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Emmanuel Research Review

Resources for the urban pastor and community leader
published by Emmanuel Gospel Center, Boston
Issue No. 17— May 2006

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The Emmanuel Research Review is a publication of the Emmanuel Gospel Center. The Review features articles, papers, resources, and information that we believe are helpful and relevant to urban pastors, leaders, and community members in their efforts to serve their communities effectively.

In this issue: Inner City Ministry Course Student Award Papers

(Featuring: Music Ministry in the Black Church of Greater Boston)

Introduced by Rev. Dr. Gregg Detwiler
Inner City Ministry Course 2006 Teaching Team
from left: Michele Mitsumori, Judy Hall, Gregg Detwiler, Doug Hall, Elijah Kim

One of the most exciting and strategic ministries the Emmanuel Gospel Center has developed over the past three decades is the Inner City Ministry course. Hundreds of ministry practitioners from various ethnic, denominational, and ministry backgrounds have taken the two-semester course, and many testify that it has been transformational to their lives and ministries. EGC President Dr. Doug Hall and his wife Judy pioneered the course as an antecedent to Gordon-Conwell’s Center for Urban Ministerial Education (CUME). In time, the course was adopted as a part of CUME’s core curriculum. In more recent years, the teaching team has expanded from the Halls to include other EGC staff including me (Gregg Detwiler) and Rev. Dr. Elijah Jong Fil Kim as Teaching Fellows, and Michele Mitsumori as Teaching Assistant.

The final “product” of the course is for each student to write a major ministry proposal project consisting of four parts: a community analysis, a church or organizational analysis, an analysis of two relevant ministry models, and a synthesis of the student’s ministry plan. Many of the past ministry proposal projects written in the Inner City Ministry class are thriving ministries today.

In this issue of the Emmanuel Research Review, we have included three papers from the 2005-06 Inner City Ministry course deserving special recognition:

Music Ministry in the Black Church of Greater Boston – The Black Church Music Ministry Project (BCMMP), by Emmett G. Price III

Diaspora Ministry in Allston-Brighton at Community of Faith Christian Fellowship, by Sean Richmond

Racial Reconciliation and Cooperation: A Ministry Proposal in the Greater Metropolitan Detroit Region, by Thomas Franks, OFM Cap.

Our congratulations to Emmett G. Price III, the 2006 Inner City Ministry Applied Research Award winner, Sean Richmond and Thomas Franks, the 2006 Inner City Ministry Applied Research Award finalists, and all the students in this year’s course for their hard work and contribution to urban ministry through applied research. The award winning paper is reproduced below in its entirety. An introduction and a link to the two finalists’ papers are available below, following the lead paper.

We hope you enjoy this edition of the Review. As always, your feedback is appreciated!

Music Ministry in the Black Church of Greater Boston – The Black Church Music Ministry Project (BCMMP)

by Emmett G. Price III
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
Center for Urban Ministerial Education (CUME)
MC 622 Inner City Ministry 2

April 10, 2006

 

Contents

Introduction: The Need and The Response
Community Analysis: The Black Church of Greater Boston
Organizational Analysis: Music Ministry in the Black Church of Greater Boston
Ministry Model 1: Eli Wilson Ministries – A Church Music Resource Ministry for Church Music Leaders
Ministry Model 2: Black Ministerial Alliance, Boston
Ministry Proposal: The Black Church Music Ministry Project
Endnotes
Bibliography

Introduction: The Need and The Response

Due to a failure to mentor and train future generations within the Black church, the lack of adequate musical training for our youth and young adults, the rapid influence of commercial and pre-packaged music within our churches and the underestimation of the power of music as an effective tool for ministry, Black churches in the Greater Boston area are struggling to find music ministry leaders who are not only excellent musicians, composers and directors but are equally accomplished spiritual leaders.

Black churches need to play a key role in preserving the rich musical and cultural heritage and legacy of our past generations. Black churches have the means and the opportunity to re-establish themselves as the primary training ground and performance venue for children, youth and young adults. Black churches have the ability to bridge the growing generational divide and inspire unity not fear amongst the generations through the ministry of music.

Black churches in the greater Boston area and Cambridge could do more to provide adequate training for music ministry leaders in the areas of administration, spiritual leadership, conflict resolutions, people management and other non-performance related skills necessary to nurture, develop and lead an effective music ministry.

The Black Church Music Ministry Project (BCMMP) aims to serve, nurture and develop spiritual leaders within music ministry through research, the publication of resources, and through the hosting and presentation of clinics, workshops and conferences. Our vision is to see music ministry leaders fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew 28: 18-20) through the ministry of music.

The Black Church Music Ministry Project (BCMMP) is committed to:

Community Analysis: The Black Church of Greater Boston

The Black church of greater Boston has an extremely rich history and legacy. Ecumenical in nature, the Black church arose out of a need to respond to racial discrimination and disenfranchisement of Blacks by White Christians who desired not to worship with or to minister to Blacks. As Black churches were raised in the rural south, evolving out of intimate collectives of slaves, churches were also organized in northern cities as Philadelphia, New York, and Boston.

The first Black church in Boston was organized in 1805. The First African Baptist Church (also known as the Joy Street Baptist Church) met at the African Meeting House on Joy Street in Beacon Hill. Several of Boston’s Black churches were organized during the period of the Second Great Awakening and influenced by the praying, preaching and singing during the revivals and camp meetings of Baptist and Methodist evangelists: the Black Methodist Episcopal Church in 1818 (later known as May Street Methodist Episcopal and then Union United Methodist Church), the Charles Street African Methodist Church in 1833, the Columbus Avenue African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in 1838. Twelfth Baptist Church (also known as the Second African Meeting House), founded in 1840, also traces its rich history back to the First African Baptist congregation. Other Black churches organized in the decades after the Civil War include the Ebenezer Baptist Church (1871), the Church of Saint Augustine and Saint Martin (1884), and St. Mark Congregational Church (1895). The St. Cyprian’s Episcopal Church (1910/1913) also has a long history of serving Boston’s West Indian community.

According to historian Robert C. Hayden in his monograph, Faith, Culture, and Leadership: A History of the Black Church in Boston, Black churches in Boston have served not only as worship houses, but places for education; culturally and politically aware programming; rallies against slavery, racial oppression, and discrimination; and central locations to serve the various Black communities that were left without many resources due to the clutches of racial segregation. The Black church allows for a safe space through which to gather, strategize and protect one another through the grace and mercy of God. It has served as a counter to the radical theology of white supremacists who offered a misguided theological framework in order to incite violent oppression and physical harm to those whom they labeled as their enemies. The Black church offered an alternative to the numerous Black believers and seekers who desired simply to “do” the will of God.

According to Reverend J. Alfred Smith, Sr., Senior Pastor of Allen Temple Baptist Church and Professor of Preaching and Christian Ministries at The American Baptist Seminary of the West,

“The seven major historic black denominations are the African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church; the African Methodist Episcopal Zion (A.M.E.Z.) Church; the Christian Methodist Episcopal (C.M.E.) Church; the National Baptist Convention, U.S.A., Incorporated (N.B.C.); the National Baptist Convention of America, Unincorporated (N.B.C.A.); the Progressive National Baptist Convention (P.N.B.C.); and the Church of God in Christ (C.O.G.I.C.). These formal denominational bodies came into being after the Free African Society of 1787. It is a commonly accepted view among scholars of the black church that more than 80 percent of all black Christians are in the denominations.” (Opening essay in African American Heritage Hymnal, 2001)

Pastor Smith confirms a few things about the Black church of Greater Boston. First he suggests that relative to the establishment of the Free African Society in 1787, the establishment of the Black churches in Boston were not far behind the establishment of Black churches in the rural south as well as other northern cities. In addition, Reverend Smith offers insight on the numerous denominations prevalent within the Black church clearly alluding to the ecumenical nature of the church. With the exception of the Christian Methodist Episcopal (C.M.E.) Church, all of the remaining denominations are represented amongst the current greater Boston churches. In addition to these denominations, the Black church of Greater Boston also includes representation by Holiness, Pentecostal, Independent, Non-denominational, Salvation Army, Apostolic, Presbyterian, Episcopal, Catholic, Congregational, Orthodox, Lutheran, Methodist, Charismatic and Adventist. According to cross-referenced research utilizing sources such as Emmanuel Gospel Center’s Boston Church Directory, information from the Black Ministerial Alliance (B.M.A.) and Churchline.com (“The Online Church Connection”), there are approximately 176 churches that self-identify as African American or Black churches. Amongst these approximate 176 churches, congregation sizes range from a few dozen to over five thousand. Although there are few “mega-churches” (over 2,000) within the greater Boston area, they do exist. Most notably is the Jubilee Christian Church (formerly New Covenant Christian Church) which was recently reported as recording 7,000 members.1

