pastor, Bates Memorial Baptist Church, Louisville, KY
    Please check this page regularly as additional details are updated!
5:30 - 6:30 pm - Homecoming Reception
- Join us from a BCS Reception focused on engaging and reconnecting the broad community and supporters of the Black Church Studies program including BCS Certificate Alums and African American/African Descent current students and graduates of LPTS degree programs. Everyone is invited to attend including all registrants and the entire Louisville Seminary Community. Join us for a time of fellowship and celebration of the ministry and witness of the LPTS Black Church Studies Program. Registration for the 2025 BCS Consultation is required.
- How to participate: In-person only in the Winn Center on the campus of Louisville Seminary.
6:30 - 8:30 pm - "I’m Glad About It: The Witness and Legacy of Black Gospel Music"
- Join us for an evening program focused on lifting the history, witness, impact, and legacy of Black Gospel Music in Louisville, KY including reflections from local Black Gospel artists and musical selections from local Gospel singers. This program is in partnership with the Louisville Story Program. All panel participants are contributing authors of the book I'm Glad About It: The Legacy of Gospel Music in Louisville, 1958-1981.
- How to participate: In-person and online details are provided in the BCS Consultation registration confirmation.

Registration Details/Ticket Types:

During registration please select your general admission ticket type by indicating if you plan on attending MOST consultation sessions in-person or online.
After selecting your ticket type, you will then be asked to indicate your participation preference for each portion of the consultation.
Register for the FREE Edwards Peacemaking Lectureship on Feb 27th at 6:30 pm (ET), separately by CLICKING HERE! In-person and online options are available.
If you have any questions or need help registering, please email bcs@lpts.edu
During the registration process, you will have an opportunity to make an optional donation to Black Church Studies or Louisville Seminary. If you have any questions or need assistance registering, please contact Kassandra Turpin at info@lpts.edu.

About Our Preachers and Presenters:

Reverend Dr. Jerry Carter
Senior Pastor of Calvary Baptist Church located in Morristown, NJ

Rev. Jerry M. Carter, Jr. is a native of Columbus, Ohio. He was called to the Calvary Baptist Church of Morristown, New Jersey in 1990 and during his tenure as the 14th Pastor, he has impacted Ministry that has consequences that extend well beyond Calvary and the Morristown Community. He is a highly sought-after revivalist, keynote speaker and lecturer who has been invited to share the Gospel on various platforms throughout the Country.

Those who regularly “sit” under Pastor Carter’s preaching, teaching and tutelage have greatly benefitted from his anointed divining and proclamation of the Word of God and its profound ability to change lives. With a prescience of its eventual ramifications, Dr. Carter would found the “How Shall They Hear” Preaching Conference to further encourage, prepare and strengthen those with “…beautiful.. feet..” who would bring “Good News” to the world.

He has inspired a greater connection to a more spiritual lifestyle through two published works: The Empowered Life: Living Well In The Spirit and; The Journey To Purpose: Navigating Your Spiritual Path. Rev. Carter is also excited to announce the new release of his book, 'Preaching Upstream: Reflections on Preaching and the Word of God in Current Times,' a thought-provoking compilation of thoughts and reflections on preaching in today's world."

He has also contributed to the New Interpreter’s Handbook of Preaching, Oxfords Sermons Volume III, Evangelizing the Black Male in the 21st Century and the African American Pulpit.

Adding to his influence as a voice of renown are adjunct assignments at Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, New Jersey; Drew Theological School, Madison, New Jersey; New Brunswick Theological Seminary, New Brunswick, New Jersey; and The Samuel Dewitt Proctor School of Theology – Virginia Union University, Richmond, Virginia.

Dr. Carter received his own training at Dennison University in Granville, Ohio (BA); Princeton Theological Seminary (MDiv.); and Drew Theological School (Ph.D.). His specialty of Expository Preaching won him the Prize of the same name at Princeton in 1990.

Rev. Carter currently serves as the President of the African-American Clergy Association of Morris County in New Jersey. He is also the proud father of three children, Jerry M. III, Zachary Daniel and Camille Ashley.

Reverend Dr. Leslie Calahan
Pastor, St. Paul’s Baptist Church, Philadelphia, PA

On May 17, 2009, the congregation of the historic 119-year-old St. Paul’s Baptist Church, located in the heart of Philadelphia, called the Reverend Dr. Leslie D. Callahan as the church’s first female pastor. Dr. Callahan delivered her first sermon as St. Paul’s pastor titled “It’s Time” on May 31 to an excited congregation of St. Paul’s members and friends. After a series of pre-installation celebrations, St. Paul’s installed Dr. Callahan as their 5th Pastor on September 27, 2009.

