Student Spotlight: Sadell Bradley

What happens when the raw materials of our lives come before the Lord our Maker to be refined, so God can deploy us as the hands and feet of Jesus in the world? That’s what Master of Divinity student Sadell Bradley and her husband, Sherman, are seeking to do through The Warehouse Church, OTR—a new multiethnic, intergenerational, and multi-class church plant in the Over-the-Rhine community of downtown Cincinnati, Ohio.

Photo courtesy of Sadell Bradley

Sadell was working in corporate America when she first received her full-time call to ministry. Although she served in youth and music ministries, she hadn’t seen many female pastors growing up. But when the pastor’s wife at her former church received a call to pastoral ministry, it inspired Sadell to accept God’s call to engage pastoral leadership. She served on that ministry team for fourteen years.

In 2019, Sadell and Sherman were looking for space for their church plant when Chip Freed of Mosaix Global Network introduced them to United alumni Dr. Cathy and Rev. Doug Johns, co-pastors at Hyde Park Community United Methodist Church in Cincinnati. Cathy and Doug were looking for the right leaders to birth a church in a historic building God had given Hyde Park as a second campus.

That partnership opened the door for Sadell to attend United. She’d desired to attend seminary for years, but pursuing a Master of Divinity was cost prohibitive. Hyde Park had previously established a scholarship at United, and the Johns recommended that Sadell apply.

Sadell loves the holistic approach at United that brings together the academic and spiritual sides of learning.

Studying at United has strengthened her pastoral care skills and deepened her preaching, she says. With a community of classmates from around the country, Sadell has also found a support network for ministry as she and her husband launch The Warehouse Church, OTR.

The Warehouse was set to launch in April of 2020, but when the pandemic hit, the team immediately shifted all their resources to creating live-stream and online platforms and started applying for grants. The church has gotten creative, hosting nightly online prayer meetings, virtual small group experiences, new member classes with people from around the country, and three weekly online worship services that deliver God’s message through engaging content.

On June 6, 2021, The Warehouse Church, OTR officially launched in person, though much of their ministry has continued outside and online. Strategically located across the street from Cincinnati’s main city park the church’s outdoor activities attracted hundreds of guests. The church has sponsored puppet shows, community love feasts, field preaching, worship, and communion in the park. The Warehouse Church is in an area of Cincinnati known for the arts and athletics, so the team is birthing ministries designed for their context, including AIM—which stands for both Artists in Ministry and Athletes in Ministry. The Warehouse’s calling is, “Not come and see, but go and be.”

The ministry isn’t easy, but Sadell and Sherman feel a strong calling to this work. 85% of churches in the United States are monoethnic, and few multiethnic churches are led by people of color. The Warehouse’s commitment to being multiethnic isn’t a great recipe for church growth, Sadell explains, given that churches where people have the most in common grow the fastest. But The Warehouse’s calling is apostolic—to partner with Jesus in breaking down barriers and to birth a church that looks like Heaven.

Photo courtesy of Sadell Bradley