Reverend Henry Mitchell
Religious leader and religion professor Reverend Henry Mitchell was born in 1919, in Columbus, Ohio to Orlando and Bertha Mitchell. He received his B.A. degree from Lincoln University and went on to attend Union Theological Seminary, from which he received his B.D. and M.Div. degrees. After graduation, Mitchell was hired as pastor of the Second Baptist Church in Fresno, California and later moved to the Cavalry Baptist Church in Santa Monica, California. He also earned his Th.D. degree from Claremont School of Theology and his M.A. in linguistics from California State University.
In 1969, Mitchell became the first Martin Luther King Jr. Professor of Black Church Studies at the consortium of Colgate Rochester Divinity School, Bex Ley Hall, and Crozer Theological Seminary. He also served as professor of religion and Pan African Studies at California State University and academic dean and professor of history and homiletics at Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University. In 1988, Mitchell and his wife, the Reverend Doctor Ella Pearson Mitchell, began team-teaching as visiting professors of homiletics at the Interdenominational Theological Center. They became well known for their team-teaching and preaching style, where they would speak to their audience in dialogue with each other.
Mitchell served as the founding director of the Ecumenical Center for Black Church Studies and has written a book on the history of the African American church called Black Church Beginnings: The Long-Hidden Realities of the First Years . In addition, Mitchell has also written Black Preaching: The Recovery of a Powerful Art , a history of African American preaching styles, Fire in The Well , a collections of sermons Mitchell and his wife have given, and Together For Good: Lessons From Fifty-Five Years of Marriage , Mitchell and his wife’s joint autobiography. He has also co-authored the book Preaching for Black Self-Esteem .
Mitchell has been awarded an honorary D.D. degree by the American Baptist Seminary of the West and an honorary L.H.D. degree by Lincoln University. He and his wife are also the recipients of the 2008 Union Theological Seminary Trailblazer Award.
Henry Mitchell was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on July 16, 2010.
A2010.084
Male
7/16/2010
Mitchell
Married
Lincoln University
East High School
Eastwood School
East Pilgrim Elementary School
The Ohio State University
California State University, Fresno
Claremont School of Theology
Union Theological Seminary
Yes
Any
Henry
Columbus
MIT11
Any
Yes - Negotiable
Fall, Spring
Preferred Audience: Any
Ohio
Hilton Head, South Carolina
None

Georgia
9/10/1919
Atlanta
United States
Ice Cream
Religion professor and religious leader Reverend Henry Mitchell (1919 - ) held positions as a professor both of religion and African American history, including the first Martin Luther King Jr. Professor of Black Church Studies at the Colgate Rochester Divinity School. He also pastored the Second Baptist Church in Fresno, California and the Cavalry Baptist Church in Santa Monica.
North Carolina Central University
Northern California Baptist Convention
Second Baptist Church
Calvary Baptist Church
Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School
Ecumenical Center for Black Church Studies
Interdenominational Theological Center
Proctor School of Theology
None
Tape: 1 Story: 1 - Slating of Reverend Henry Mitchell's interview
Tape: 1 Story: 2 - Reverend Henry Mitchell lists his favorites
Tape: 1 Story: 3 - Reverend Henry Mitchell describes his mother's family background
Tape: 1 Story: 4 - Reverend Henry Mitchell remembers his maternal grandparents
Tape: 1 Story: 5 - Reverend Henry Mitchell describes his paternal great-grandparents
Tape: 1 Story: 6 - Reverend Henry Mitchell talks about his paternal grandfather
Tape: 1 Story: 7 - Reverend Henry Mitchell describes his father's family background, pt. 1
Tape: 1 Story: 8 - Reverend Henry Mitchell describes his father's family background, pt. 2
Tape: 1 Story: 9 - Reverend Henry Mitchell remembers his father's occupation and personality
Tape: 2 Story: 1 - Reverend Henry Mitchell lists his siblings
Tape: 2 Story: 2 - Reverend Henry Mitchell describes his earliest childhood memory
Tape: 2 Story: 3 - Reverend Henry Mitchell describes the sights, sounds and smells of his childhood
Tape: 2 Story: 4 - Reverend Henry Mitchell describes his childhood home in Columbus, Ohio
Tape: 2 Story: 5 - Reverend Henry Mitchell remembers his neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio
Tape: 2 Story: 6 - Reverend Henry Mitchell describes his experiences of school segregation in Columbus, Ohio
Tape: 2 Story: 7 - Reverend Henry Mitchell recalls the Eastwood School in Columbus, Ohio
