Description
Available on Kindle!
Highly regarded pastor Floyd Flake; his wife, co-pastor, author, Elaine Flake; and church chief financial officer Edwin Reed offer a design based on key needs in the black church, and their experience at one of the nation's most respected and largest black churches, Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral in New York. This unique, detailed, and thorough resource for black churches of any denomination covers virtually all aspects of church management from the theoretical and theological to the practical "nuts and bolts" of church administration. The authors include a special section offering principles for economic development, an area in which Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral has experienced extraordinary success. The African American Church Management Handbook is sure to find a permanent place on the desks of African American pastors, seminarians, and church leaders for many years to come.
Reviews
"This may be the best handbook I have ever read on this topic...Dr. Flake chronicles in very practical language, and with very clear instructions the path that God led him on in his journey as pastor of Greater Allen Cathedral in this book. He gives sound advice that cannot be ignored because the man has a track record of success. I read this book in one day. I just couldn't put it down. I honestly feel that this is a resource that I will keep with me and use often as a pastor. It's just one of those books that you have to keep with you until you have absorbed all of the principles. If this book has one flaw, it's the title. This book does address issues specific to the African American church (and does so quite well), but any inner city/urban pastor will benefit from Dr. Flake's marvelous insights." —Frederick A. Hanna, Neptune, NJ (as posted on Amazon.com)
"This is a great book for those entering ministry who want to avoid the common mistakes many of us make. This book is a great text for those entering ministry and also it is refreshing for those who have been at it for a while. Let's face it, for many people in urban ministry - there is no one in your midst to supervise your management style. This book is a great way for you to check yourself. In addition, the work of Allen Cathedral speaks for itself. They have a powerful machine that has created community transformation in Jamaica, New York. This is not just a book written by researchers–this book was written by expert practitioners." —S.D.B. Copeland, Wisdom Literature (as posted on Amazon.com)
"Insightful guide, excellent layout, and easy read. Thoroughly enjoyed it! " —B. Stanton, Montgomery, AL
"This handbook should be required reading for all pastors, ministers, deacons, trustees, and church officials as well as all church employees. I commend the authors on this exceptional, easy-to-read, and useful resource." —Ida D. McGhee, Univ. of Rhode Island, Multicultural Review, Fall 2006
"Floyd H. and Elaine McCollins Flake, and Edwin C. Reed have presented, in the African American Church Management Handbook, a practical manual written from the perspective of demonstrated excellence in a faith-based institution relating with success to the financial and governmental community. The authors provide excellent instructions on need for detailed management of the fiscal and administrative aspects of church management. The section on 'Language of Business' is a must-read for faith-based institutions seeking to develop a business plan. This book is a valuable resource for churches seeking to do sacred work in secular context." —Michael A. Battle, President, Interdenominational Theological Center
Author Bio
Edwin Reed is the Chief Financial Officer for Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral where he manages the financial operations of the ministries and eleven affiliated corporations. A former senior executive with General Motors, he holds a Master of Divinity degree from Virginia Union University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard University.
Floyd Flake is the senior pastor of the 20,000+ member Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral in Jamaica, NY. He is the current president of Wilberforce University in Wilberforce, Ohio, the nation's oldest private African American university. For ten years, Flake served in the U.S. Congress, and is now a commissioner on the President's Commission on Excellence in Special Education. Preaching since the age of 15, Flake holds a B.A. from Wilberforce University, and a Doctor of Ministry degree from the United Theological Seminary in Dayton, OH. He is author of The Way of the Bootstrapper (HarperSanFrancisco).
Elaine Flake is co-pastor of the Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral. She is the co-founder with her husband, Floyd Flake, of the Allen Christian School in Jamaica, NY, and they collaborated to write Practical Virtues (Amistad). She is the author of God in Her Midst, and has contributed to Those Preaching Women, Volume 4 (Judson Press). Her several degrees include a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in New York, and Doctor of Ministry from United Theological Seminary.