We have a network of pastors, theologians, leaders and influencers who are committed to the flourishing of the Black Church. There are three critical areas we consider essential to the success and thriving of the Black Church. Our desire is to equip churches in these areas by providing targeted resources and consultative support.

The Critical Three:

  1. Culturally Audacious – Our unique cultural expressions, defining traditions, and liturgical particularities are beautifully God-given. In the same way we are Black, we are the Black Church we need to lean into this identity rather than apologize for it. 

  2. Theologically Sound – Our pastors should live and know the Word of God. It should be handled with reverence and precision in every Black pulpit. Our faith should be rich with rightly-divided Biblical content. This content should guide the faith and practice of our members.

  3. Socially Conscious – We should intentionally engage our surrounding communities and world with the acts of service prescribed by the Gospel. We should stand and fight for justice in obedience to Micah 6:8. We must bring an incarnational Gospel to the last, least, and lost.

What is the Black Church?

Sociologist C. Eric Lincoln defined the Black Church within the parameters of her historic denominations; (AME, AMEZ, CME, NBCUSA, NBCA, PNBC, COGIC). While limiting this definition to these denominations is helpful, it doesn’t account for Black holiness denominations, Black oneness denominations, nor the myriad of Black inter-denominational and non-denominational churches in our country. We define the Black Church as those seven denominations, but we also include churches that have the following:

  • A predominately Black attendance

  • Black senior pastoral leadership

  • Doctrine which reflects historic Black Christianity/Christian orthodoxy

  • Visible influence of one of the historic seven denominations.

“Visible Influence”, meaning clearly bearing the residue of one of the historic seven Black denominations as a part of the church's culture and liturgy; even if the denominational name is not on the marquee. This seems to be a broad enough definition to encompass the big tent that is the Black Church. Additionally, the Black Church has historically been identified by the following characteristics:

- The Black Church is an agent of liberation and advocacy

- The Black Church is a miraculous and supernaturally inclined institution

- The Black Church is an essential source of psychological recovery for Black People

- The Black Church is a destination for truth and theological discernment

- The Black Church is consciously culturally expressive

Founder:

Isaiah Robertson

Pastor Isaiah Robertson Sr. possesses an insatiable passion for studying, preaching, and teaching the Word of God. His love for biblical exposition and the Gospel shapes every aspect of his life and ministry. In addition to his pastoral work, Pastor Isaiah is deeply committed to activism and collaborative community organizing. He longs to see people converted through faithful Gospel proclamation and uplifted through the ongoing fight against systemic and institutional injustice.

In 2020, Pastor Isaiah released his groundbreaking book Black Church Empowered: Examining Our History, Securing Our Longevity. This work surveys the history of the Black Church and uses its rich past as a launchpad for future flourishing. Black Church Empowered quickly became an Amazon bestseller and received the Emmaus Collective’s Best Book of 2020 award. In August 2023, he released his second book, Risks We Must Take: Choices the Black Church Must Make to Avoid a Credibility Crisis, which also reached #1 on Amazon in the Christian Institutions & Organizations category. In 2025, Pastor Isaiah expanded his authorship with the release of Jamal’s Journey to Jubilee, a children’s time-travel adventure that celebrates faith, history, and identity.

Along with being an accomplished author, Pastor Isaiah is a highly sought-after lecturer, apologist, and host of the growing podcast Black Church Chats, where he engages pastors, scholars, activists, and thought leaders on theology, culture, and the future of the Black Church. He also served as a consultant and contributor to the AND Campaign’s 2023 documentary How I Got Over, which explored the legacy of theological orthodoxy in the Black Church and its impact on social engagement. As an apologist, he has facilitated workshops on defending the Christian faith throughout the United States.

Pastor Isaiah has served in multiple ministerial capacities since accepting his call to preach, including youth pastor, associate pastor, church planter, and senior pastor. He currently serves as the Senior Pastor of New Congregational Missionary Baptist Church in South Los Angeles. In 2025, he was appointed Dean of Congress of Christian Education for the Pacific District Missionary Baptist Association, where he helps shape theological formation and leadership development throughout the district.

His ability to disciple believers, train leaders, and cultivate meaningful conversations has allowed him to speak and lead workshops across the country and abroad, including conferences in Australia, The Bahamas, and numerous U.S. states.

Pastor Isaiah has engaged in graduate theological studies at Reformed Theological Seminary, further sharpening his commitment to rigorous biblical study and thoughtful Christian leadership. A prodigious reader, his interests include systematic theology, contextual ecclesiology, Black Church studies, and urban apologetics. He has been joyfully married to Lauren Walker-Robertson for ten years, and together they share a beautiful blended family in the Los Angeles area.