Our vision is to see the Black Church in Boston displaying holistic models of prophetic leadership, spiritual formation, community care and the pursuit of justice.

The Black Church has historically played an essential role not only in the spiritual life of the Black community in Boston but also in the community's overall health and vitality. In addition to being a place for congregants to gather for worship and teaching, the Black Church has a rich legacy of serving community needs, collecting and disseminating resources, advocating for rights and services, and leading critical social movements. In many ways, the Black community's health is inextricably linked with the health of the Black Church.

The Boston Black Church Vitality Project (BBCVP) is a partnership between the Black Christian Experience Resource Center, BMA TenPoint, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary’s Boston Campus for Urban Ministerial Education and the Emmanuel Gospel Center. The BBCVP is the first large-scale project dedicated to understanding and nurturing the thriving of both individual Black churches and the broader Black Church community in Boston.

Partners

Partners are the supervising leads of each of the four partnering organizations. They lead project design, implementation, and community networking.

Partner Bios

Black Christian Experience
Resource Center (BCERC)

Rev. Emmett Price, III, Ph.D., Executive Director

Emmanuel Gospel Center

Jeffrey Bass, Executive Director

BMA TenPoint

Rev. David Wright, Esq., Executive Director

Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Boston Campus, (CUME)

Rev. Dr. Virginia Ward, Dean of Boston Campus & Executive Director of Northeast Region

Research Team

*Jaronzie Harris and Rudy Mitchell,* *R9 Foto*

Members of the Research Team are experienced specialists in qualitative and quantitative community and church research. The Research Team also mentors research interns.

Volunteer or Intern

Staff

Jaronzie Harris, Director, BBCVP

Stacie Mickelson, Director, Applied Research & Consulting

Mechelle Mann, Administrative Assistant

Rev. Emmett Price, III, Ph.D., Scholar in Residence

Rudy Mitchell, Senior Researcher

Stakeholders

*Pastors Bisi Asere and Jean Louis,* *R9 Foto*

Stakeholders are churches that mobilize their constituents to participate in interviews, surveys, and town hall meetings for shared learning and action.

Get Involved

Abundant Life Church, Cambridge
Bishop Lawrence A. Ward and Rev. Dr. Virginia Ward

Apostolic Church LAWNA, Dorchester
Pastor Bisi Asere

Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Jamaica Plain
Rev. Dr. Ray Hammond and Rev. Dr. Gloria White-Hammond

Boston Missionary Baptist Church, Roxbury
Rev. Dr. Soliny Vedrine

Charles St. African Methodist Episcopal Church, Roxbury
Rev. Dr. Gregory G. Groover, Sr.

Calvary Baptist Church, Haverhill
Rev. Kenneth M. Young

Community of Love Christian Fellowship, Allston
Rev. Dr. Emmett G. Price, III

Concord Baptist Church, Milton
Rev. Dr. Conley Hughes, Jr.

Église de Dieu de La Pentecôte Libre, Dorchester
Pastor Jean Louis

Evangelical Baptist Church of the Redeemed, Medford
Rev. Wilguymps Charles

Grant African Methodist Episcopal Church, Roxbury
Rev. Pedro Castor, Jr.

Greater Framingham Community Church, Framingham
Rev. Dr. J. Anthony Lloyd

Greater Love Tabernacle Church, Dorchester
Bishop William E. Dickerson, II

Haitian Church of the Nazarene- Friends of the Humble, Mattapan
Rev. Dr. Zephir Pierre- Louis

Hope Lighthouse Christian Church, Somerville
Pastor Sherman Shelley

Morning Star Baptist Church, Mattapan
Bishop John M. Borders, III

Mount of Olives Evangelical Baptist Church, Hyde Park
Rev. Dr. Joel Piton

New Hope Baptist Church, Hyde Park
Rev. Kenneth Simms

People’s Baptist Church, Roxbury
Rev. Dr. Wesley A. Roberts

Second Church in Dorchester, Dorchester
Rev. Dr. Victor Price

Southern Baptist Church, Roxbury
Rev. James M. Harrison, Jr.

Twelfth Baptist Church, Roxbury
Rev. Willie Bodrick, II

Union Baptist Church, Cambridge
Pastor Jaron Green

Voice of the Gospel Tabernacle, Mattapan
Bishop Nicolas Homicil