How can Black brilliance and joy help the whole church reimagine faithful witness to the Gospel, and flourishing through courage, resilience, and data.

In this episode, Rev. Dr. Brianna Parker reflects on the meaning of Black brilliance and joy, rooted in the tenacity, creativity, and faith of Black communities. Rev. Bri is a researcher, preacher, and leader committed to catalyzing change in the Black church. From childhood experiences of being called to preach in a church that didn’t welcome women in ministry, to navigating toxic church environments early in her career, Brianna shares how her faith, resilience, and refusal to accept “no” shaped her calling.

She highlights the transformative power of data in ministry, the urgent need for joy in Black communities, and the role of the Black church in nurturing gifts, providing safety, and sustaining hope. Through stories of perseverance, authenticity, and innovation, Brianna paints a vision of the Black church as a place of flourishing and brilliance—an indispensable gift to Christianity and the world.

Key Moments

1. “Black brilliance is like finding our way, when no one has made a way.”
2. “Every day is opposite day for me, and it’s really a faith thing more than it is confidence.”
3. “I am Black and brilliant because I looked at an area nobody else cared about.”
4. “Black joy is when you can be a 200-something pound Black man, maybe with locks in your hair and frolic.”
5. “What does it look like to have a place where people can flourish?”

About the Contributors

Rev. Dr. Brianna K. Parker (Rev. Bri) is a faith leader, scholar, and data activist. She is CEO of Black Millennial Café, LLC (BMC), a consulting practice and data resource center for Black churches, communities, and organizations. She served as the lead researcher for Barna Group’s State of the Black Church study and creator of the first-of-its-kind ministry development subscription program, BlackChurchLeader.com. Through the Black Millennial Café, Rev. Bri intentionally gathers data for understanding and transformation of Black communities. She lectures and presents empirical data on faith and Black communities concerns nationwide. BMC resources include commissioned data and a suite of services for churches and organizations interested in faith or social impact. She is the author of I Still Believe in the Black Church and a sought-after voice on the intersections of faith, culture, and community innovation.

Nikki Toyama-Szeto is Executive Director of Christians for Social Action and host of Credible Witness, a podcast amplifying faithful voices navigating complexity, courage, and hope.

Show Notes

• Brianna Parker’s early calling to ministry and visions at age 15
• Sister Dixon’s encouragement: “Brianna, you can be Oprah, you can be an astronaut, you can be a president”
• Struggles as a woman called to preach in spaces that didn’t affirm women in ministry
• “Every day is opposite day for me, and it’s really a faith thing more than it is confidence”
• Defining Black brilliance as finding a way where none exists
• Stories of Black brilliance: Amanda Gorman’s inauguration poem; valedictorian walking to graduation in St. Louis
• Data as ministry: Parker’s work founding Black Millennial Café (BMC)
• “I am Black and brilliant because I looked at an area nobody else cared about”
• Black joy as more than happiness—frolicking, freedom, and flourishing
• Authenticity vs. transparency in church leadership
• Rethinking church after toxic ministry experiences
• “What does it look like to have a place where people can flourish? That’s human flourishing”
• The Black church as a safe, unique space of nurture and resilience
• Brianna Parker’s book: I Still Believe in the Black Church
• Work of psychologist Thema Bryant on Black self-care

Credible Witness is brought to you by the Rethinking Church Initiative. Produced and edited by Mark Labberton, Sarey Martin Concepcion and Evan Rosa. Hosted by Nikki Toyama-Szeto.

Special thanks to Fuller Theological Seminary, Christians for Social Action, and to Brenda Salter McNeill, whose book inspired the title of the show.

For more information, visit CredibleWitness.us.