Greater Boston refers to the area inclusive of 23 neighborhoods and communities of which Dorchester, Roxbury, Mattapan, South End and Jamaica Plain are of particular interest as these are the areas with the highest concentration of Black residents and Black churches. For this project the adjacent city of Cambridge will also be included as a part of the greater Boston area. Although Cambridge and Boston are separated by the Charles River, the Black church communities are well connected, as are the clergy. Many congregants and clergy participate in one another’s functions, services, organizations and auxiliaries and for this reason it is imperative to connect the two cities within this study.

According to the 2000 United States census, 23.8% of Boston’s population identify themselves as Blacks or African Americans, while 12% of Cambridge residents identify as Black or African American. The population of Blacks (African Americans) in Boston has exponentially increased over the years. In 1910, Boston’s Black population was 11,000; growing to 23,000 in 1940; 63,000 in 1960; and by 1980 the city boasted a Black population of 125,000.2 According to the 2000 census, the City of Boston has over 140,000 Black inhabitants. The City of Cambridge has an additional 12,079.

Organizational Analysis: Music Ministry in the Black Church of Greater Boston

One of the precious gems of the Black church is the prevalence and importance of the expression through music. According to C. Eric Lincoln and Lawrence H. Mamiya in their watershed resource, The Black Church in the African American Experience,

In the Black church good preaching and good singing are almost invariably the minimum conditions of a successful ministry. Both activities trace their roots back to Africa where music and religion and life itself were all one holistic enterprise.3

Music is able to invoke, inspire, capture, create, calm, soothe, incite and instruct. As a matter of fact music is not only functional, participatory, and a primary means and method of communication and expression, it is also an agent of unification. The act of congregational singing is one of the most unifying expressions that an entire body of people can undertake. It allows for the individual to retain his or her own unique persona (or tone) yet blend with others in a heterogeneous fashion to create a unified sound. Next to the ministry of the preached word, the ministry of music is the most powerful and effective ministry of many churches.

The Black church of greater Boston is no exception. Widely known as the “intellectual capital” of the nation due to the numerous institutions of higher learning within a small radius, Boston is also known as the city that has nurtured and developed much of the nation’s musical talent. With prestigious institutions such as Berklee College of Music, New England Conservatory of Music, Boston Conservatory of Music, Longy School of Music, and exceptional music programs at Boston University, Harvard University, Northeastern University, Tufts University, Brandeis University, Boston College, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the city is overflowing with rich talent that over the years has either been groomed at many of the cities’ churches or has been utilized in ministry at some of the area churches.

The music ministry in the Black church of Greater Boston has been plagued by many of the same problems as most music ministries in most Black churches across the country. National music ministry consultant Eli Wilson, Jr., begins his book, Equipping the Church Choir for Ministry, with the phrase, “war department,” alluding to what Floyd Massey, Jr., and Samuel Berry McKinney have written in their informative resource, Church Administration in the Black Perspective. They posit,

The Music Department has been called the war department of the church simply because there is more potential for conflict among groups that meet often than among those that don’t. Because of weekly schedules for rehearsals and Sunday worship services, music department members are in regular contact. Frequency of interaction often makes groups organized to engender creative tension repositories of degenerative tension.4

In addition to the challenge of “degenerative tension,” the music ministry of the Black church of greater Boston (and other places) have a number of additional challenges. Rev. Dr. J. Wendell Mapson in his book, The Ministry of Music in the Black Church offers the following as systemic problems (paraphrased):

Leading clinician and scholar on the subject, James Abbington adds to the list in his monumental study, Let Mt. Zion Rejoice!: Music in the African American Church. Paraphrasing some of his assessment, I would add the following to the list:

According to Rev. James E. Dove, Pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, “Boston is no different than most other cities across the country; there is a shortage of skilled church musicians and music ministry everywhere is suffering” (conversation on 3/2006). Eli Wilson, Jr., CEO of Eli Wilson Ministries, a national music ministry consulting firm affirms Pastor Dove’s statement, “We act as if something miraculous happens during childhood piano lessons that would equip the young person with the skills, talent and theological framework to be a minister” (conversation on 10/2004).

