Skills gained at historically black seminary still serve interim dean well in ministry

When the Rev. Paul T. Roberts was exploring where to attend seminary, he specifically sought an institution where he could tap the African-American theological perspective.

He had spent his undergraduate years at the predominately white Princeton University and was seeking a more diverse experience and point of view.

“I wanted an experience that I had not had before,” Roberts said. “I wanted the experience of a historically African-American institution. That was very important to me.”

He also wanted to know the nature of liberation and womanist theologies, among others, from an African-American standpoint. It was important to have mainstream theological thought as well as wisdom from the fringe, Roberts contended.

He found what he was seeking at Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary, where he attended from 1993 to 1996 and earned a Master of Divinity degree.  Now as the seminary’s interim dean, a position he recently accepted, Roberts is assisting others training to become servant-leaders.  Roberts’ duties include caring for students, assessing the seminary’s current and future needs and helping implement the vision of the institution’s board of trustees.

Before accepting the position of interim dean, Roberts served as chair of the seminary’s alumni association for about two years. Undoubtedly, Roberts is using some of the skills he garnered at seminary in his new role, as well as in his ongoing call as pastor of Atlanta’s Church of the Master Presbyterian Church.

“I learned people skills,” which includes listening, encouraging, and building community, he said. “Those have held me in very good stead.”

Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary also equipped Roberts, who originally came out of the United Methodist tradition before becoming a Presbyterian, with the skills to maneuver in a culturally diverse theological and spiritual landscape. The institution is part of a consortium of six Protestant seminaries known as the Interdenominational Theological Center.

As interim dean, Roberts will build on that feature of the seminary and advance the vision of the leadership of the board to illuminate the seminary’s standing as an African-American institution uniquely positioned to deal with change and wrestle with issues of cultural diversity.

The institution will be very “forward-thinking” about how the church is changing and what it is looking like, he said. Johnson C. Smith is looking at the curriculum and will lobby for teaching around areas such as hip-hop culture and the emergent church movement, Roberts added.  For example, we are looking at issues such as how to equip someone to start a house church, he said.

Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary also will look to strengthen its focus around “core leadership,” delving deeper into questions such as what is a leader, what does the leader of a culture do and how does that play out, Roberts said.

And ultimately, “we will be more missional,” he said. “That’s a large component."