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God Rock: Ichthus 2008
The transformational power of the initiative that empowers African-American churches with a renewed sense of ministry was approved by the 2008 General Conference. The 12-year-old initiative, known as Strengthening the Black Church for the 21st Century (SBC-21), has helped hundreds of struggling black churches connect with successful ones to gain insights and encouragement for their ministries. Delegates approved a budget of $1.4 million for 2009-2012.
There are more than 2,400 African-American churches and 432,354 African Americans in the United Methodist Church in the United States. Strengthening the Black Church for the 21st Century “is empowered by the resurrected Christ, challenging the belief that the United Methodist Church is dying,” said Michigan Area Bishop Jonathan Keaton, chairperson of the initiative.
According to Cheryl Stevenson, the initiative’s executive director, 30 congregational resource centers have developed more than 100 learning units that share training tools for African-American churches in rural, urban and suburban areas across the five U.S. jurisdictions. These centers covenant to open themselves up as partner churches to provide training, resources and models for church development.
By Linda Green, a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tennessee.
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