The Ministry Exchange with Dr. Mapson

Some churches are known for serving their communities. Others are known for changing them. Bishop Dwayne Royster joins Dr. Mapson for a powerful conversation about faith, justice, organizing, and why the Church was never called to simply treat symptoms while ignoring the systems that create them. As the Executive Director of Faith in Action, one of the world's largest faith-based grassroots o...

Some preachers are shaped by a moment. Others are shaped by a tradition. Rev. Dr. Marcus D. Cosby joins Dr. Mapson for a rich conversation about preaching, patience, pastoral leadership, and the voices that form us long before we ever step into the pulpit. As the Senior Pastor of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church in Houston, Texas, and only the second pastor in the church’s historic life, Dr. Cosby re...

History can inspire you. It can also overwhelm you. Rev. Carolyn C. Cavaness joins Dr. Mapson for a powerful conversation about what it means to lead one of the most sacred institutions in Black church history while still remaining grounded, pastoral, and human. As the 53rd Pastor of Mother Bethel AME Church and the first woman to lead the birthplace of African Methodism, Rev. Cavaness reflects on...

In this episode of The Ministry Exchange , Richard D. Sanders shares the lived wisdom of over four decades in ministry, offering a powerful and deeply personal look at what it means to preach, lead, and care for people with authenticity and responsibility. As Senior Pastor of Mount Pilgrim Baptist Church in Compton and Presiding Bishop of the Free Church of God Inc., Bishop Sanders reflects on a m...

In this episode of The Ministry Exchange , Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley offers a powerful and unfiltered conversation on preaching, leadership, and the responsibility of the Black Church in this moment. Recorded following Monumental Baptist Church’s 200th anniversary celebration, Dr. Wesley reflects on a pivotal moment every preacher knows but few discuss publicly: when the sermon you prepared is n...

In this episode of The Ministry Exchange , Rev. Dr. Angela D. Sims shares the moral and theological convictions that have shaped her leadership as President of Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School and as a leading voice in Christian social ethics. With scholarship forged through deep study and lived faith, Dr. Sims reflects on the formation that began long before she could name it—from sitting...

In this episode of The Ministry Exchange, Rev. Paul Timothy Roberts Sr., Dr. Ouida Harding, and Minister Warren Cooper join Dr. Mapson for a courageous conversation on worship as resistance and the prophetic power of Black sacred music. Representing JCSTS — formerly known as Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary, with roots tracing back to the Freedmen’s Institute — they explore how theological fo...

Season Two of The Ministry Exchange begins with a powerful and timely conversation—one that sets the tone for the season ahead.  In this episode of The Ministry Exchange , Rev. Dr. Mark Kelly Tyler offers a compelling reflection on calling, courage, and the sacred responsibility of memory within the life of the Black Church. Drawing from decades of ministry as a pastor, historian, filmmaker, and o...

A season’s worth of hard-won wisdom deserves more than a closing credits moment, so we pressed pause and gathered the conversations that shaped us most. This Season One Rewind revisits the clips you returned to, shared, and carried into your ministry contexts—moments about letting go with grace, the realities of clergy life, the tension between cultural relevance and church identity, the courage t...

In this solo episode, Dr. Mapson guides us into one of the most overlooked yet essential seasons in the life of the church — the season of Advent. While our culture rushes toward Christmas with shopping, noise, and trillion-dollar spending, Advent quietly calls us to memory, reflection, and the Incarnation itself. Drawing from Scripture, church history, and decades of preaching, Dr. Mapson explore...

In this episode of The Ministry Exchange , Rev. Dr. J. Wendell Mapson Jr. and his son, Jesse Mapson III, share a rare and revealing father-and-son dialogue about faith, innovation, and legacy. Together they trace how a historic Black Baptist church learned to evolve—adding drums, livestreams, and online giving—without losing its sacred soul. Jesse—known professionally as J. Melodic , an award-winn...

In this episode of The Ministry Exchange , Rev. Dr. Cynthia L. Hale shares the courageous journey of a woman who answered God’s call when the church wasn’t ready to listen. As the founder and Senior Pastor of Ray of Hope Christian Church in Decatur, Georgia, Dr. Hale reflects on more than four decades of breaking barriers, building leaders, and preaching with conviction and grace. With wisdom shap...

