Mentoring a New Generation of Clergy for the AME Church 

By Rev. Herman O. Kelly, Contributing Writer

As I grow older in ministry and age, I am entering a new phase of my life. As I take a retrospective view of my life and ministry, I have been blessed. I have been blessed to have wonderful pastors as role models throughout my journey in the AME Church. 

Many times, I mention my father in the ministry, whom I met in Springfield, Massachusetts, as I pursued my theological education and journeyed through the Board of Examiners. My pastor was instrumental in mentoring me and giving me direction on my pastoral calling. Now, I am a father in the ministry to a few clergy. My journey is to help mentor them. The baton has transferred to me and the sacred journey must continue. How do we do it? 

First, we must continue to share our stories of victory and defeat. We should share how God was with us in ministry and our service to our Zion. I always enjoyed the one-on-one discussions with my mentors and my father in the ministry. They gave me an opportunity to listen and reflect on my ministerial journey. 

We live in a technological world but we should never replace a one-on-one talk with a tweet. I am thankful to God for those stories told to me in the middle of the night after an annual conference, district meeting, or official board meeting. 

Our culture as African Methodist clergy is that we grow, we help others grow. As God opens doors for us, we help open doors for others. I am thankful for those who spent time with me despite their busy schedules. 

I remember my pastor at St. Paul AME Church in Jacksonville, Florida. He gave a group of young people time to visit his office one Sunday morning to discuss some concerns we had as young laity in the church. To this day, that meeting has served as a model for my ministry. The pastor listened to us and made us stakeholders in the process.

Secondly, to mentor a new generation of clergy, we must hold true to our traditions of worship and polity. We are a unique Zion and our founding fathers and mothers loved the tradition of worship and liturgy. We are flexible in worship but some tenets of our worship come with special meaning as we encounter the Holy in our worship services. Our liturgy speaks to God and looks for clarity, direction, and salvation on our spiritual journey.

Lastly, we must take the call of God as a time for spiritual preparation and academic preparation. I visit my medical doctor each year for my physical checkup. The doctor checks my vital signs and monitors my wellness. As we mentor a new generation of clergy, we are helping prepare them to monitor the spiritual life of individuals that they will serve. The medical doctor is prepared regarding the latest medical information. As clergy, we must also be equipped to understand and articulate God’s language to a secular and technological world. 

Our daughter is a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) person. As we talk, I always remind her, God is still in the midst of a technological world. God moves even when we do not know that God is moving. 

Let us be willing and serious about training a new generation of clergy. I thank Bishop Julius H. McAllister for affording me the opportunity to serve as the Chair of the Board of Examiners for the Eighth Episcopal District. In this space, I can mentor and impact another generation of clergy. I am thankful for my sacred journey. Howard Thurman wrote, “The    most profound journey one can make is the journey one takes with God.”