Black authors bring important perspectives to their work, with insights and wisdom for every reader. On this page, you'll learn more about our Black authors and their books. You'll also find articles, videos, and podcasts where you can hear directly from these Black voices as they share more about their books and the impact that they are having in the church and the world.
Looking for even more voices to learn from? Discover more authors of color and women authors, or browse all of IVP's authors. You can also hear from a wide variety of diverse voices on IVP's Every Voice Now podcast.
Juanita Campbell Rasmus cofounded Bread of Life, Inc. with her husband, Rudy. Together they previously copastored St. John’s United Methodist Church in downtown Houston. Juanita has also served as a member of the board of directors of Renovaré. She most recently teamed up with Tina Knowles Lawson and Beyoncé to help forty thousand flood victims recover in the wake of Hurricane Harvey in Houston.
Pamela C. Rice enjoyed a well-decorated career in advertising, graphic design, and visual communications, and now she enjoys creating children's illustrations (often inspired by her own childhood) that are fun, imaginative, and educational.
Natasha Sistrunk Robinson (MA, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary) is a writer, international speaker, leadership consultant, mentoring coach, and the visionary founder of the nonprofit, Leadership LINKS, Inc.
Sheila Wise Rowe, the author of Healing Racial Trauma, holds a master's degree in counseling psychology. She has ministered to abuse and trauma survivors in the United States for over twenty-five years and in Johannesburg, South Africa, for a decade. Sheila also taught counseling and trauma-related courses. She and her family live in the Boston area, where she is a writer, speaker, and spiritual director.
Nicholas Rowe (PhD, Boston College) is a historian and the Hansen Associate Professor of Leadership at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He has over thirty years' experience in senior leadership roles in higher education and nonprofit organizations and is a consultant in cross-ethnic reconciliation and conflict resolution in the United States and South Africa. Nicholas also provides spiritual direction for individuals and reconciling communities. He and his wife, Sheila Wise Rowe, live in Boston and have a daughter, son, daughter-in-law, and grandchild.
Alvin Sanders (PhD, Miami) is the president and CEO of World Impact. He previously served as a pastor, church planter, and denominational leader for the Evangelical Free Church of America, leading its All People Initiative. Sanders earned a BA in biblical studies from Cincinnati Christian University, an MA in religion and urban ministry from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and a PhD in educational leadership from Miami University. He and his family live in Cincinnati.
Jo Saxton is a pastor, missional leader, speaker, and author. Together with her husband she leads Mission Point Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and she is a director of 3D Ministries, an organization that equips church leaders to create missional, discipleship-centered communities. She is the author of More Than Enchanting, High Heels and Holiness, and Real God, Real Life. She is on the board of advisors for Today's Christian Woman and was previously college pastor at St. Thomas Church.
Love L. Sechrest (PhD, Duke University) is vice president for academic affairs, dean of faculty, and associate professor of New Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary. She previously served as associate professor of New Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary, and she is the author of A Former Jew: Paul and the Dialectics of Race.
Ebony S. Small serves as an associate pastor at The River Church under the leadership of Bishop Ronald L. Godbee. Formerly, she worked with organizations like Pulse Outreach and Movement Day Expressions with movement.org. She is the author of The Leader in You and president of Transforming Leaders Consulting.
Natasha Smith is a wife, mother, and writer from North Carolina. Her work has appeared at Her View from Home, Focus on the Family, and TODAY Parents. You can find her online at imnatashasmith.com.
Efrem Smith is a pastor, consultant, speaker, and author. Efrem was the founding pastor of The Sanctuary Covenant Church, a multi-ethnic church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and he served as the superintendent of the Pacific Southwest Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church. He also served as the president of World Impact, an urban missions organization. Currently, Efrem is the co-lead pastor of Midtown Church, a flourishing, multicampus, and multi-ethnic community in Sacramento, California. He is also co-owner of Influential LLC, a speaking, consulting, and coaching ministry. He is the author of Raising Up Young Heroes, The Hip Hop Church, Jump, The Post-Black and Post-White Church, and Killing Us Softly.
Yolanda M. Solomon is the director of discipleship at Epiphany Church in Brooklyn, New York, where she teaches and creates discipleship curriculum and resources. She has also worked in campus ministry at Columbia University in New York, where she was blessed to serve undergraduate students for seven years. Yolanda is a disciple of Christ, a Brooklyn native, and a lifelong Knicks fan, which richly fuels her prayer life. She lives in Brooklyn with her family.
Walter R. Strickland II (PhD, University of Aberdeen) is assistant professor of systematic and contextual theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has coauthored or contributed to several books, including For God So Loved the World: A Blueprint for Kingdom Diversity. He is a host of the White Horse Inn podcast and founder of Cultural Engagement and Aptree Learning.
Mark E. Strong (DMin, Portland Seminary) is senior pastor of Life Change Church, a diverse congregation located in the heart of inner-city Portland, Oregon. He serves on the Board of Regents at George Fox Seminary, and his books include Church for the Fatherless and Divine Merger. He is also the founder of Father-Shift, a ministry that address the needs of the fatherless epidemic affecting our world. He and his wife, Marla, have four children.
Shundrawn A. Thomas is president of a trillion-dollar global investment management business, and is a management group member of a leading financial services company. He previously worked for Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. Thomas is a motivational speaker and lecturer speaking nationally on topics including professional development, leadership, values, faith, strategy, and finance. He is the author of Ridiculous Faith: Ordinary People Living Extraordinary Lives, and Driving Under the Influence: Finding Your Way on the Road of Life.
A. D. "Lumkile" Thomason is a speaker, poet, and award-winning filmmaker. He has spoken around the nation and in places such as Sudan, South Africa, China, and Palestine. As an adjunct professor at Kilns College, he teaches on human rights, de-colonizing your faith, and filmmaking. A native of Detroit, A. D. has more than seventeen years of experience preaching and teaching the peace of Jesus in ethnically divided countries, cultures, and communities. He and his wife, Dawntoya, live in the Atlanta area with their family.
Jemar Tisby is the author of the New York Times bestselling book The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church's Complicity in Racism. His writing has been featured on CNN, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and The New York Times. He is the founder and president ofThe Witness—a Black Christian Collective and the cohost of the Pass the Mic podcast. He is a PhD candidate in history at the University of Mississippi.
Veola Vazquez, PhD, is a licensed psychologist and a tenured professor of psychology in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences at California Baptist University.
Jonathan P. Walton is an area ministry director for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship's New York/New Jersey region. He previously served for ten years as director of the New York City Urban Project. He writes regularly for Huffington Post, medium.com, and is the author of three books of poetry and short stories.
Roland C. Warren is the CEO of Care Net, one of the largest networks of crisis pregnancy centers in North America. A graduate of Princeton University and the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, Roland spent eleven years as president of the National Fatherhood Initiative. His national media appearances include The Oprah Winfrey Show, The TODAY Show, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Ebony, Christianity Today, and Essence. He is the author of Bad Dads of the Bible, and he and his wife have two adult sons.
Hear More from Our Black Authors
Sherelle Ducksworth is a Black female scholar within evangelical academia. Read about her experience as a woman of color navigating a career in Christian higher education, including her advice and encouragement for other BIPOC scholars as they chart their academic path.
In the book "Awakening to Justice" The Dialogue on Race and Faith project presents groundbreaking scholarship on Christian abolitionist history. Read this interview to hear more from two of the book's coauthors, Douglas M. Strong and Albert G. Miller.