In this episode of The Ministry Exchange , Dr. J. Wendell Mapson Jr. explores Pulpit & Pew: The Sacred Exchange That Gives Life , a teaching on the living covenant between preacher and people that remains central to the Black Church. With wisdom forged through decades of preaching, Dr. Mapson examines what truly happens in the “preaching moment,” where the Word meets the listener and transform...

In this episode of The Ministry Exchange , Rev. Dr. DeForest B. Soaries Jr. reflects on a ministry and public life that spans nearly three decades at First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens, service as New Jersey’s Secretary of State, and the creation of the groundbreaking dfree® Financial Freedom Movement . Shaped by mentors like Rev. S. Howard Woodson and Dr. Samuel DeWitt Proctor, Dr. Soaries s...

What happens when your life is consecrated to ministry before you’re even born? In this powerful episode, Bishop Timothy J. Clarke shares the story of a calling shaped by spiritual legacy, personal loss, and unwavering faithfulness. From growing up in Brooklyn—slipping into funerals just to hear great preaching—to becoming one of the most respected voices in the Church of God, Bishop Clarke reflec...

What does it take to lead faithfully at scale? Rev. Dr. William H. Curtis, Senior Pastor of Mount Ararat Baptist Church in Pittsburgh, joins The Ministry Exchange to reflect on nearly three decades of leadership, preaching, and community impact. In this candid conversation, Dr. Curtis shares: How mentors like Bishop Walter S. Thomas shaped his pastoral instincts Why preaching requires discipline,...

From two rejection letters to the pulpit of Abyssinian. In this episode of The Ministry Exchange , Rev. Dr. Kevin R. Johnson unpacks a journey marked by resilience, prophetic courage, and legacy leadership. Now the 21st Senior Pastor of the historic Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, Dr. Johnson reflects on what it means to lead with conviction—even when it costs you. We talk about: Getting into...

In this episode of The Ministry Exchange , Dr. Alyn E. Waller returns to explore the sacred intersection of music and ministry—and why, for him, both have always been essential. Raised in a parsonage where his mother played piano and family harmonies sounded like Sam Cooke and James Brown, Dr. Waller found his voice early and never stopped using it—for worship, for witness, and for the world. Now,...

In this episode of The Ministry Exchange , Bishop Keith W. Reed Sr. shares the powerful leadership principles that have sustained his 43-year pastorate at Sharon Baptist Church in Philadelphia. With wisdom forged through decades of ministry, Bishop Reed recounts a pivotal shift in his leadership: choosing not to be a “one-man band,” but an orchestra conductor who empowers others to flourish. Drawi...

What does it mean to lead with vision, grace, and grit—while staying rooted in both tradition and innovation? In this episode of The Ministry Exchange , Rev. Dr. Lester W. Taylor Jr. joins Dr. J. Wendell Mapson Jr. for a rich conversation about legacy leadership, spiritual discernment, and building ministry that lasts. From growing up in South Jersey and playing piano in church at age nine, to lea...

What does it look like to lead with clarity, courage, and consistency—across pulpits, classrooms, and communities? In this episode of The Ministry Exchange , Rev. Dr. Danielle L. Brown joins Dr. J. Wendell Mapson Jr. for a powerful conversation about calling, character, and the kind of leadership the Church needs today. From receiving her call to preach at age 13 to becoming the first woman to lea...

What does it take to finish well—and set others up to begin? In this powerful episode of The Ministry Exchange , Rev. Dr. J. Wendell Mapson Jr. sits down with his lifelong friend and ministry brother, Bishop Walter S. Thomas Sr. , Pastor Emeritus of New Psalmist Baptist Church. After 50 years of leading one of the nation’s most influential congregations, Bishop Thomas offers a rare, behind-the-sce...

What happens when ministry becomes performance—and pastors become personalities? In this episode of The Ministry Exchange , Dr. J. Wendell Mapson Jr. sits down with longtime friend and ministry peer Rev. Dr. Alyn E. Waller , Senior Pastor of Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church in Philadelphia. Together, they confront one of the most urgent questions facing the Black Church today: Have we traded the she...

Church attendance is shifting. Leadership styles are evolving. Worship doesn’t sound—or feel—the same. So here’s the question no one wants to ask out loud: Is the Black Church still on fire… or just burning out? In this premiere episode, Dr. J. Wendell Mapson Jr. pulls back the curtain on the current state of the Black Church—what’s changed, what’s fading, and what’s still worth fighting for. With...