Black Girls Lead: Women Leading the Church
Leadership, in any capacity, can be lonely work. It helps to have a cohort to strategize, share experiences, and offer encouragement. It’s even better if you can do it with three brilliant Black women entrepreneurs who are elected to lead in their own rights.
Over the 2017 Christmas holiday, the leaders of the young adult divisions within the African Methodist Episcopal (AME), African Methodist Episcopal Zion (AMEZ), and Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) Churches met in Atlanta, Georgia. They celebrated the first time all three departments are being led by women.
The September 2017 Nielsen Report acknowledges that Black women are major trendsetters who influence mainstream culture. Each of these women is charged with developing visions for their denomination’s futures and establishing new ways to educate, engage, and encourage young adults who are full voting members of their denomination.
In a downtown Atlanta hotel suite, LaKesha Womack, Martinique Mix, and the Rev. Amina S. McIntyre—dressed in their respective organization’s colors—compared leadership notes, discovered new ideas for ministry, and recommitted to supporting each other. The camera captured their laughter, surprising moments, and personalities, which is often hard to show in their positions.
One such surprise was to learn that each of the women is an entrepreneur. Mix is a graphic designer and founder of Mar Mix Graphic Designs, a company which consults with churches, businesses, and individuals about their design needs. Womack is the owner and lead consultant at Womack Consulting Group, a firm that provides business development, brand management, not-for-profit organization, and political strategy for individuals and small business owners. The Rev. McIntyre is a playwright, “creative worship artist,” and founder of Lady Loves Her Pen, LLC, where she develops her independent work and inspires creatives and spiritual leaders to accomplish their major projects from curating an art show, finishing a dissertation, or establishing a ministry.
Each lady also showed their own expertise over the course of the conversation. The Rev. McIntyre, who organized the shoot, made suggestions for poses and engaged the ladies in conversation to relax them in between shots. Womack, who writes for Forbes.com, discussed the planning that went into the AMEZ conference that they were attending while Mix spoke of marketing, graphic design, and fashion, specifically making sure every element of the ladies’ outfits were in place.
The most profound conversations were about their experiences leading their respective ministries. Womack, whose eight-year term ends this summer in 2018, spoke of her tenure and what she wished to accomplish. While leading YACM, which was founded in 1986 and established in 1990, as their Connectional Chairperson, she worked with her 12-member Steering Committee to form quadrennial goals and to push them to fruition.
The Rev. McIntyre, who leads CYAM until 2020, which was established in 1980, expressed working to solidify the foundation by remembering the history while pushing forward with innovative and relevant ministry by making spaces for young adults to share their gifts and be recognized as the now leaders of the church. Mix, who is up for re-election in the summer of 2018, expressed her difficulty in pushing for young adult representation and unity within the denomination and her push to connect young adults across ecumenical lines.
All agreed that the struggle to make sure young adults have ministries focused on training and supporting their gifts, while also being authentic in the world of today, makes things difficult. What has made the time rewarding are small successes where local churches implement new ideas as well as the ability to enjoy ecumenical opportunities, such as meeting during the Pan-Methodist Commission held each March, visiting connectional conferences, and various local churches throughout the denominations. To get to know them better, read a snippet of their accomplishments below:
Martinique Mix, Connectional Richard Allen Young Adult Council (RAYAC) President
Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Mix is a product of the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). As a Fashion/Accessory Design student, she created and produced many designs that were used in multiple high-end fashion shows in the Southern District. In addition to a very successful freelance career as graphic designer and founder of Mar Mix Graphic Designs, she is currently working as a graphic designer for Big Bethel AME Church, located in the heart of Downtown Atlanta. She has served on the annual conference and Episcopal District Lay as the Youth Adult Representative. In June 2014, she was elected as the Connectional Richard Allen Young Adult Council (RAYAC) President. She has and will continue to serve on a number of Connectional and ecumenical commissions as she helps improve young adult issues both inside and outside the church.
LaKesha Womack, Connectional Young Adults in Christian Ministries (YACM) Chairperson, AME Zion Church
Womack is a lifelong member of Simpson Chapel AME Zion Church in Greenville, Alabama. She currently serves as the chairperson of the 2014-2018 Connectional Young Adults in Christian Ministries (YACM) Steering Committee, a division of the Christian Education Department of the AME Zion Church as well as a traveling minister in the Alabama Florida Episcopal District under the leadership of Bishop Seth O. Lartey. She previously served as the 2010-2014 South Central Regional Chairperson on the Steering Committee. She is the author of eight books including,My Money Matters for Kids, Teens and Adults; Building a Brand without Spending a Bundle;Success Secrets for the Young and Fabulous;Is She the ONE; When All Hell Breaks Loose: Survival Tips from My Christian Journey; and #CommonSense Campaigning. Professionally, she is the owner of Womack Consulting Group, a firm that specializes in business development, brand management, strategic planning, and political strategy. She is a graduate of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, is a graduate of the Women’s Campaign School at Yale University, and is pursuing a Master’s in Divinity degree from Chicago Theological Seminary. She resides in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her son, Kristian Womack.
The Rev. Amina S. McIntyre, Connectional Young Adult Ministry (CYAM) President, CME Church (the second woman to hold this position in the 40-year history).
The Rev. McIntyre is a creative worship artist who uses writing, performing, and preaching to relay God’s word. An Atlanta native, she received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Colby College, Masters of Arts degree from Indiana University, Masters of Fine Arts degree from Spalding University, and Masters of Theological Studies from Emory University. A talented playwright, she has had many productions and readings (Found Stages’ Pod Plays, Working Title Playwrights, Atlanta History Museum, and Vanguard Repertory Theatre). She is an ordained elder in full connection with the CME Church, Director of Specialized Ministries for Georgia North Region (6thEpiscopal District), 2016-2020 Connectional Young Adult Ministry President, and active in local, national, and international young adult activities. She serves on the Pan-Methodist Commission, World Methodist Council, and Churches Uniting in Christ.
Pictures by BowTie Photos, LLC.
