Claude Alexander, Jr. — The Park Church: On Life and Meaning

Charlotte Mecklenburg Library

5 years ago

is bishop and senior pastor of The Park Church, a Baptist church headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. He has led The Park Church since 1990. Under his leadership, The Park Church has grown from one local congregation of 600 members to a global ministry of thousands of members with three locations and weekly international reach. Bishop Alexander works with government and community officials to address the community’s most critical issues. He serves on many local and national religious, civic, leadership and university boards of directors. He is the chair of the board of trustees of the Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and the Second-Presiding Bishop of the Kingdom Association of Covenant Pastors. Bishop Alexander earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from Morehouse College, a Master of Divinity Degree from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Ministry Degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

This episode is perfect for anyone interested in leading a church, redressing racial difference, our responsibilities to each other, and our relationship to God and mystery.

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IN THIS EPISODE

Bishop Alexander describes The Park Church, its history, the qualities that distinguish it, its business enterprises, and its mission in the world.
He talks about the 400-year anniversary of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade and racialization in America, being a cultural translator, and what responsibilities we have redressing racial differences and disparities.
He makes a connection between social capital, ethnicity, privilege, and the Good Samaritan parable.
Bishop Alexander addresses charges of sexism and homophobia in the black church, issues an apology, and considers how history might judge his position on gay marriage.
He discusses the arc of the history of the people of God, the bracketing of the best and worse of humanity, and Simon Peter.
Bishop Alexander explains why Sunday morning is the most segregated time in America.
He reflects on growing up in Jackson, Mississippi, what was important in his family, the volume and weight of the religious calling he felt as a teenager, and studying philosophy at Morehouse College.
Bishop Alexander shares a crisis of faith that challenged his sense of value, emotions about the death of his brother, and what he wants people to truly know.