Power is in the Pews—A Student Remembers Rev. Shirley Prince

Last updated on: September 2, 2014 at 7:00 am by Guest Contributor

Power is in the Pews—A Student Remembers Rev. Shirley Prince 2014-09-02T07:00:00-05:00 Guest Contributor

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

By Alice Faye Duncan

Special to R3

I am a Memphian who grew up in the African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church. My childhood pastor was Rev. Henry Logan Starks. He was tall and towering like a tree. His smile was bright and golden like the sun. Rev. Starks was a seminarian whose scholarly preaching and homiletic artistry moved and inspired my teenage peers and me. Under his tutelage was a tiny spitfire minister named, Shirley Owens Prince. When she preached in Stark’s place, Minister Prince spoke in direct terms that my peers and I could quote and discuss.

Children at church loved Rev. Starks. Each Sunday he shook our hands and looked into our eyes to announce, “YOU ARE SOMEBODY.” Parents told us stories about the Civil Rights Movement when Rev. Starks marched with Dr. King to help the Memphis Sanitation Workers earn higher wages. We respected Rev. Starks with the greatest reverence. But when it came to preaching, it was Minister Prince with the gift to make us care about runaway prodigals, precocious Peter, the power of giving and the wages to be paid for our unruly behavior.

Rev. Starks died in the summer of 1985. Minister Prince left the A.M.E. Church. My peers and I went to college. Then in 1998, Pastor Prince started a nondenominational church that she named the Philippians V Multi-Ministry. Devoted Methodists, who had been teenagers in years past, joined Philippians V with their children and spouses. Pastor Prince used imagery and metaphor that a baby could understand. The sermons were accessible. For many of us, joining her church was not a difficult decision.

As a pastor, Shirley Prince preached radical ideas that are seldom promoted in church. She understood that each believer must surrender to the call of God. The call is not to do something wonderful and grand. The call is to be something lowly and used like a servant. In acknowledgement of servant leadership, each member in her church was called a “minister.”

As did the Apostle Paul, Shirley Prince preached that each of us was endowed with gifts that were for the edification and maturation of the Body of Christ which is the church. She didn’t promote the elevation of the pastor as some kind of celebrated soul-saving “Lone Ranger.” If the local church is to survive, thrive and bless the community, she said it would do so, only when members are developed to activate their gifts and lead from the pews. Her constant mantra was, “Power is in the pews!” During church, workshops and Bible studies, she frequently declared, “Nobody needs a sage on stage. The power is in you!”

Pastor Prince had a third radical opinion. She encouraged believers to be the primary caretakers of their own spiritual growth and development. She viewed the office of pastor as a leader and guide. But when members depend completely on pastors as a spiritual “brain trust,” she expressed that the church won’t prevail as a life changing and conquering force.

To enlighten believers and position them to conquer with the Word, Shirley Prince encouraged her students and church members to study the Bible for their own understanding. To gain an appreciation for philosophy and classical literature, she encouraged us to read the timeless tales by Maupassant, Tolstoy and Dostoevsky. Then in small study groups, we studied spiritual writings by Howard Thurman, C.S. Lewis and Watchman Nee. Within her church, it was not mandatory for unlettered adults to gain diplomas and degrees. However, she stressed that it was most important for every church member to participate in lifelong learning.

Pastor Shirley Prince passed away on September 16, 2006. Some members continue to worship with the Philippians V Multi-Ministry, while others have taken the lessons learned in her care and moved on to worship in other places.

During this eighth anniversary of her death, let it be said that Shirley Prince was a shining scholar and preacher who learned from the venerable, Rev. Henry Logan Starks. As he mentored her to be a radical and thoughtful leader, she nurtured and mentored others. Pastor Prince gave me roots to grow. She gave me wings to fly. And by her instruction, no preacher or pastor can hold me hostage. Spiritual understanding begins when I seek God for myself.

Alice Faye Duncan is the author of HELLO, SUNSHINE—5 Habits to UNCLOUD Your Day

This New Kindle E-book for Adults Will be Available October 1, 2014
Email: [email protected] Blog: www.helloalicefaye.wordpress.com
Follow Alice Faye on Twitter: @HelloAliceFaye

Uncategorized

Previous Post

September 1, 2014

Bishop Henry McNeal Turner and the Politics of Reconstruction-Part 5

Next Post

September 2, 2014 #Ferguson on the First Day?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Amy Steele Andre E. Johnson Book Reviews/Series Brian Foulks Call for Chapters Carol Howard Merritt Classes Conferences Contributors Crystal St.Marie Lewis Daniel White Hodge Earle Fisher Eulogy Fredrick Robinson Guest Contributions Henry McNeal Turner Institutes Interviews Joseph Boston Katherine Whitfield Kimberly Peeler-Ringer Lectures/Roundtables Natalie Bullock Brown R3 Book Series R3 Contributor Rashad Grove Readers Reflections Symposiums Teaching Traci Ellis Travis Harris Uncategorized Video

Select a Month June 2020 February 2020 December 2019 November 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 October 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz