Black Preaching Has Always Been About Survival and Revival

When the Rev. Dr. Kelly U. Farrow founded the Kelly U. Farrow Institute for Black Preaching and Education in 2019, she wasn’t just creating another training program. She was building a movement to sustain and evolve the legacy of Black preaching — a tradition she calls “the heartbeat of the Black church and a lifeline for our people.”

The institute serves clergy, seminarians, and lay leaders through preaching intensives, leadership labs, and wellness cohorts. Rooted in the rich history of the Black pulpit, the programs combine theological rigor with social justice engagement and personal renewal.

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“Our mission is to build a new generation of prophetic preachers and educators who are spiritually grounded, academically sound, and emotionally whole,” Farrow said in an interview posted on her website. “We teach preaching as formation — not performance.”

Preaching Circles and Leadership Labs

Farrow says the work began by addressing the need for Black women clergy to have training in sermon development, construction, delivery, and presentation.

Through the institute, Farrow launched Circle of Sacred Fire, an intensive designed especially for women of color in ministry.

“In 2018, I was asked to do a boot camp for some women at the university I was teaching at,” she says. “I think at the time, I just thought it was going to be that class.”

But it grew into so much more.

The institute’s signature offering is the Circle, a cohort-based preaching intensive that runs in three-, six-, or nine-week formats and program focuses on developing womanist ethics, leadership, and authenticity in the pulpit. Each Circle provides sermon labs, peer critique, and lectures from guest scholars. Graduates of the longer sessions earn a certificate equivalent to a three-credit course in a seminary setting.

“It’s a sacred space where women can bring their whole selves to the call of preaching,” she says.

Newer initiatives include the Wellness Circle, which addresses the mental and spiritual health of Black clergy, and Brotherhood and PhoeniX, companion programs for male preachers and intergenerational leaders. The institute also hosts the annual Flourish Preaching Conference and the podcast “Candid Conversations,” both exploring themes of preaching, justice, and healing.

A Growing Impact

Since its founding, the institute has partnered with seminaries and church networks, including McAfee School of Theology in Atlanta and Hampton University, to offer regional cohorts. The model emphasizes accessibility — both in geography and theology.

“Preaching should liberate, not limit,” Farrow says. “Our students don’t just learn to preach; they learn to listen — to God, to history, and to their communities.”

Farrow’s approach reflects both tradition and innovation. Her institute stands in the lineage of historic training grounds for Black clergy, yet it responds to contemporary challenges — burnout, funding, and the changing landscape of church leadership.

The Wellness Circle, launched earlier this year, grew directly from what Farrow calls “a crisis of exhaustion among Black ministers.” Through guided reflection, counseling partnerships, and retreats, participants learn practices for sustainable ministry.

Scholar, Pastor, and Educator

Farrow holds degrees in business administration, theology, and higher education, including a Ph.D. in higher education administration. She also completed certificates in homiletics from Vanderbilt University and in Black theology from Princeton Theological Seminary.

Her pastoral experience is equally broad. She has served as minister of discipleship at Double Love Experience Church in Brooklyn and as associate minister at Convent Avenue Baptist Church in Harlem. She currently teaches homiletics and womanist leadership through Union Theological Seminary’s Bedford Hills College Program at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for women.

Looking Back

As for her own call, Farrow was at a national conference when she “heard” it.

“I felt like I heard God call me into ministry, but I wasn’t sure, and I said, well, God, if you’re calling me to this, I really would like to see a woman do this with precision and power and elegance because I hadn’t seen that.”

True to her request, the Rev. Dr. Rita Twiggs preached that Saturday a sermon entitled “Purpose,” Farrow says.

In an era when churches face declining attendance and rising stress among clergy, Farrow’s institute offers a hopeful model rooted in resilience. “Black preaching has always been about survival and revival,” she said. “We’re just making sure the next generation knows how to do both.”

This article was originally published to Word In Black on October 7, 2025.