1 Chronicles 12:23, 32 (NKJV)

²³ Now these were the numbers of the ^[f]divisions that were equipped for war, and came to David at Hebron to turn over the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the word of the Lord:

³² of the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their command;

 

What a time to be alive—and what a challenging time it is for leaders to shepherd people toward transformation. Many church leaders have had to learn how to operate a hybrid church model with some members in-person and others only participating online. The current experience of the church is far different than it was only two years ago.  

In such a time as this, pastors, preachers, and leaders are looking for theological insight and answers: How can they effectively preach to their congregations and lead them courageously? What is it they “ought” to do?  

During this workshop, Rev. Dr. William Curtis will help pastors and preachers articulate the burdens and blessings of these revolutionary days. He will help attendees bring theology to the forefront, posing the question, “What is God doing now, in the midst of all that’s going on?” Thinking theologically both grounds and inspires believers as they pursue God in every area of life. Dr. Curtis will provide theological grounding and methods for pastors, preachers, and leaders to be better able to navigate and even thrive during these tumultuous times.  

This half-day workshop is co-hosted with Mt. Zion Baptist Church, with additional partnership from Collaboration Project.

Mt. Zion Baptist Church was founded in 1911 and is one of Wisconsin’s oldest predominately African American congregations. Their mission is to be a Christ-Centered, bible believing church, committed to lifting the community and converting sinners to Christ. Mt. Zion houses a food pantry, behavior health center, academic learning center, and various other programs that focus on lifting the community. The church’s grand vision is to build a Community Life Center, with a projected ground-breaking ceremony in May 2023, that will provide a range of human services for the community at large. 

Collaboration Project exists to foster collaboration between churches for the good of the city and the flourishing of every person, through celebrating and accelerating the work that God is already doing within and between local churches in Dane County. 

About the Speaker

A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Reverend Dr. William H. Curtis accepted the call to ministry at the age of 17. For seven years, he served as the Senior Pastor at Shiloh Baptist Church in York, Pennsylvania; since 1997, he has served as the Senior Pastor at Mount Ararat Baptist Church in Pittsburgh, PA.

Mount Ararat Baptist Church is a large urban ministry that ministers to more than 10,000 members in the community, hosting four well-attended weekend services. Mount Ararat believes in ministry to the whole community; under the leadership of Dr. Curtis, the church implemented a Community Tithe Program, which returns over ten percent of the congregation’s weekly offerings to small churches, parachurch ministries, and nonprofit organizations.

Dr. Curtis has been an instructor at United Theological Seminary and has graduated several groups of doctoral students at the institution. Aside from pastoral instruction, he is Co-Owner of The Church Online, a successful technology and full-service marketing firm that provides top of the line services to ministries all over the world.

He is a Board member of Amachi Pittsburgh; and his Board relationships include the Pittsburgh Sports and Exhibition Authority, the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, The Ellis School, the Interdenominational Theological Center, and the Baptist School of Theology. In addition, he served as President of the Hampton University Ministers’ Conference from 2007 – 2011. His fraternity memberships include Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Sigma Pi Phi, and Jericho lodge #20. In 2016, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf assigned him to the Governor’s Advisory Commission on African American Affairs. In 2018, he was elected to serve on the Allegheny County Airport Authority Board. In 2020, the Allegheny Health Network elected him to serve on their Cancer Institute Advisory Board.

Dr. Curtis has been the recipient of numerous honors and awards. In 2009, he was inducted into the Martin Luther King Jr. Board of Preachers of Morehouse College. In the spring of 2010, Dr. Curtis moved from the speaking arena into the publishing arena with his first book, FAITH— Learning to Live Without Fear, currently in its fourth printing. Since then, he has published