Boothe Center Fellows
Scholars and Pastors Investing in the Future
A Shared Commitment
Fellows are scholars and pastors leading in the development of the African American Christian tradition who invest in the next generation of Memphis City Seminary students through teaching, mentoring, academic leadership and contributing to scholarship. Academic and Pastoral Fellows will teach certificate courses and all fellows will contribute to the center’s events, journal, and retrieval efforts under the direction of the Senior Fellow. Boothe Center Fellows have a formal affiliation with Memphis City Seminary and affirm the seminary’s doctrinal statement and support the institutional mission.
Walter R. Strickland II, Ph.D.
Dr. Walter Strickland is the Senior Fellow of the Boothe Center for the Study of African American Christianity and Associate Professor of Systematic and Contextual Theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Aberdeen. Dr. Strickland provides visionary leadership for the Boothe Center, advancing its mission to retrieve, resource, and renew the Black evangelical witness. A prolific author, he has written works including Swing Low Volumes 1 & 2, and serves as a teaching pastor at Imago Dei Church in Raleigh, NC. He is also a council member of The Gospel Coalition and co-host of White Horse Inn.
Sherelle Ducksworth, Ph.D.
Dr. Sherelle Ducksworth is Assistant Professor of Christian Studies at Anderson University. A native of Clarksdale, Mississippi, she is committed to equipping the church through rigorous theology and pastoral sensitivity. Dr. Ducksworth holds a B.S. in Sociology from Mississippi Valley State, an M.S. in Sociology from Mississippi State, an M.A. in Theology from Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. in Systematic Theology from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Her scholarship and teaching focus on the reliability of Scripture and the integration of theology with the lived experience of the church. She is married to Aaron Ducksworth.
Kelvin J. Washington, Ph.D.
Dr. Kelvin J. Washington serves as Lead Pastor of New Valley Church in Waynesboro, Virginia, his hometown where he now lives with his wife and three children. He brings a passion for preaching and theological depth to both his church and the classroom. Dr. Washington earned his M.Div. in Homiletics from Liberty University, then completed a Th.M. and Ph.D. in Theological Studies at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. His ministry centers on proclaiming Christ with clarity and equipping believers for faithful service. In addition to pastoral leadership, he regularly preaches at conferences and churches.
Rev. Rufus Smith IV, D.D. (Hon.)
Rev. Rufus Smith IV is Senior Pastor of Hope Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Memphis, where he has led since 2010. Under his leadership, Hope has grown into a multi-ethnic, multi-class, intergenerational congregation. He founded the Memphis Christian Pastor’s Network to foster unity and service among diverse clergy and chairs the Revelation 7:9 Taskforce, helping churches live out the Great Commission locally. Pastor Smith previously led The City of Refuge and founded The FORGE for Families. He studied Theology & Psychology at Houston Baptist University & holds an honorary Doctor of Divinity from Grove City College in Pennsylvania.
Student Fellows
A forthcoming initiative to cultivate the next generation of pastor-scholars.
Walter R. Strickland II, Ph.D.
Dr. Walter Strickland is the Senior Fellow of the Boothe Center for the Study of African American Christianity and Associate Professor of Systematic and Contextual Theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Aberdeen. Dr. Strickland provides visionary leadership for the Boothe Center, advancing its mission to retrieve, resource, and renew the Black evangelical witness. A prolific author, he has written works including Swing Low Volumes 1 & 2, and serves as a teaching pastor at Imago Dei Church in Raleigh, NC. He is also a council member of The Gospel Coalition and co-host of White Horse Inn.
Sherelle Ducksworth, Ph.D.
Dr. Sherelle Ducksworth is Assistant Professor of Christian Studies at Anderson University. A native of Clarksdale, Mississippi, she is committed to equipping the church through rigorous theology and pastoral sensitivity. Dr. Ducksworth holds a B.S. in Sociology from Mississippi Valley State, an M.S. in Sociology from Mississippi State, an M.A. in Theology from Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. in Systematic Theology from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Her scholarship and teaching focus on the reliability of Scripture and the integration of theology with the lived experience of the church. She is married to Aaron Ducksworth.
Kelvin J. Washington, Ph.D.
Dr. Kelvin J. Washington serves as Lead Pastor of New Valley Church in Waynesboro, Virginia, his hometown where he now lives with his wife and three children. He brings a passion for preaching and theological depth to both his church and the classroom. Dr. Washington earned his M.Div. in Homiletics from Liberty University, then completed a Th.M. and Ph.D. in Theological Studies at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. His ministry centers on proclaiming Christ with clarity and equipping believers for faithful service. In addition to pastoral leadership, he regularly preaches at conferences and churches.
Rev. Rufus Smith IV, D.D. (Hon.)
Rev. Rufus Smith IV is Senior Pastor of Hope Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Memphis, where he has led since 2010. Under his leadership, Hope has grown into a multi-ethnic, multi-class, intergenerational congregation. He founded the Memphis Christian Pastor’s Network to foster unity and service among diverse clergy and chairs the Revelation 7:9 Taskforce, helping churches live out the Great Commission locally. Pastor Smith previously led The City of Refuge and founded The FORGE for Families. He studied Theology & Psychology at Houston Baptist University & holds an honorary Doctor of Divinity from Grove City College in Pennsylvania.
Student Fellows
A forthcoming initiative to cultivate the next generation of pastor-scholars.
Become a Partner
Partner with the Boothe Center to retrieve and renew the riches of the Black evangelical tradition. Your support ensures that the voices of the past sharpen the leaders of the future.