Since its inception in 1965, the Council of Baptist Pastors of Detroit & Vicinity has been on a mission to collectively address issues impacting people and communities in Detroit and throughout Southeast Michigan. While The Council doesn’t discriminate and choose the people and communities to help, Detroit and its residents stand at the heart and soul of the organization. Detroit has a Black population of 550,000-plus living in every community in the city. And with more than 4,000 Black churches, Detroit is at the top of the list of cities in the U.S. with the largest number of Black churches.
Comprised of more than 300 members – pastors, assistant pastors, ministers, Christian educators and evangelists – the Council, a non-profit organization, has often been “the definitive answer” to the proverbial question in times of crisis for disenfranchised people, “Where is the Church?
Rendering top leadership to the organization is Rev. Dr. Steve Bland Jr. who was installed Council president on January 26, 2020. In addition, an Executive Committee brain trust was also installed consisting of Rev. Richard R. White III (First Vice President), Rev. Orville K. Littlejohn (Second Vice President), Dr. Audry Turner (Secretary), Dr. Yvette Griffin (Treasurer), Pastor Sylvester Sartin (Assistant Secretary), and Dr. Edwin Holmes (Financial Secretary).
“My theme going in as Council president was, ‘Looking forward, going further, climbing higher,’ ” said Bland. “From that, I began visualizing ways that I could move the Council’s mission forward to become more community-engaged, even though historically, the Council has had a sustained presence in the community and has been a voice for the voiceless on a myriad of issues impacting folk socially, politically, economically, educationally and [in] areas of health and wellness.”
Less than two months after Bland was installed, the world was hit with the COVID-19 pandemic. Closer to home, the deadly pandemic disproportionately affected African Americans in urban settings, including Detroit and surrounding cities in Southeast Michigan. Suddenly, the Council faced a health calamity not seen anywhere in 100 years. Every sector of life was severely disrupted, including the place where faith believers normally turn to for refuge during the storms of life: the church.
While some churches were able to adapt to the technology that allowed them to continue Sunday worship services and other church events virtually, many pastors and churches were caught flat-footed.
“The pandemic showed that many preachers were more theology than technology,” said Bland. “When the pandemic hit, many churches suddenly couldn’t engage person-to-person. The Council worked hard to get pastors engaged in embracing new methods and technology to communicate with their congregations. The truth is that churches who didn’t embrace and utilize the technology to communicate were pretty much irrelevant during the pandemic, which is still going on.”
Bland said the Council has provided other services to help people and communities during the pandemic, such as becoming a key source for dispensing PPE equipment and coordinating campaigns and church sites for people to get vaccinated. The organization has also provided needed food and other supplies to families. The Council was a close ally of the Michigan Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Disparities created by Gov. Whitmer and facilitated by African American Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist to investigate the causes of racial disparities in Michigan, especially Detroit, and recommend actions to address those disparities. And The Council debuted a weekday radio program on 910 The Superstation to disseminate information to the community.
“We were on the air to spread hope and remove fear,” Bland said. “We wanted to be that beacon of factual and truthful information to pass on to the community and stop misinformation. We had medical professionals and other experts on our program who helped our listeners learn more about the deadly pandemic and available resources.”
In the Council’s quest to address all issues facing underserved communities in Detroit and its vicinity, the organization has actionable commissions and committees including Health & Human Services, Political Action, Social Justice, Economic Development, Christian Education, Public School Education, Interfaith, Public Relations, and Mental Health.
The Council has been proactive in addressing issues manifested during acts of racial injustice and police brutality against Black people that caused millions of people around the globe – including Detroit – to protest for change, civil rights, and economic equity. The organization has been a proponent of people’s voting rights and preparing them to flex political muscle at the polls for change. While the Council, according to Bland, does not endorse political candidates, it does help influence voters to make more informed decisions on candidates and proposals.
“Our job is to help highlight candidates on the ballot by interviewing them, examining their platforms and giving candidates a chance to be heard,” said Bland, who sat on the Legacy Commission convened by Wayne County Executive Warren C. Evans recently to vet candidates running for Congress in the 13th Congressional District and ultimately choosing Adam Hollier as the consensus candidate. “We help people see who the better choices may be, regardless of party affiliation. It’s a slippery slope but the Council finds ways to help voters make informed decisions.”
Members of the Council, said Bland, stood at 173 polling locations both local and regional during the hotly contested 2020 General Election, standing up to those who attempted to deter people from voting. Bland coined the phrase that went viral: “We have gone from picking cotton to picking presidents!”
While consistently busy with the Council, Bland still serves as senior pastor of Liberty Temple Baptist Church, a 2,000-plus member congregation on Detroit’s west side. He is also President of the storied Michigan Progressive Baptist State Convention. A renowned speaker, lecturer, revivalist and forward thinker on leadership development Bland uses all his skills for his role with the Council.
When Bland was installed Council president, Gov. Whitmer wrote, “Throughout your storied career, you have remained connected to your church, faith and community. This dedication has made you a driving force for positivity in Metro Detroit. Your strength as a leader has been a testament to your service. Your influence over the years has made you a perfect fit for this role.”
For Bland and the Council, the beat goes on because the need to empower underserved and disenfranchised people in Detroit and surrounding cities goes on.
“We are the gatekeepers tasked to say: do right by God’s people,” said Bland. “There are not many areas in our communities that have not heard the name Council of Baptist Pastors of Detroit & Vicinity or have not seen the fruits of our labors for positive change. However, we want to keep reinventing ourselves and doing the work to be relevant now and for new generations.”
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