Angelique Walker-Smith

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Angelique Walker-Smith
Born1958
Cleveland, Ohio
OccupationBaptist minister
Known forPresident, World Council of Churches

Angelique Walker-Smith (born 1958) is an American Baptist minister and ecumenical leader. In September 2022, she was elected as president of the World Council of Churches, representing the North America region.[1] She is ordained in the National Baptist Convention, USA. Since 2014, she has been on the national staff of Bread for the World. Before that, she was the executive director of the Church Federation of Greater Indianapolis for nineteen years.

Biography[edit]

Angelique Walker was born in 1958 in Cleveland, Ohio. Her parents were Roosevelt and Geneva Walker; her father was an ordained minister.[2] Walker-Smith earned a telecommunications degree at Kent State University.[2] She then attended Standford Seminary, where she earned an MDiv in 1983. She later completed a Doctor of Ministry degree at Princeton Theological Seminary, where she was the first African American woman to earn that degree from that institution.[2] She was ordained in the National Baptist Convention, USA and served as an associate pastor at the beginning of her ministerial career.[3]

Walker-Smith worked for nineteen years as the executive director of the Church Federation of Greater Indianapolis.[4] She succeeded Paul McClure, becoming the fifth executive director and the first woman and first African American to lead the organization.[5] During her tenure, she focused on economic issues and racial justice initiatives. She served in this role until 2014 when she joined Bread for the World as their associate for national African American church engagement.[6]

Walker-Smith has been engaged in many ecumenical activities. She served as the ecumenical representative for the Baptist Convention USA to the National Council of Churches of Christ. She was elected to the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC) for three successive terms.[7][3] In 2013, Walker-Smith was invited to participate in events in Washington, D.C., surrounding the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, including a private reception at the White House with then-President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.[8] In August 2022, at the 11th WCC Assembly held in Karlsruhe, Germany, she was elected a president for the WCC, representing the North American region.[9]

Walker-Smith has also been active in anti-racism activism. She has credited her family as having provided her with "Christian Pan African values" from a young age.[10] She is a member of the Preparatory Working Group for the United Nations Permanent Forum of People of African Descent.[11]

Personal life[edit]

Walker-Smith is married to R. Drew Smith, a Baptist minister, and professor. They met at church and attended Yale Divinity School together.[12] Smith is Professor of Urban Ministries at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.[8][13]

Awards[edit]

In February 2022, Walker-Smith was awarded the Figel Ecumenism Award, which is given by the Washington Theological Consortium.[11][14]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "World Council of Churches elects new presidents". Presbyterian Mission Agency. 5 September 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-08.
  2. ^ a b c "Reverend Dr. Angelique Walker-Smith's Biography". The HistoryMakers. Retrieved 2022-09-08.
  3. ^ a b Collegeville Institute (April 7, 2011). "Meet short-term scholar, Angelique Walker-Smith" (PDF). Inside the Collegeville Institute for Ecumenical and Cultural Research. 5 (2): 1.
  4. ^ "Church Federation celebrates Walker-Smith's move". www.indystar.com. Retrieved 2022-09-08.
  5. ^ "Church Federation Of Greater Indianapolis". indyencyclopedia.org. 2021-06-21. Retrieved 2022-09-08.
  6. ^ "Bread for the World Welcomes Rev. Dr. Angelique Walker-Smith". Bread for the World. 2015-12-01. Retrieved 2022-09-08.
  7. ^ "Divinity alumni elected to key posts in World Council of Churches". YaleNews. 2013-12-11. Retrieved 2022-09-08.
  8. ^ a b "Professor Drew Smith Attends Reception at White House Remembering the March on Washington". www.pts.edu. Retrieved 2022-09-08.
  9. ^ "WCC 11th Assembly elects eight new presidents". World Council of Churches. Retrieved 2022-09-08.
  10. ^ "Rev. Dr Angelique Walker-Smith: From a Christian Pan African perspective, "who writes the stories?"". World Council of Churches. Retrieved 2022-09-08.
  11. ^ a b "Figel Event for Ecumenism February 3, 2022 ONLINE EVENT | Washington Theological Consortium". 2021-12-28. Retrieved 2022-09-08.
  12. ^ "August 8, Dr. Angelique Walker-Smith, to be Honored – Rotary Club of Indianapolis". Retrieved 2022-09-08.
  13. ^ "R. Drew Smith". www.pts.edu. Retrieved 2022-09-08.
  14. ^ "Rev. Dr Angelique Walker-Smith receives Figel Ecumenism Award". World Council of Churches. Retrieved 2022-09-08.
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