Here and here I voiced my frustration about “national” church conferences that claim to have the best and brightest pastors and church leaders in the nation, but lack anything even closely related to diversity. No women. No Latino, Asian, African American, or non-white American men are on the lineups of these conferences.
Some people are pissed that I’m pissed. They even go so far as to call me racist for being agitated about it. I know better and I hope you do too. I may stir the pot up a little bit, but I hope that the end result is positive!
About a ten different speakers from these conferences have written me great messages and told me that they would sincerely like to make their speaker lineup more diverse, but that they simply don’t know any successful church planters or innovative church leaders of color or the female gender. That is a problem in and of itself, but I think we can make a difference.
Yesterday my good buddy Gary Lamb put the ball back in my court and challenged me to assemble a list. I can think of hundreds off the top of my head, but I want us to do this together! On Friday I will be compiling this list into one power-packed blog post so that these pastors and conference makers can never again say “I don’t know anybody!”
Here’s what I want you to provide:
The name of the pastor
The name of the church
City/State
Website
Race or Nationality
A few things you know about this pastor and/or church
It’s OK if you name a pastor that has already been named, but try to keep the new names and information rolling! One more thing…TD Jakes doesn’t count :-)
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Pastor Linda A. Wurzbacher
Church Planter / Senior Pastor
Blessed Hope Community Church
AKA Church At Movies
Rochester, NY
http://www.BlessedHopeCC.org
Tell Gary Lamb and Ed Stetzer I said Hi! :-)
Does it occur to you there are many national church conferences with the best and the brightest and none of the faces are white? So the framing you do of the issue, somewhat reflects what you complain about. The architects of the conferences you look at know one or two minority persons—and think they are getting the best and brightest. But then you scan the landscape of conferences–and only see the white conferences. Maybe you are walking with the same blinders.
A further thought is the conferences you are looking at represents a very stagnant part of Christianity. I can imagine conferences in the last five years of all the 'best and brightest' from the car industry meeting and innovating around the building of big new SUV's and pickups. The best and brightest of a dead industry might be best ignored.
May The Glory of Lord Christ our Savior be with you.
Greetings from Pakistan.
I am Pastor. Parvez Principal Bible College, we are serving the Lord our God through Bible College, Church, Sunday School, Women fellowship,& Evangelism.
we have five qualified Pastors including me, a music teacher, cook etc, and 12 students in in our Bible college studing in our Bible college living in Hostel we are offering three years diploma in Christian Theology (G.Th) graduat in Christian Theoly.
we want affliation with a trinity believer Church, we are independent. would you like to visit us.
or i am wish to attend your coming convention or crusade.
Pastor. Parvez Sadiq.
office, H.no,33, Sector.C, Street no 12, Akhtar Colony Karachi Pakistan.
+923333315107
+923442769058
wincentpak@hotmail.com
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