A native of Gary, West Virginia, Dr. Callahan experienced her first Christian education and formation at Apostolic Temple Church where she developed an enduring love for Jesus Christ and for Christ’s body, the Church. Having experienced her call to ministry at an early age, Dr. Callahan began the public proclamation of the gospel at age 19.

Committed to education, Dr. Callahan earned the Bachelor of Arts in Religion from Harvard University/Radcliffe, the Master of Divinity from Union Theological

Seminary, and the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Religion from Princeton University. Her research interests include religious history in the United States, particularly independent African American Christianity and Pentecostal studies.

Dr. Callahan was ordained in 1997 at Judson Memorial Church and served as Minister of Christian Education at the First Baptist Church of Princeton, New Jersey. She also served as interim pastor of Salem Baptist Church of Jenkintown, Pennsylvania.

A gifted professor, Dr. Callahan, served on the faculty of New York Theological Seminary (NYTS) as Assistant Professor of Modern Church History and African American Studies. Prior to her time at NYTS, she was a member of the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania as assistant professor of religious studies.

Dr. Callahan currently serves as a Commissioner for the Philadelphia Housing Authority. She is also an active member of the Philadelphia Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. In addition to her ministry and scholarly pursuits, Dr. Callahan enjoys traveling, golfing, reading, movies, and sports.

Dr. Callahan’s written expressions and thoughts can be found on her blog, as well as in her published article in the The Audacity of Faith: Christian Leaders Reflect on the Election of Barack Obama by Marvin A. McMickle (Editor).

Dr. Callahan’s chief joy is being the proud mother of Annabelle Inez Callahan.

Dr. Callahan’s favorite scripture is Psalm 27:4: One thing have I desired of the LORD; that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD and to seek God in God’s temple.

Reverend Dr. AnneMarie Mingo
Associate Professor of Ethics, Culture, and Moral Leadership and the
Director of the Metro-Urban Institute at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary

AnneMarie Mingo is an Associate Professor of Ethics, Culture, and Moral Leadership and the Director of the Metro-Urban Institute at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. She previously served as Assistant Professor of African American Studies and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Penn State University, and an affiliate faculty member in the Rock Ethics Institute at Penn State. In 2018-2019 she was the Ella Baker Visiting Professor of Black Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Drawing on oral histories and ethnographies, her work in Social Ethics centers on the lived experiences of Black Churchwomen who were involved in the Civil Rights Movement. Her research interests include 20th and 21st Century Black Freedom Struggles with a specific focus on the U.S. Civil Rights Movement, South African Apartheid Movement, and global Movement for Black Lives, socio-religious activism of Black women, and theological and ethical influences in social movements. Her first book, Have You Got Good Religion?: Black Women’s Faith, Courage, and Moral Leadership in the Civil Rights Movement, (University of Illinois Press, 2024).

She also writes in areas of Black Church activism, peace and reconciliation, and the influence of Black music and media on social activism. She is the founder of the Cultivating Courageous Resisters project that works collaboratively to expand the work and equip intergenerational religious activists to help meet critical contemporary needs for social justice.

Prior to entering the academy, she worked as a corporate marketing executive with The Procter and Gamble Company for over eight years. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, FL; a Master of Business Administration from Rollins College - Crummer Graduate School in Winter Park, FL; a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, NJ; and a Ph.D. from Emory University in Atlanta, GA.

As an international speaker, AnneMarie has inspired and empowered people throughout the United States, Caribbean, southern and western Africa, and Southeast Asia. An ordained Itinerant Elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, she has served as an associate minister at St. James A.M.E. Church in Pittsburgh, Big Bethel A.M.E. Church in Atlanta, GA, St. James A.M.E. Church in Newark, NJ, and maintains membership at St. Mark A.M.E. Church in Orlando, FL. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, and active in numerous academic guilds including serving on the Board of Directors for the Society of Christian Ethics. She is a co-editor of the Studies in Social Ethics, Ethnography, and Theologies book series with Bloomsbury Press. AnneMarie is the founder of Sister Scholars, an organization that supports Black women with or pursuing doctorate degrees. Dr. Mingo seeks to join theory and praxis in the Academy, the Church, and broader society in ways that transforms lives and transforms the world.

Reverend Dr. Daniel Corrie Shull
Senior Pastor, Burnett Avenue Baptist Church, Louisville, KY

Rev. Dr. Daniel Corrie Shull is the Senior Pastor of the Burnett Avenue Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky; a congregation committed to creating compelling environments in which people are developed into totally committed Disciples of Christ. Under his leadership, the congregation has experienced tremendous growth through the addition of hundreds of families into church membership, the creation of relevant ministries, the implementation of Twenty-First-century technology, and the embracing of new and dynamic ways of engaging ministry for the purposes of personal and communal transformation. In addition to preaching and providing leadership to a thriving congregation, Dr. Shull serves as the Chairman of the Jefferson County Board of Education. Dr. Shull holds degrees from Fisk University, the Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and the Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School.

