VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 9/10/18)—Renowned American Baptist preacher, pastor, educator, author and scholar Dr. Henry H. Mitchell was honored with the Judson Press Legacy Award during his 99th birthday celebration Saturday at Trenton (N.J.) Country Club.
The award was presented by American Baptist Home Mission Societies (ABHMS) staff members Vincent W. Dent Sr., chief development officer, and the Rev. Lisa Harris-Lee, director of Mission Engagement and National Network Initiatives.
Mitchell received the award in recognition of his lifetime of faithful and prophetic ministry. Mitchell’s accomplishments are numerous; among them are efforts that supported Judson Press, ABHMS’ publishing ministry.
When the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Professorship in Black Church Studies was established at what was then known as Colgate Rochester (N.Y.) Divinity School, the role was embraced by Mitchell, who was then pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, Santa Monica, Calif.
While at Colgate Rochester, Mitchell initiated The Martin Luther King Jr. Fellows, a Doctor of Ministry program that not only graduated leading black pastors of the 1970s but also began creation of a body of literature on Black Church practice. Over the course of 25 years, Mitchell—along with Dr. Samuel Berry McKinney; Dr. J. Alfred Smith Jr.; and Mitchell’s wife, Dr. Ella P. Mitchell—brought the voices of African-American ministers and scholars to print.
In the late 1970s, Judson Press began collaborating with Mitchell and the others, in part because of Dr. Milton E. Owens Jr.’s work. The growing body of published Black Church materials gradually resulted in Publisher’s Weekly declaring Judson Press in 2000 as “the publishing authority on the lived experience of African-American Christianity.”
Mitchell was a prolific author. Two of his books were published by Judson Press: “A Word for All Seasons: Sermons from Henry H. Mitchell” (2012) and “Together for Good: Lessons from Fifty-Five Years of Marriage” (2005), co-written with his wife, Ella, who passed away in 2008.
Founded in 1824, Judson Press is a publishing ministry of the American Baptist Home Mission Societies, American Baptist Churches USA. It is committed to producing Christ-centered leadership resources for the transformation of individuals, congregations, communities, and cultures.
American Baptist Home Mission Societies partners with American Baptists to promote Christian faith, cultivate Christ-centered leaders and disciples, and bring healing and transformation to communities across the United States and Puerto Rico.
American Baptist Churches USA is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with approximately 5,000 congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.