Numerous churches within the greater Boston area employ one full-time musician under the title of Minister of Music to teach, direct, and play for all of the choirs and all church services and functions without ever addressing or assessing their theological perspective and/or their religious convictions and beliefs. Music has risen to such a great level of importance that some churches employ or have as volunteer staff non-believers, citing that their ability to teach, direct and play the instrument is essential to the success of the church’s overall ministry. According to Wilson, “not until we as church musicians, get our act together will we be able to usher in God’s revival, for we are in the way” (conversation on 3/2006).

Ministry Model 1: Eli Wilson Ministries – A Church Music Resource Ministry for Church Music Leaders

Equipped with the goal of “assisting musicians, pastors, and seminarians to come to grips with an effective vision for music ministry,” Eli Wilson, Jr. has created a powerful nationally-ranked ministry by utilizing his 40+ years of service in church music ministry to assist others. As an ordained church musician, Wilson has served congregations of numerous sizes including the St. Paul Community Baptist Church in Brooklyn where he grew a music department of less than 100 to a ministry numbering over 500 with a paid staff of 10 and a volunteer staff of 30.

Wilson is an itinerant music ministry consultant who travels to a location for three to four days and leads the church choir (or music ministry) in the study and implementation of worship. Rather than offering concerts, which he is often approached to do, he prepares the church choir for Sunday morning service, teaching them a repertoire of both new (often his originals) and re-arranged selections in addition to teaching the theological and historical frameworks of the music ministry. He travels with prepared handouts, recordings of his music, as well as his book, Equipping the Church Choir for Ministry. Upon the completion of his workshop, he offers an assessment of the condition of the music ministry as well as some strategic suggestions for continued growth.

One of the most impressive key elements is Wilson’s understanding of the importance, power and place of music within the overall ministry of the church. “The music ministry,” he remarks “is a support to the preaching ministry and should never be in competition.” He further remarks, “even though you might have numerous choirs and ensembles, you must function as one music ministry, or else your total ministry is ineffective” (conversation on 10/2004). Wilson’s seminary training aides him in transmitting the theologically sound and biblically based purpose of music ministry to congregants, most of whom have never been taught the biblical nature and importance of music ministry. His skills as a vocalist and keyboardist clearly assist in captivating his audience. His preparation is next to flawless, as he is not only an expert on the subject, but he executes with ease, clarity and confidence. His humble nature and pleasant demeanor assist in creating a connection that establishes a platform of trust, honesty, integrity and anointing. In short, the mission of his ministry “to reinforce and under gird the mission, message, and work of the Church of Jesus Christ through theologically sound, biblically based music and music ministry leadership” is clearly being accomplished through his endeavor.

One of the most difficult aspects of itinerant ministry is that rarely are you able to assess the systemic challenges of the ministry because in effect even the bad seeds put on a good face in the presence of visitors. It is very difficult to rectify systemic challenges in a one week visit, especially when it may take the entire week to assess who is doing what. As skilled and effective as Wilson is, it difficult to make effective change without the consistent and meticulous management of the systemic challenge over the course of time. Further, the challenge of the music ministry is often not all contained within the ministry itself but within the relationships with other church ministries and other offices (and officers) of the church. Wilson is not able to engage in Pastor - Minister of Music relationships or Music Ministry - Trustee relationships due to the short nature of the time and his unawareness of the intricate and often personal nature of disputes and situations. Further adding difficulty is the notion that there is no one-size-fits-all model for music ministry. In fact, there is no cookie-cutter model for any parachurch ministry. The ministry takes on the personality of those involved and invested. This reality creates and added challenge to the itinerate ministry as it does not allow for the possibility of the establishment of strong personal relationships necessary for certain levels of teaching, training and specifically mentoring. These actions take time and energy not realistic in a week-long trip.

Most relevant to my proposed ministry is the wealth of knowledge that Wilson has attained over years of service. His ability to take learned lessons and create learning objectives through which he cleverly and effectively shares is an important contribution that is missing on the parachurch level. Wilson’s ability to merge musical training and theological training to strengthen his music and teaching ministry is another effective application important to my proposed ministry. The itinerant nature of his ministry is perhaps the greatest difference between his and my proposed greater Boston-based ministry.

