| abstract |
This project explores the onset of pastor – church relationships in a Black Church context
and how a re-signing of each's identity establishes a healthy partnership foundation. Considering
the absence of resources to guide the initial term of pastor-church partnerships, the project seeks
to offer a viable framework to navigate said partnership through the initial stages. Using the
historic Sycamore Hill Missionary Baptist Church as the immediate context, this project invites
congregations and pastors alike to be curious concerning how the pre-existing images of their
roles intersect and the subsequent impact upon the pastor, church, and community. I propose that
pastors' and people's identities must mirror Christ and each other; the subsequent image is a
pastor-prophet synthesis. The pastor-prophet synthesis embodies the work and witness of Christ
to the world while fostering a system of sharing amongst the three parties. Particularly related to
the pastor and church partnership, this sharing system invites each to function as "a part of,"
instead of "apart from" each other. To substantiate this theory, I employed the postmodern
narrative approach at the onset of my pastoral journey with Sycamore Hill, using the Nehemiah
principle as a working framework. I assert that Nehemiah offers a tangible image of multi-tiered
partnerships that create meaningful narratives while accounting for the "terroir" of the context.
The project employed a facsimile of the process found in Nehemiah to explain how
congregational and pastoral narratives are shaped over time and challenges that could arise.
Despite the project's organic nature indicating that a complete account of its impact would not be
determined for years, the project does offer Nehemiah's approach as a viable, flexible framework
that emphasizes the importance of communication and collaboration. Furthermore, the project
does yield commentary concerning the ways fluidity must be addressed. The COVID-19
pandemic disrupted the final segment's deployment, forcing both pastor and church to confront
the adjustments necessary to remain relevant and relational towards Christ, the community, and
each other.
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