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Black Methodists for Church Renewal

The mission of BMCR is to raise up prophetic and spiritual leaders who will be advocates for the unique needs of black people in The United Methodist Church.  BMCR is the organized black caucus of The United Methodist Church, one of the denomination's five U.S.-based racial-ethnic caucuses. The caucus represents more than 2,400 black United Methodist congregations and approximately 500,000 African-American members across the United States.
 
Since its 1967 inception in Detroit, BMCR has consistently been the voice of black United Methodists and an advocate for the growth and development of black churches. When The United Methodist Church was formed in 1968, the caucus effectively lobbied for the creation of the United Methodist Commission on Religion and Race and the desegregation of The United Methodist Publishing House.
We strive to assist the local church by:

  • Empowering Black Methodists for effective witness and service in local churches, conferences, schools, and the larger community.
  • Initiating, developing, and implementing strategies and instruments for the development, maintenance, and growth of strong Black local congregations.
  • Advocating for the interests and inclusivity of Blacks in the District, Conference and General church leadership structures.

A Planning team will be formed in order to retool Black congregations to become more outwardly focused as we make disciples for the transformation of the world.  We will retool congregations using resources that focuses on revitalization that will change the landscape of how we view the church.
 Four suggested resources are:

  • "Resurgence: Navigating the Changing Ministry Landscape"  written by Reverend. Dr. Candace Lewis and Reverend  Dr. Rodney Smothers
  • Retooling the Church – Ron Satrape
  • Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations – Robert Schnase
  • 4D IMPACT – Smash Barriers Like a Smart Church

Contact:  Rev. Geraldine McClellan  E-mail
 

The Florida Conference Leadership Academy 

The purpose of the Leadership Academy is to equip emerging lay and clergy leaders throughout the Florida Conference to serve effectively in mission and ministry within the local church, district, conference, and communities. Through in-depth consultations, partnerships, training and certification programs, the goal is to bring about awareness, increase spiritual and social consciousness and offer support needed to better equip the local church to strive and impact its community in positive productive ways. We further will lift emancipatory voices that call us collectively into accountability so that the orthopraxis of Christianity will be shared in equitable ways for all.

Download the Leadership Academy brochure.

Registration for The Florida Conference Leadership Academy is now closed. 

 

Why the Leadership Academy?
“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens a friend.” (Prov. 22:17 CEB) This is a prime time for all of us, as friends and ministry leaders both clergy and laity to be sharp and prepared to effectively continue the mission in these rapidly changing times.       
 
 
Program Objectives: 

  •  Provide a context for excellence in leadership development, research, and service for our Florida Conference as we integrate the extensive work of the anti-racism task force.
  • Identify, recruit, and equip interested laity and clergy for courageous and transformational leadership in the local church, district, conference, and community. 
  • Inspire participants to reflect leadership skills that honor and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion while being grounded in an understanding of Wesleyan theology and the history and polity of the UMC. 
  • Provide opportunities for participants to grow in intrapersonal and interpersonal awareness through workshop instruction, class participation, and critical engagement with God, self, and neighbor.

Your registration investment of $75, includes all course fees, assessments, and materials. Also included is admission to the Legacy Museum experience in Birmingham, Alabama planned for the summer.
 
Proposed Session Dates and Times
This program is comprised of six sessions, scheduled bi-monthly (every other month) from January thru October. The sessions will be in hybrid format and will include online coursework, Zoom sessions, and in-person gatherings.
Session 1 will be from 9:30 to noon. All other sessions will be held on Saturdays from 9:30a - 3:30p. With the exception of Session 1, all other sessions will be held on the LAST Saturday of the month. Pre-work for each session will be available in our online platform. Sessions are flexible depending on availability of cohort members.
  

  • January 22nd (Zoom):  Session 1 – Orientation to the Academy
    • Purpose, Goals, Theoretical Framework 
    • Expectations (participants, facilitators, leaders, instructors) 
    • Structure of the Academy 
  • February 26th (In-person):  Session 2 – Introduction to Leadership 
    • Historical Foundations of Leadership 
    • Leadership in the Bible – Hebrew Bible & New Testament 
    • Denominational Leadership – Leading in the Wesleyan Way 
  • April 30th (Zoom):  Session 3 – Intrapersonal Development 
    • Implicit Bias – Who Am I 
    • Socialization 
    • Power, Justice, & Discrimination 
    • Vision/Values 
      • Developing a Personal Statement 
      • Valuing Self 
  • June 25th (In-person):  Session 4 – Interpersonal Development & Trip to the Legacy Museum
    • Communicating Across Differences 
    • Conflict Management & Resolution 
    • Cross Racial/Cross Cultural Challenges 
  • August 27th (Zoom):  Session 5 – Organizational Leadership 
    • UMC Polity 
    • Organizational Structure 
    • Strategic Planning, Vision, Values 
      • Local Church, District, Conference Boards and Committees 
    • Budget and Fiscal Requirements 
      • Grants and more
    • Training and Development 
  • October 29th (In-person): Session 6 – Community Engagement & Wrap Up 
    • Theological Framework 
    • Justice Advocacy 
      • Previously incarcerated persons 
      • Equal wages 
      • Florida Advocacy days 
      • Environmental  

 For questions or more information please contact us at leadershipacademy .
 
 

Justice, Reconciliation & Me Workshop

In the words of Bishop Desmond Tutu, “We contend that there is another kind of justice, restorative justice, which has the characteristic of traditional African jurisprudence. Here the central concern is the healing of breaches, the redressing of imbalances, the restoration of broken relationships, a seeking to rehabilitate both the victim and the perpetrator, who should be given the opportunity to be reintegrated into the community he has injured by his offense.” You are invited to journey with us through a time of relationship building, storytelling, introspection, and hope. Come and be part of something beautiful!

Presenters:  Rev. Dr. David Allen, Rev. Dr. Arlinda Burks, Rev. Dwayne Craig, Rev. Dr. Geraldine McClellan, Rev. Dr. Latricia Edwards Scriven

Written Resources

Video Links

Should you have any questions, please contact us at Latricia.scriven or Pastor-Arlington UMC