Ministry Model 2: Black Ministerial Alliance, Boston

One of the most important and effective resources for the Black church of Greater Boston is the Black Ministerial Alliance (BMA). The aim of the BMA is, “to provide spiritual nurture for clergy, and advocacy and program services for the larger Black community.”7 Led by the dynamic and innovative Bishop Gilbert Thompson, Pastor of Jubilee Christian Church, the BMA has a paid staff of 15, including executive director Harold Sparrow, former executive director of the Roxbury YMCA Family Branch and a minister of the gospel. The BMA was established during the 1960s as the various Black churches of the greater Boston and surrounding areas desired an organized mechanism to provide for one another and to coalesce resources in order to meet the needs of community members. Over 40 years later, the BMA has over 80 faith-based and community-based organizations as members of the alliance and boasts itself as “one of the most diverse and active organizations in the city.”8

The BMA provides support (financial, spiritual, programmatic and consulting) through four major initiatives: Black Church Capacity Building Program, which provides technical assistance to Black churches in Boston and surrounding neighborhoods; Boston Capacity Tank, which assists in building the capacity of faith-based and community-based organizations in Boston; Education Action Project, which trains and empowers parents and students to advocate for reform in the Boston Public Schools; and Victory Generation, which networks with faith-based after school programs to provide quality care and affordable services for youth ages 5-14. Through each of these programs the BMA provides grants, workshops and access to an expansive network. Each program has a research element, a teaching element and/or a practical, hands-on training element by which individuals and organizations are nurtured, edified and empowered to accomplish their desired goals.

As an advocacy group, the BMA has actively participated in numerous social, political, economic and religious rallies, protests and debates. As an ecumenical alliance representing the concerns, needs, desires and perspectives of the various constituencies of Black churches and congregations in the greater Boston and surrounding area, the BMA is a powerful organization. Its ability to secure federal funds for dissemination to local organizations aimed at making a difference in the streets and communities of Boston is a powerful testament to the power of collaboration. The BMA’s focus on youth is also worthy of note.

One of the challenges of the BMA is that because of dynamic personalities involved in leadership and the potential for disagreement, numerous Black churches that probably should partner with the BMA as members are not and remain unaffiliated. It appears that only half of all Black churches in the area are affiliated with the alliance (80 out of approximately 176). The alliance is also primarily composed of pastors which somewhat ostracizes non-pastoral clergy or ministers whose ministries are not as shepherds of entire flocks but are called to more specific and somewhat specialized tasks such as evangelism, prison ministry, music ministry and the like. As the major force within the greater Boston Black church, it appears that the agenda and initiatives of the BMA are not all-encompassing of the numerous facets of the Black church, which inherently is impossible, yet ironically is articulated by many not within the fold of the BMA as a reasonable expectation. The BMA offers a foundation and a framework through which other ministries such as Black Church Music Ministry Project might partner and find opportunities to fill in some of gaps of desired but presently non-existing ministries.

The infrastructure and organization chart for the BMA is a worthy model to emulate especially as a ministry grows both in size and in finances. The BMA’s continued success over the years has made it a confidant to political officers and influential governmental officials who have the power and influence to make things happen. This is a model worthy of emulation—the model of effective networking. Although the mission and the goal of the BMA are very different than my proposed ministry, its far and broad-reaching influence is extremely similar. If you build up strong mature Christians, then the ministries that they are involved in subsequently and proportionally grow toward a spiritually mature ministry.

Ministry Proposal: The Black Church Music Ministry Project (BCMMP)

In the opening words of the 15th chapter of the prominent text, The Purpose Driven Church: Growth Without Compromising Your Message & Mission, evangelical icon Rick Warren writes:

I’m often asked what I would do differently if I could start Saddleback over. My answer is this: From the first day of the new church I’d put more energy and money into a first-class music ministry that matched our target. In the first years of Saddleback, I made the mistake of underestimating the power of music so I minimized the use of music in our services. I regret that now.9

Although Saddleback is not a Black church and although Warren’s lament is not that of a pastor of a Black congregation, his ability to articulate in few words the ongoing thoughts of many pastors in many of the nation’s churches, Black or otherwise, is worthy of mention. Like Warren, many contemporary Black churches underestimate the power of music ministry. Churches struggle to maintain the tradition while innovating new expressions that speak to the needs, concerns and desires of new generations not reveling in old problems. The Black church is challenged if not plagued by two powerful and extremely influential extremes: a growing elderly population with an established aesthetic appetite and a bourgeoning young population with the burden of attempting to “sing their song in a strange land”—a strange land dictated and directed by generations not necessarily welcoming of the latter’s choice of style.

To add to Warren’s lament, most churches who find themselves in the above mentioned situation have no idea how to resolve the situation. This is especially true for Black churches who continue to remain outside of the purview of many scholars, consultants and clinicians who aim to assist in the building and nurturing of church ministry capacity growth. Many of these churches lay on the fringes unattached to healthy networks of transformation. Black churches concerned about their music ministries find that there are no readily available statistics or measurements to assess the effectiveness of their ministries beyond anecdotal evidence. There is presently no effective networking mechanism or central clearinghouse of information on Black church music ministry in greater Boston. There is no publicly available information on replicable models of success or suggestions for models that have been successful in other comparable ministries. There is no collective leadership training where everyone involved receives the same spiritual leadership development regardless of denomination or affiliation relative to music ministry. There is no training on successful hiring practices for musicians or music ministry leaders. There is no training on how to successfully create a fair and reasonable compensation package for church musicians and music ministry leaders. There is no effective music ministry management training, music ministry conflict/ resolution training, nor training on how to identify nurture and develop talent within local church music ministries.

Most local churches are unable to approach any of these crucial topics due to lack of resources, lack of time, lack of energy and in many cases lack of interest. The Black Church Music Ministry Project desires to address these and other concerns by assessing the continuous state of music ministry in the Black church of greater Boston and creating resources and learning opportunities for those interested in healing and transformation within Black church music ministry.

The Black Church Music Ministry Project aims to serve, nurture and develop spiritual leaders within music ministry. Our mission is to serve, nurture and develop spiritual leaders within music ministry through research, the publication of resources, and through the hosting and presentation of clinics, workshops and conferences. Our vision is to see music ministry leaders fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew 28: 18-20) through the ministry of music.

The Black Church Music Ministry Project is committed to:

Although the Black Church Music Ministry Project will cater specifically to pastors, ministers of music, music directors, music coordinators,music ministry leaders, church musicians (both paid and volunteer) and church choir leaders (both paid and volunteer), it is the goal that the fruit of the labor will directly affect the representative local church music ministries and in effect the local church as a whole.

With a staff of volunteers (both aspiring music ministry leaders and interested individuals), we aim to identify and contact all Black churches within the greater Boston area (including Cambridge) in order to establish a relationship and to create an awareness of the ministry and its resources. We will follow-up our initial phone call with an exploratory survey. The survey will be directed to the pastor of the church and will request information regarding the church (denomination, size, age of church, years of service as pastor); the music ministry (size of music ministry, music ministry budget allocation, salary ranges of paid staff, music ministry infrastructure, years of service of ministry leader, training of ministry leader); past and present challenges relative to the music ministry (salary disputes, rates of attrition, conflict/ resolution disputes, satisfaction/ dissatisfaction with spiritual growth of music ministry leadership and overall ministry). Many of the questions will be multiple-choice for ease of response and for time purposes. It is our goal to collect the information in as user-friendly a way as possible. Surveys will be administered both in hard copy with the option of a digital form via the internet. We will more than likely use http://www.surveymonkey.com/ to administer online surveys. Churches who do not respond within reasonable time will receive a phone call and survey will be administered via phone. It is our goal to follow-up the pastoral survey with a more specialized survey to the music ministry leader of the same church. This survey will be more in-depth asking questions related to their musical training, theological training, administrative training, leadership training, music ministry mission statement, music ministry vision statement, size of staff, salary ranges, job descriptions of various positions, size of ministries (i.e., number of choirs, number of musicians—both paid and volunteer), type of repertoire, frequency of evening or external obligations, rehearsal schedule, rehearsal agenda, frequency of meetings with pastor, frequency of meetings with external committees (i.e., music committee, worship committee, trustees) and other informative questions. The data from the surveys will allow for the creation of profiles on each church with which we will be able to assess the state of music ministry in the Black church in greater Boston providing a baseline for future assessment. In addition, the data from the surveys will allow our ministry to always be relevant and focused on the current needs of the greater Boston Black church music ministry. In this manner our ministry partners, who we aim to directly minister to will set the agenda and be invested partners in the ministry. With the gathered information we will plan clinics/workshops and conferences to meet the needs of the churches hoping that as the relationship between the BCMMP and the various churches, we will be able to offer a ministry that is relational, intentional a blessing to the greater Boston Black church.

