About Us
“In an era when 75% of American Christians live in cities, minimal attention is given to urban and social justice ministry by denominational leadership or theological education. Our Center's purpose and passion is to interface the welfare of city congregations and urban/social justice non-profits with ‘the welfare of the city’.”
The Rev. Dr. Douglass Bailey, Founder/President, Center for Urban Ministry, Inc.
Our Mission
Center for Urban Ministry, Inc. seeks to create a national learning laboratory, shaped in conferences, congregational consulting, and workshops, as a resource for ecumenical urban clergy and urban lay leadership.
The Center's purpose is to provide quality leadership for the support of prophetic, spiritual, servant and social justice ministries of urban congregations and non profit urban ministries.
Our Founder
With over thirty years experience in urban and social justice ministry, the Rev. Dr. Douglass M. Bailey is the Founder and President of Center for Urban Ministry, Inc. (at Wake Forest University Divinity School). The Center offers conferences, consulting services, and workshops designed to assist congregations in discerning, envisioning, and creating urban ministries, while balancing pastoral and prophetic ministries. Doug also serves Assistant Professor for Urban/Social Justice ministry at Wake Forest University Divinity School where he leads courses such as “Radical Jesus, Radical Justice” and “Urban Ministry by Immersion.” He served as Rector of Calvary Episcopal Church in downtown Memphis, TN for 23 years. Under his leadership Calvary Church developed as a thriving urban parish. He also led the creation of ten separate 501(C)(3) nonprofit urban ministries connected to Calvary Church. Calvary Church is a Jubilee Center Parish, renowned for its urban mission and ministry to Memphis and the Mid-South.
For more information, click here for Doug Bailey's interview with Alban Institute.