The Asbury Journal 77/1: 22-50 © 2022 Asbury Theological Seminary DOI: 10.7252/Journal.01.2022S.03
Cynthia A. Talley
The “Black Experience” as Preparation for Participation in Global Partnerships
Abstract: The lived experiences of African Americans, along with their reliance on God, serve as preparation for participation in global mission partnerships. The “Black Experience,” characterized by suffering, dehumanization, violence, and survival has provided the African American community with a toolkit that can be used to teach others how to survive their own suffering as they too rely on God. Long-term African American missionaries have sent out a clarion call requesting that the African American church step up to the plate and join them in spreading the Gospel message “in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
Keywords: Black Experience, Black Church, missions, partnerships Cynthia Talley is a PhD student in the Intercultural Studies program at Asbury Theological Seminary. She earned her DMin degree in Preaching and Leadership from Asbury in 2016. She is an ordained elder in The United Methodist Church, with sixteen years of pastoral ministry experience. 22