Bishop Teresa Snorton
Ecumenical Development Officer, The CME Church

Bishop Teresa E. Snorton is the Ecumenical Bishop and Program Development Officer of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. In that role, she represents the CME Church at national and worldwide events and is responsible for grants for the denomination’s special projects. She previously served as Presiding Bishop of the Fifth Episcopal District (Alabama and Florida) and the Eleventh Episcopal District (East Africa). Bishop Snorton is also the Chaplain Endorser for the denomination.

Bishop Snorton is the Chair of Friendship Press, the publishing arm of the National Council of Churches, and the immediate past Chair of the National Council of Churches in the USA, the Board of Trustees of the Interdenominational Theological Center (Atlanta, Georgia) and the Board of Trustees of Miles College (Fairfield, Alabama).

She serves on the boards of the CME Connectional Headquarters, Commission on the Concerns of Women in Ministry, and Commission on Archives. In addition, she serves on the Pan Methodist Commission, National Religious Partnership for the Environment, Churches Uniting in Christ, the World Methodist Council, World Council of Churches and the Advisory Board of the Candler School of Theology at Emory University.

Snorton attended public schools in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, Vanderbilt University (B.A., 1977), Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary (M. Div., 1980), Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Th.M., 1987), from Virginia Commonwealth University (Patient Counseling Certificate,1988) and United Theological Seminary (D.Min., 2000). She received United Seminary’s 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award. In addition, Bishop Snorton has honorary Doctorate degrees from Miles College and Hood Theological Seminary.

She is instructor/mentor in the Doctor of Ministry program at Payne Theological Seminary, and a retired ACPE educator and Board-Certified Chaplain (APC/BCCI), She is the former Executive Director of ACPE, Inc. (2000-2011) and Executive Director of Spiritual Care at Emory Health (1990-2000). She was adjunct instructor at Virginia Commonwealth University (1987-1990), the School of Theology at Virginia Union University (1988-1990) and Candler School of Theology at Emory University (1990-2010).

She is an author and the founder of The Academy for Public Theology, whose premier programs include the Connectional CPE for Clergy and The Phenomenal Women's Summit. She is a life member of the NAACP and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. In 2024, she was inducted into Morehouse College’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Board of Preachers.

Reverend Dr. F. Bruce Williams
Senior Pastor, Bates Memorial Baptist Church, Louisville, KY

Dr. Williams was installed as Senior Pastor of Bates Memorial Baptist Church in Smoketown, one of the poorest ZIP codes in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1986 after serving as an associate minister. Twenty-eight years later, the congregation has grown exponentially, seeing its membership increase from 100 members to over 5,000 members. As a result, the church's ministries have increased and offer more than 60 diverse areas for people to serve, including through the Bates Community Development Corporation, which provides a variety of ministry opportunities.

Dr. Williams’ desire to reach others extends beyond the pulpit in his position as Chairman of the Trustees at Simmons College of Kentucky, a historical college for African American students. Dr. Williams is also a 2013 Bingham Fellows Graduate, an organization that allows experienced professionals to work side by side with their peers to provide visibility to critical issues and generate momentum for moving the community forward.

The Louisville Story Program

Wilma W. Clayborn is a noted gospel music historian, pianist, choir director, radio personality, and gospel music promoter. She was the CEO of Grace Gospel Music and Recording Company, a record store and record label that released recordings by many of Louisville's finest gospel artists. She serves on the national board of directors of the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses Inc.

Raoul Cunningham capped a life dedicated to fighting for civil rights by serving as the President of the Louisville Branch of the NAACP from 2004 to 2024. He was inducted into the Kentucky Civil Rights Hall of Fame in 2003. He was also a church musician and youth choir director at Green Street Baptist Church for many years.

(You can find a much more extensive bio detailing his extraordinary career and contributions to civil rights and equity here.)

Rev. Della Porter is a retired pastor in the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church and is a member of First Congregational Methodist Church, where she is Pastor Emerita. She was deeply involved in gospel music in Louisville for many years, singing in the renowned groups The Traveling Notes and The Gospel Chanteurs, and has toured with the likes of Shirley Caesar.

*In case of unforeseen circumstances, minor adjustments may need to be made to the schedule.

**The link(s) you will receive upon completing registration are unique to you. Please do not share the link or post it publicly.

***Please note that the 2025 BCS Consultation may be recorded. By registering and participating, you understand that your video may be included in the recorded video, and you consent to this recording and its use in any and all media throughout Louisville Seminary and its partners.

“Call and Response: The Black Church at the Intersection of Faith and Action”

Feb 26-28, 2025 Black Church Studies Consultation