Associate Professor of Theology and African American Religion
Yale Divinity School
New Haven, CT

The Reverend Eboni Marshall Turman, Ph.D. is the associate professor of theology, African American religion, and African American studies at Yale University Divinity School in New Haven, CT. A first-career concert dancer and ordained National Baptist preacher, her research interests span the varieties of twentieth and twenty-first century US theological liberalisms, most especially Black and womanist theological, social ethical, and theo-aesthetic traditions.

An uncompromising race woman of faith, she co-chairs the Black Theology unit of the American Academy of Religion, is a founding member of the Black Church Collective, Brooklyn, NY, for which she served as lead author of “On Black Lives Matter: A Theological Statement from the Black Churches,” a viral missive that mobilized over one thousand Black pastors throughout the United States and documented the moral standpoint of the prophetic Black Churches in response to the January 6th Insurrection, and formerly served on the executive committee of the Society for the Study of Black Religion.

As an author, preacher, professor, pastor, and public theologian, the Reverend Dr. Turman is a refreshing addition to our most pressing national discussions of faith, race and gender. With a decidedly Black womanist point of view, hers stands out as one of very few scholarly millennial voices offering moral perspective on issues facing the Black community. At a time in our history when the Black church and Black lives are once again under constant siege, Dr. Turman has committed her intellectual and ministerial platform to a nuanced exploration of the most marginalized among us.

A trailblazer in the church and academy, her pioneering spirit has earned her many rare distinctions. She is the youngest woman to be named Assistant Minister of the historic Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York City, and the second woman to preside over the ordinances in its 215-year history. She formerly served as Director of Black Church Studies and Assistant Research Professor of Theological Ethics, Black Church Studies, and African American Studies at Duke University Divinity School in Durham, NC (2013-2016); as well as visiting professor of Christian Ethics at Hood Theological Seminary in Salisbury, NC (2012-13).

She is the only womanist constructive theologian and religious ethicist on faculty at Yale University and the only Black theologian to be internally promoted to the rank of associate professor in the history of the institution. She is the recipient of the Yale University Bouchet Faculty Excellence award for research and teaching; the Inspiring Yale award; a Yale Public Voices fellow; one of Ebony Magazine’s Young Faith Leaders in the Black Community; included on the Network Journal’s prestigious 40 Under 40 List; named as one of the “Top 5 Young Preachers in America” by ROHO; and Auburn Theological Seminary’s 2017 “Lives of Commitment” honoree.

A highly sought-after speaker and thinker, Dr. Turman is featured in Henry Louis Gates’ acclaimed 2021 documentary film, The Black Church: This is Our Story, This is Our Song, where she discusses gender and the future of the Black Church. She can also be seen in the 2018 documentary film, The Gospel According to André Leon Talley, where she discusses the intersection of faith and fashion in the Black Church. She has shared her ideas at Morehouse College, Spelman College, The University of Cambridge, Fordham University, Princeton Theological Seminary, Emory University, McCormick Theological Seminary, Union Theological Seminary, among other colleges and universities worldwide, as well as regularly from global pulpits. In 2014, Dr. Turman was inducted into the Morehouse College Martin Luther King, Jr. Board of Preachers and Collegium of Scholars. Her opinions on race, faith, and gender have been published by the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, the Huffington Post, and Dallas Morning News among others.

Tackling the taboo topic of gender in the Black Church, Dr. Turman owns her millennial sensibility and is unflinchingly honest in her critique of our most revered institutions. She dispels the notion of “a woman’s place” in church and society. Building upon the literary, intellectual, activist foundations of Alice Walker, W.E.B DuBois, and Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Dr. Turman published her seminal work Toward a Womanist Ethic of Incarnation: Black Bodies, the Black Church and the Council of Chalcedon. The first womanist book-length treatment of conciliar tradition in relationship to black Christian life, in it she explores the sexism that pervades the black church and chips away at the moral justification for black women’s social subordination.

She is currently completing her second monograph tentatively titled, Black Women’s Burden: Male Power, Gender Violence, and the Scandal of African American Social Christianity, and she has recently begun preliminary research for her third monograph titled, In My Flesh Shall I See God: Black Womanist Theological Aesthetics. Through her research and scholarship, Dr. Turman is transforming the way we frame the Black experience, the contemporary movement for Black lives, and the moral significance of the Black community specifically the 21st century black church.

Beyond academia, Dr. Turman is passionate about helping Black people rise above and function through systemic racism, gender bias, and structural exploitation. Through her coaching and counseling, she offers tools for spiritual vocational, professional, and personal success, empowering minoritized persons and groups to assert themselves more fully in white and male dominant environments. As a justice advocate, Dr. Turman challenges how the Black community is represented and engaged in the public square. As a gifted teacher, she empowers Black people from the heart and shows them how to interpret Christian teachings to transform their lives, change their communities, create healthier relationships, brighter leadership prospects, personal fulfillment and ultimately, to bring glory to God.

