DMV African American Pastors: Looking Back to Go Forward

On July 14, 2026, a group of African American pastors and community leaders gathered on the campus of Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS) for the inaugural Sankofa Network Luncheon (SNL). The gathering marked the beginning of an intentional effort to build community among African American pastors throughout the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV), honor the rich heritage of the Black Church, and collectively imagine a healthy and thriving future for the churches and communities these leaders serve.
The name Sankofa reflects the heart of the gathering. Rooted in an Akan concept from Ghana, Sankofa reminds us that moving forward sometimes requires us to look back—to recover the wisdom, lessons, and traditions of our past that can guide us into the future. For African American church leaders, this means recognizing the Black Church not simply as a historic institution, but as a spiritual, cultural, and communal resource for addressing the realities of ministry today.

Pastor Elwood Jones, planter of Landmark Church and community liaison with VTS, convened and facilitated the luncheon. He began with an interactive exercise that encouraged participants to reflect on themselves, their differences, and the experiences they share. From there, the conversation moved into an open discussion of the challenges, pressures, and pain points pastors and ministry leaders are currently experiencing.
The room was filled with laughter, honest conversation, shared experiences, and wisdom. Leaders discovered that although their churches and ministry contexts may differ, many of their hopes, struggles, and questions are deeply connected.
“Some of these pastors I had never met; others I have worked with before, but never at this level of communication, sharing, and learning,” Dr. Anthony D. Bobo, Jr., of The Joseph Factor Group, reflected. “I look forward to this journey among friends.”
The DMV Sankofa Network Luncheon is part of a collaborative partnership involving Influential Global, City to City North America, and Lilly Endowment Inc. Through this partnership, leaders are working to strengthen congregations by investing in healthy pastors, healthy churches, and healthy communities.

The network will meet monthly, creating an ongoing space for relationship, reflection, learning, and collaboration. Together, participants will explore the history and heritage of the Black Church, engage honestly with contemporary ministry challenges, share wisdom and resources, and develop practical approaches for cultivating healthier leaders, congregations, and communities.

​The first gathering demonstrated something the Black Church has understood for generations: we are stronger when we journey together. By looking back and drawing from the faith, resilience, creativity, and wisdom of those who came before us, these DMV leaders are preparing to move forward together, strengthening one another and helping shape the future of the Black Church for generations to come.

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