Implicit in the design and structure of BCMMP is the desire to have present and future music ministry leaders as volunteers (eventually paid staff) in order to create a learning team of invested and interested co-laborers who can also continue the work at their individual vineyards. It is imperative to include others at every phase of the process so that what is currently missing not only in Boston but around the country can quickly and effectively be replicated in order to move music ministry to place that God would have it. Our goal is to be a catalyst for music ministry renewal that will assist in the ushering in of the next revival within the global Christian church.

It is our goal to partner with organizations such as Northeastern University, the Black Ministerial Alliance, and the Emmanuel Gospel Center in order to leverage resources and to establish a presence in the community of service. It is our goal to apply for local, regional and national grants in order to create and effective and efficient system that can be replicated across the country. The surveys will be an annual method of keeping a pulse on the state of music ministry in the Black church of greater Boston and its results will drive our schedule of offerings. Upon the securing of additional finances we will endeavor to do a major conference each year while offering bi-monthly clinics/workshops on various topics. We are not a performance-based ministry, we are focused on serving, nurturing and developing spiritual leaders from within the music ministry.

Endnotes

1“Jubilee Church to Buy Closed Parish,” Boston Globe, 6 April 2006.
2 Robert Hayden, Faith, Culture, and Leadership: A History of the Black Church in Boston (Boston: Boston Branch NAACP, 1983), 1.
3 C. Eric Lincoln and Lawrence H. Mamiyah, The Black Church in the African American Experience (Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 1990), 346-347.
4 Floyd Massey, Jr. and Samuel Berry McKinney, Church Administration in the Black Perspective, rev. ed. (Valley Forge, Penn.: Judson Press, 2003), 33.
5 J. Wendell Mapson, Jr., The Ministry of Music in the Black Church (Valley Forge, Penn.: Judson Press, 2000).
6 James Abington, Let Mt. Zion Rejoice!: Music in the African American Church (Valley Forge, Penn.: Judson Press, 2001), 3.
7Black Ministerial Alliance < http://www.bmaboston.org>
8 Ibid.
9 Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Church: Growth Without Compromising Your Message & Mission (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan Publishing House, 1995), 279.

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Mapson, J. Wendell, Jr. The Ministry of Music in the Black Church. Valley Forge, Penn.: Judson Press, 2000 [1984].

Massey, Floyd, Jr., and Samuel Berry McKinney. Church Administration in the Black Perspective. Revised edition. Valley Forge, Penn.: Judson Press, 2003.

Mitchell, Henry H. Black Church Beginnings: The Long-Hidden Realities of the First Years. Grand Rapids, Mich.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2004.

Osterman, Eurydice. What God Says About Music. Huntsville, Ala.: AWSAHM Music, 1998.

Pinn, Anthony B. The Black Church in the Post-Civil Rights Era. Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 2002.

Songs of Zion: Supplemental Worship Resources 12. Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon Press, 1981.

Walker, Wyatt Tee. “Somebody’s Calling My Name:” Black Sacred Music and Social Change. Valley Forge, Penn.: Judson Press, 1992 [1979].

Warren, Rick. The Purpose Driven Church: Growth Without Compromising Your Message & Mission. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan Publishing House, 1995.

Wilson, Eli, Jr. Equipping the Church Choir for Ministry. Orlando, Fla.: Eli Wilson Ministries (unpublished).

Wilson-Dickson, Andrew. The Story of Christian Music: From Gregorian Chant to Black Gospel and Authoritative Illustrated Guide To All the Major Traditions of Music For Worship. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1996 [1992].

“Jubilee Church to Buy Closed Parish.” The Boston Globe, April 6, 2006.