Dr. Turman’s unapologetic passion for the Black community is perhaps only matched by her passion for young minds. As the face of Black and womanist theology and ethics at Yale, she is pushing the boundaries of scholarship in a post-Covid world, while training the next generation of pastors, religious leaders, and moral entrepreneurs to expand their vision for what is possible in church and society.

A native New Yorker, Dr. Turman holds degrees in philosophy, theology, and Christian ethics from Fordham University and the Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York, respectively. Her favorite scripture is found in Luke 1:45, “And blessed is she that believed, for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.” She lives in New York City and Southern Connecticut with her wonderful spouse, Rossie E. Turman III, Esq., and their beautiful daughters, Haarlem, Kroux, and Priesst.

Senior Pastor
First Corinthian Baptist Church
New York, NY

Michael A. Walrond Jr. is the Senior Pastor of First Corinthian Baptist Church (FCBC) in Harlem, New York. Walrond—affectionately known as Pastor Mike—is quickly rising as one of the most prolific and sought-after teachers and preachers in the country. Considered a visionary, cultural architect, and game-changer by his peers, Pastor Mike has not only catalytically changed the traditional perspective of black church, but he is also shifting the paradigm of Christian understanding and culture. Within two years of his leadership at FCBC, the church experienced exponential growth, tripling its membership. Over the past nineteen years, membership at FCBC has grown from 300 to over 10,000 members.

Pastor Mike is a board member of the National Action Network (NAN) and was appointed the first National Director of the Ministers Division. He is the former Chair of The Board of Visitors at Duke University Divinity School. Pastor Mike has received numerous honors, accolades, and recognitions including induction into Morehouse College Martin Luther King, Jr. Board of Preachers as a “Distinguished Preacher.” In 2014 Pastor Mike was a recipient of The Root 100 Award, a list of the top 100 most influential African Americans under the age of 45. In July of 2015 New York City Mayor, Bill de Blasio, named Pastor Mike as the first chair of the NYC Clergy Advisory Council. In 2017 he was an honoree on Ebony Magazine’s annual Ebony Power 100 list as a “Community Crusader”, and was on the New York State Power 100, a list of the most influential persons in New York State.

In 2012, Pastor Mike’s foresight and passion for the Harlem community shaped the vision for the FCBC community development corporation (CDC). The most ambitious project to date of the FCBC CDC is The Dream Center: a transformative space designed to awaken dreams of the community. Focused on creative arts, leadership development, and economic empowerment, The Dream Center has offered over 1,500 completely free programs to the Harlem community for all ages, races, and backgrounds. With a desire to deeply engage the issues of the community, in December of 2016 Pastor Mike opened the H.O.P.E. (Healing On Purpose and Evolving) Center; the first faith-based mental health facility in Harlem. The H.O.P.E. Center is a manifestation of Pastor Mike’s vision to effectively support the vast mental health needs of the community. The center seeks to minimize the stigma that exists in many communities of color when seeking mental health services.

Pastor Mike is a graduate of Morehouse College, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy. He continued his studies at Duke University School of Divinity as a Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholar and earned a Master of Divinity degree with a focus in Theology. He served Duke University as the University Minister and Director of the African American Campus Ministry for eight years. Pastor Mike served as the Senior Pastor of Zion Temple United Church of Christ in Durham, North Carolina for eight years. He is a proud member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. and the Morehouse College Alumni Association. In June, 2023, Pastor Mike released his first book Search For Agabus: Embracing Authenticity and Finding Your Way To You, and is the author of the forthcoming book, The Way Of The Carpenter: For Those Who Can’t Stand Christianity, But Are Willing To Give Jesus A Try.

Pastor Mike is a native of Roosevelt, New York. He is married to the Rev. Dr. LaKeesha N. Walrond, who serves as the President of New York Theological Seminary. They are the proud parents of two beautiful adult children, Pastor Michael A. Walrond, III and Jasmyn Dominique. In 2022, Pastor Mike and his wife welcome their first grandchild, Malia Alani Walrond.

Senior Pastor
Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church
Washington, D.C.

William H. Lamar IV is pastor of Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church in Washington, DC. He previously served congregations in Monticello, Florida; Orlando, Florida; Jacksonville, Florida; and Hyattsville, Maryland.

Lamar was the managing director of Leadership Education at Duke University Divinity School in Durham, North Carolina, from 2008 to 2011. Through his association with Duke, he convened and resourced executive pastors of large churches, denominational finance executives, young denominational leaders, Methodist bishops, and the constituency of Lilly Endowment’s Sustaining Pastoral Excellence Program.

