wfn.org | African-American Seminary Unveils New Think Tank

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15-April-1999 
99148 
 
    African-American Seminary Unveils New Think Tank 
 
    by Adelle M. Banks 
    Religion News Service 
 
ATLANTA - The Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC), which includes 
the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)-related Johnson C. Smith Seminary, has 
launched a new think tank designed to increase the influence of 
African-American churches on non-religious issues in their communities. 
 
    The think tank, unveiled April 8, is part of ITC/FaithFactor, a 
multifaceted initiative created by the center, a consortium of six 
African-American seminaries here.  The initiative also will include a 
research center, training division, technical assistance and a clearing 
house providing 
examples of successful community development projects. 
 
    "ITC/FaithFactor represents an opportunity to transform the reigning 
paradigms for leadership development and church empowerment," said the Rev. 
Robert M. Franklin, ITC president. 
 
    In addition to preparing ministers to lead congregations, Franklin 
hopes the new initiative will help develop them as leaders on public 
policy, economic development, public health and technology issues in their 
communities. 
 
    Cicero Wilson, executive director of ITC/FaithFactor, said the 
initiative's research component will involve development of a data base to 
provide more demographic information about the nation's 65,000 to 70,000 
African-American congregations. 
 
    "The black church, if it is to be strong and if it is to deal with the 
changes that are coming in the future ... must be be able to assess its 
growth, its finances and the changes in membership," said Wilson. 
 
    The technical aspect of the initiative includes plans to give 30,000 
refurbished computers to African-American congregations during the next 
five years. 
 
    "Up to this point, we have used conferences to get the information out 
to black church leaders," said Wilson. "The Internet is our long-distance 
global calling card." 
 
    The initiative involves a partnership with a number of organizations, 
including the Gallup Organization, the polling and research firm based in 
Princeton, N.J.; Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation, a Washington-based 
community development training network; and PT&Associates, a Columbus, 
Ohio-based construction company that works on church projects.  Other 
partners include the Howard University School of Divinity in Washington, 
the Carter Center's Interfaith Health Program in Atlanta, and Tutornet.com, 
an interactive tutoring service based in McLean, Va. 
 
    Franklin said in an interview that the work of the think tank, which 
will include "thought leaders" from ITC faculty and those outside the 
religious realm, will be passed on to "the busy bivocational pastor" 
through audio cassettes and the Internet. 
 
    "This is, in fact, another way in which the technological literacy and 
the presence of the computer in the church ... can be valuable for 
disseminating fairly immediately and interactively the learning of the 
think tank," Franklin said. 
 
    Bishop John Hurst Adams, a board member of ITC, said the think tank is 
an appropriate way for a theological institution to have influence beyond 
its campus. 
 
    It's important for ITC to have its presence in the world of theological 
reflection and the struggle for a higher quality of life for those who have 
not had it heretofore," Adams said. 
 
    Franklin said the initiative will complement rather than duplicate 
other efforts to support black church leaders, including the 
Washington-based Congress of National Black Churches and the Institute of 
Church Administration, that began at ITC in 1992. 

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