Websites:

“After Abolition: Church.” Boston Black History.org. http://www.bostonblackhistory.org/history/church.html

“The Black Church Movement in Boston.” Boston African-American National Historic Site http://www.nps.gov/boaf/blackchurch.htm

About the author:

Emmett G. Price III is Assistant Professor of Music and African American Studies at Northeastern University and serves as Assistant to the Pastor (Music, Worship & Arts) at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Boston’s South End. For more information on Emmett please visit http://www.emmettprice.com/. Or write to:

Emmett G. Price III, Ph.D.
The Black Church Music Ministry Project
Ebenezer Baptist Church
157 West Springfield Street
Boston MA 02118-1403

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Diaspora Ministry in Allston Brighton at Community of Faith Christian Fellowship

MC622 Inner City Ministry 2
Center for Urban Ministerial Education, Boston
April 10, 2006

by Sean Richmond

Sean Richmond is the Senior Pastor at Community of Faith Christian Fellowship in Boston. He and his wife, Laura, have been married 12 years and have four children. Sean moved to Boston in 1998 to plant Antioch Ministries International’s first U.S. church. Born and raised in San Antonio, TX (with a stint of growing up in the mountains of New Mexico), Sean got his BA in Speech Communication from Baylor University. Before leading the team to Boston, Sean was a youth pastor for 6 years at Highland Baptist Church in Waco, TX.

Abstract

To promote a vibrant ministry to Diaspora peoples attending Community of Faith Christian Fellowship and to those Diaspora peoples that principally reside in the Allston-Brighton area of Boston.

Executive Summary

In this paper, care will be taken to present a demographic overview of Allston-Brighton with particular focus on the Diaspora peoples that reside there. I will discuss their needs and the ways in which they are being reached with help, friendship and the gospel. Looking at two existing ministries to Diaspora people, I will glean from their experiences and tie them into what has and is practically going on at Community of Faith in the area of Diaspora ministry. Finally, a strategic plan will be proposed to see Community of Faith step out more purposefully in receiving and ministering to the Diaspora peoples within our own church and in the community in which we live.

…The paper in its entirety is available online to view or download as a Microsoft Word document.

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Racial Reconciliation and Cooperation: A Ministry Proposal In The Greater Metropolitan Detroit Region

MC622 Inner City Ministry 2
Center for Urban Ministerial Education, Boston
May 1, 2006

by Thomas Franks, OFM Cap.

Born in Middletown, CT, Tom entered the Capuchin Franciscan Order in 1997. Since joining the friars, he has been assigned to ministries in New York City, Toronto, and for the past three years in Boston. After completing a B.S. in Psychology at Fordham University, he continued studies in theology at Weston Jesuit School of Theology in Cambridge, MA. He is currently completing his M.Div. in preparation for ordination, and continuing theological studies at Weston to pursue an S.T.L. in Sacramental Theology.

Abstract

This proposal entails the development of a racial reconciliation ministry in the Detroit region, wedded to the present ministries and charism of the Capuchin Franciscan Friars and driven by a two-fold process of (1) dialogical engagement or reflection and (2) practical interaction.

Executive Summary

As with any major city, Detroit is framed by the particular events of significance in its history and the diversity of people that call the city home. Of particular impact, therefore, were the historical periods of racial riots and ongoing violence. Following one particular period of rioting, the additional dynamic of “white flight” has resulted in a divisive and continually racially tense spirit around Detroit. In a snowballing effect, the experience of racial separation and economic disparity builds upon itself and has continually raised the level of violence along with the seeming unbridgeable nature of separations.

Alongside the historical and socio-economic understanding of Detroit, a further level of meaning is derived from the particular presence and approach of Christian ministry in the city. Beginning in the mid-1800’s, the Capuchin Franciscan Friars moved into the east side of Detroit and they have remained centralized ever since on Mt. Elliott Street. In addition to the foundation of Saint Bonaventure Monastery, the friars also importantly oversee the Capuchin Soup Kitchen – networked throughout the city to provide a variety of services to people in need – and they have in recent times put financial and personal resources into developing the Solanus Casey Center as a pilgrimage and gathering locale in the city.

Viewing the need of the city along with the resources of the friars, I propose a ministry grounded in pre-existing facilities and designated to promoting a process of racial reconciliation. This ministry would be grounded in two critical realties: (1) the charism of the friars along with their contacts across socio-economic groups and (2) the dialogical process developed by Hope in the Cities Ministries. Taken together, it is hoped that this ministry can further enhance the services already offered by the Capuchin ministries to cultivate both intra-Christian and inter-racial unity. Ongoing review will furthermore assess and redirect the energies of the program.

…The paper in its entirety is available online to view or download as a Microsoft Word document.

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Emmanuel Research Review, copyright © 2006, Emmanuel Gospel Center. All rights reserved. For permission to reprint any or all of this newsletter, contact mailto:rmitchell@egc.org by email or write:

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PO Box 180245
Boston MA 02118-0994

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