For 20 years, Lamar has been actively involved with Direct Action Research Training (DART), Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF), and the Washington Interfaith Network (WIN) to organize for justice in local communities. Most recently, he has collaborated with Repairers of the Breach, Poor People’s Campaign – A National Call for Moral Revival, Center for Community Change (CCC), and People Improving Communities through Organization (PICO) to enact social and economic justice and to exhibit a real embrace of the beloved community.

Lamar earned the bachelor of science degree in public management with a minor in philosophy and religion and a certificate in human resource management (magna cum laude) from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University in 1996. In 1999, he earned the master of divinity degree from Duke University Divinity School. Lamar is currently a doctoral student in the inaugural cohort of Christian Theological Seminary’s Ph.D. program in African American Preaching and Sacred Rhetoric. An avid reader and writer, Lamar has published articles in outlets such as Christian Century, The Christian Recorder, Divinity Magazine, “FaithandLeadership.com,” The Anvil, “TheUndefeated.com,” and the “Huffington Post.”

Lamar’s Washington Post op-ed from December 15, 2020, sparked great interest after the Proud Boys desecrated Metropolitan by vandalizing church property. Metropolitan is suing the Proud Boys for their criminality. His efforts to embody justice in community have been featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, US News and World Report, and the Afro-American and on WNYC’s “The Takeaway,” NPR’s “1A,” NPR’s “All Things Considered,” MSNBC’s “The ReidOut,” the “Huffington Post Live,” and PBS’s “News Hour.” Lamar has preached, lectured, and facilitated peer learning groups for denominations, judicatories, universities, seminaries, colleges, and local churches. He is the cohost of the Can These Bones podcast.

Lamar is honored to serve Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church, where he seeks daily to extend Metropolitan’s nearly two centuries-long legacy of bearing witness to and ushering into this world the reign of the living God. Under his leadership, Metropolitan remains committed to worship, liberation, and service.

Executive Pastor
Calvary Baptist Church
Paterson, NJ

As Chief Evangelism Officer of Setting the Captives Free Ministries, The Reverend Doctor Carol Lynn Patterson is committed to preaching, teaching and demonstrating a liberating gospel.

A teacher by nature, Doctor Carol serves in both ecclesial and academic capacities. As Executive Pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in Paterson, New Jersey (where The Reverend Doctor Randall M. Lassiter is Senior Pastor), she is frequently invited to preach and lead Wordshops for numerous churches, associations and conferences with emphases on evangelism, social justice and discipleship.

The author of Deceit, an empowering and liberating novel about resilience after setbacks, Doctor Carol is praying fervently for a best-selling book that becomes a Grammy winning audiobook, Pulitzer Prize winning play, an Oscar winning movie and an Emmy award-winning television series that reminds people they are never stuck in any circumstance.

In the midst of a successful career in multicultural marketing communications, Carol received a call to preach the gospel. In preparation for the Communications profession, she attended Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, New Jersey and majored in Advertising and Public Relations. Upon acceptance of her “divine invitation to do PR for another client,” (as her late mother described it), Carol enrolled in the Master of Divinity program at Drew Theological School. When she completed her MDiv, Minister Carol became the first woman to be ordained at Calvary Baptist Church of Morristown, NJ. While serving as a member of the pastoral team, Reverend Carol earned a Master of Theology degree in New Testament Studies at Princeton Theological Seminary. To better prepare for the vocation of pastoral ministry, Reverend Carol entered the Doctor of Ministry program at Drew, where her contextual ministry project and doctoral thesis Gathered for Worship and Word: Scattered to Witness to the World helped Calvary Baptist Church deepen its discipleship and evangelism training, as well as strengthen its witness.

She has been recognized by EBONY Magazine as an Outstanding Woman in Marketing & Communications, the Morris County Branch of the NAACP with the Community Leaders Social Justice Award and Business News NJ as one of the Top 10 Women in the State.

Senior Pastor
Bridgeway Community Church
Columbia, MD

Dr. David Anderson, founder and President of Gracism Global, is one of the world’s leading authorities on bridging the deep divides of race, faith, culture, and wealth. Known as the bridge-building voice in the Nation's Capital, Anderson hosts the daily radio talk show "Real Talk with Dr. David Anderson" on WAVA (105.1 FM) – the most listened to Christian talk station on the East Coast. As the founder and senior pastor of Bridgeway Community Church, Dr. Anderson reaches a multicultural congregation of over 10,000 weekly attendees from more than 60 nations, viewed online in over 100 countries, with locations in Columbia and Owings Mills, Maryland.