Tape: 2 Story: 8 - Reverend Henry Mitchell remembers singing in the choir at the Second Baptist Church in Columbus, Ohio
Tape: 2 Story: 9 - Reverend Henry Mitchell talks about the clothing styles of his youth
Tape: 2 Story: 10 - Reverend Henry Mitchell remembers Pilgrim Junior High in Columbus, Ohio
Tape: 2 Story: 11 - Reverend Henry Mitchell remembers East High School in Columbus, Ohio
Tape: 3 Story: 1 - Reverend Henry Mitchell describes his preparation for college
Tape: 3 Story: 2 - Reverend Henry Mitchell recalls his graduation from East High School in Columbus, Ohio
Tape: 3 Story: 3 - Reverend Henry Mitchell describes his experiences during the Great Depression
Tape: 3 Story: 4 - Reverend Henry Mitchell remembers his calling to the ministry
Tape: 3 Story: 5 - Reverend Henry Mitchell recalls working at the Truck Tractor Equipment Company
Tape: 3 Story: 6 - Reverend Henry Mitchell remembers his exemption from the draft
Tape: 3 Story: 7 - Reverend Henry Mitchell recalls leaving The Ohio State University
Tape: 3 Story: 8 - Reverend Henry Mitchell remembers enrolling at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania
Tape: 3 Story: 9 - Reverend Henry Mitchell remembers his summer work experiences
Tape: 3 Story: 10 - Reverend Henry Mitchell recalls his activities at Lincoln University
Tape: 4 Story: 1 - Reverend Henry Mitchell recalls his time at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania
Tape: 4 Story: 2 - Reverend Henry Mitchell talks about his preparation for seminary
Tape: 4 Story: 3 - Reverend Henry Mitchell talks about the history of the Baptist denomination
Tape: 4 Story: 4 - Reverend Henry Mitchell recalls his transition to the Union Theological Seminary in New York City
Tape: 4 Story: 5 - Reverend Henry Mitchell remembers his first year at the Union Theological Seminary
Tape: 4 Story: 6 - Reverend Henry Mitchell remembers meeting his wife
Tape: 4 Story: 7 - Reverend Henry Mitchell remembers his decision to propose to his wife
Tape: 4 Story: 8 - Reverend Henry Mitchell describes his wife's ordination as a minister
Tape: 4 Story: 9 - Reverend Henry Mitchell recalls his start as an expert on the black church
Tape: 5 Story: 1 - Reverend Henry Mitchell talks about African American religious symbolism
Tape: 5 Story: 2 - Reverend Henry Mitchell reflects upon his philosophy of religion
Tape: 5 Story: 3 - Reverend Henry Mitchell recalls becoming the dean of the chapel at the North Carolina College for Negroes in Durham, North Carolina
Tape: 5 Story: 4 - Reverend Henry Mitchell describes the impact of World War II on his brothers
Tape: 5 Story: 5 - Reverend Henry Mitchell recalls his time as dean of the chapel at the North Carolina College for Negroes
Tape: 5 Story: 6 - Reverend Henry Mitchell remembers the birth of his first child
Tape: 5 Story: 7 - Reverend Henry Mitchell talks about his children
Tape: 5 Story: 8 - Reverend Henry Mitchell recalls working as a field secretary of the Northern California Baptist Association
Tape: 6 Story: 1 - Reverend Henry Mitchell talks about his graduate education
Tape: 6 Story: 2 - Reverend Henry Mitchell recalls the tragic deaths of his family members
Tape: 6 Story: 3 - Reverend Henry Mitchell describes his role in the Civil Rights Movement
Tape: 6 Story: 4 - Reverend Henry Mitchell remembers the adoption of his son
Tape: 6 Story: 5 - Reverend Henry Mitchell recalls pastoring the Second Baptist Church in Fresno, California
Tape: 6 Story: 6 - Reverend Henry Mitchell remembers the assassinations of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and President John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Tape: 6 Story: 7 - Reverend Henry Mitchell remembers pastoring the Calvary Baptist Church in Santa Monica, California
Tape: 6 Story: 8 - Reverend Henry Mitchell recalls his Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Professorship of Black Church Studies
Tape: 6 Story: 9 - Reverend Henry Mitchell talks about his career in academia
Tape: 7 Story: 1 - Reverend Henry Mitchell recalls founding the Ecumenical Center for Black Church Studies in La Verne, California
Tape: 7 Story: 2 - Reverend Henry Mitchell talks about his publications
Tape: 7 Story: 3 - Reverend Henry Mitchell reflects upon the success of his marriage
Tape: 7 Story: 4 - Reverend Henry Mitchell describes his collaborations with his wife
Tape: 7 Story: 5 - Reverend Henry Mitchell talks about the history of the black church, pt. 1
Tape: 7 Story: 6 - Reverend Henry Mitchell the history of the black church, pt. 2
Tape: 7 Story: 7 - Reverend Henry Mitchell talks about his trips to Africa
Tape: 7 Story: 8 - Reverend Henry Mitchell reflects upon his legacy
Tape: 7 Story: 9 - Reverend Henry Mitchell reflects upon the role of women in the black church
Tape: 8 Story: 1 - Reverend Henry Mitchell narrates his photographs
1$1
3$6
4$3