Breaking Barriers: Navigating Diversity in the Church
In this unfiltered and authentic conversation, we dive into the often overlooked aspects of Diversity within the Church. The guests share personal experiences, addressing the challenges of diversity, bias, and leadership roles. From the impact of cultural identities to the struggles faced in predominantly white churches, the discussion uncovers the need for healing and understanding before achieving true inclusivity.
In this episode, we discussed:
- Observations of Racism, Discrimination, and Biases in the Church
- Social Justice
- How to approach diversity when it comes to leadership in the Church
About our Guests:
Eric Ellis, President and CEO of Integrity Development Corp., is an award-winning entrepreneur, thought leader, author, and keynote speaker with over thirty years of experience in diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Named one of the Top 100 DEI Experts in the World by the Society for Human Resources Management and "Cincinnati's Diversity Fixer" by The Cincinnati Enquirer, Eric is an innovative leader who helps transform organizational cultures into people-centered workplaces that inspire employee engagement and a sense of belonging.
Eric is a singer/songwriter, and the author of Diversity Conversations. He hosts a weekly podcast named after his book.
Uwem Ward is a Recovery & Resurgence Coach who guides women through Spirit-Led Deconstruction and is affectionately known as The #HolyHotHead for a reason. She is the author and visionary behind “Unapologetically WorthyAF”, a journaling program designed to promote fiery self-love within Christian women who have been led to doubt their worth. Coach Uwem is a writer, a heartfelt public speaker and podcast guest, a domestic abuse survivor advocate, and a trained ministry leader for Celebrate Recovery and the California Black Women's Health Project. With over 25 years of experience in church ministry, she is now a new church planter and has recently launched a microchurch with her husband called WE ARE THE REFUGE in Sacramento, CA. Besides all that she does in the community, Coach Uwem is also a formerly homeschooling mother of 4 and has been married to her high school sweetheart for 17 years!
Coach Uwem is also the founder and CEO of ALL MADE WELL Recovery Programs —providing the church and its leaders with EMOTIONAL x SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT initiatives to disrupt & reimagine church culture. AMW offers private and group coaching, as well as churchwide programs that specialize in betrayal trauma recovery from childhood experiences, domestic abuse, and sex addiction as well as racial and spiritual trauma rooted in hierarchy.
Bishop Anthony Pelt is a native Floridian, who has respectively received his B.A. in Political Science and his Masters in Public Administration at the University of Central Florida.
Bishop Pelt is an ordained Bishop and the Founding Senior Pastor of Radiant Living Worship Center. He has served on several local, state & International Boards; Including Youth and Christian Education, Seminary Board of Theology and also on the General Assembly Cabinet for the Church of God.
Bishop Pelt is a man who really loves the Lord, serves the Lord with gladness and is committed to implementing solid biblical teaching in ministry to elevate the people in everyday living outside of the church walls with strong belief that Christian Education is the key to Church Elevation for the total man". Bishop Pelt has preached throughout the States, Canada, and the Caribbean Islands.
Bishop Anthony Pelt was recently appointed, by the Church of God International Headquarters, as the Administrative Bishop for Florida-Cocoa. Bishop Pelt is married to (Millicent), has three children (Imani, Tyrone and Hope) and one grandchild (Odaro).
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