On May 11, 2018, Payne Theological Seminary held its annual commencement exercises. In addition to the students receiving the Master of Divinity degree, sixteen students were awarded the Doctor of Ministry in the Seminary’s first doctoral cohort. To commemorate this historic achievement, this paper interviewed Rev. Dr. Brookins—the first female to defend her thesis to complete the requirements for the Doctor of Ministry from Payne.
Rev. Dr. Brookins is the pastor of Walker Temple AME Church in Los Angeles, California. She received the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Elementary Education, 1986. Dr. Brookins has also earned a Master’s Degree in Human Behavior from National University in 2009, a Master’s of Divinity from San Francisco in 2012. She has written articles for several newspapers and academic journals and currently serves on the Board of Examiners in the Southern California Annual Conference for the African Methodist Episcopal Church as the consultant for new ministers focusing on Prophetic Pastoral Care.
After serving the church in various capacities, including an Episcopal Supervisor, what led to you answering your call to the ordained ministry?
Serving as an Episcopal supervisor was within itself a miracle. Unlike the other beloved Episcopal supervisors, my ascending to this very prestigious assignment was quite different from theirs. The journey for which they were selected began as a dream while serving as pastors and first ladies of a particular congregation. In essence, their “work had spoken for them” and God, having deemed them worthy of elevation, allowed a successful election to take place.
I had not come up through the ranks of the AME Church. Nevertheless, God knows the ways that we should take. He has called each one of us into a very special ministry designed to build His Kingdom here on earth.
My Kingdom assignment was quite different than most. It was while serving as an Episcopal supervisor in the 13th District that the Lord began to deal with me about preaching. However, I said nothing to anyone until 2000. My husband [Bishop H. Hartford Brookins] and I relocated to the 5th District where Bishop John and the Rev. Cecelia Williams Bryant had been assigned to serve as the Episcopal leadership team. I decided to share with the Rev. Dr. Cecelia Williams Bryant what God was saying and doing during this season. There was such an urgency in my spirit. I had resisted as long as possible but things were becoming more intense.
The very thought of being called to preached terrified me to no end. In fact, it felt like my mind was going to explode. I remember having anxiety attacks because I was so afraid to tell my husband. Finally, after I could not take it any longer, one morning I cried out, “Yes Lord, I will do whatever you say!” Thus, when posing the question, “What led me to answer the call to ordained ministry?” my response is simply, it was ALL God! Just as I had no clue of what it meant to become an Episcopal supervisor, I certainly never saw myself as a preacher or pastor but God’s ways are not our ways and His thoughts are far above our thoughts.
The basic educational requirement for ordination as an itinerant elder in the AME Church is a master’s degree. What led you to pursue the Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.)?
I owe it to the people to be my very best. Pursuing the highest level of academia also is a mandate recorded in 2 Timothy 2:15 which states, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” I also felt having this degree was necessary if I wanted to be taken seriously by the church and the community for which I was called to serve. I am the first in my family amongst my siblings to receive a doctoral degree. This degree is also my way of honoring the memory of my late sister, Hilma Eloyce Smith, who two weeks after having passed received her acceptance into the University of Northern California to pursue her doctorate degree.
Why did you choose Payne Theological Seminary and this specific cohort?
Again, it was all preordained by God. Initially, I was interested in another institution but God had other plans. I was approached by Supervisor Ernestine Henning, who stated that I needed to attend Payne Theological Seminary. However, at that time Payne did not have a D. Min program though there had been some talk about an Inaugural D. Min program beginning.
Once again, God had proven to me that His ways were not like our ways. It was June. I can’t really recall the date. One morning the Lord woke me up at 3:00 am; and this particular morning, I heard the Lord say, “Junk.” I woke up saying, “What is junk?” The Holy Spirit led me to my computer; and when I opened my computer, the Lord led me to look at my junk mail. There, I saw an email from Payne advertising their Inaugural D. Min. cohort. Classes were to begin in August so you can imagine me trying to get the application together. I didn’t know what I was going to do but I knew that God wanted me to go to Payne Theological Seminary.
Why did I choose this specific cohort? I chose this cohort—liberation theology—because of the mentors: Bishop John Bryant and the Rev. Dr. Ray Hammond. I knew very little about Dr. Hammond. Bishop Bryant, on the other hand, is one of the greatest minds in African Methodism and our families had been connected for quite some time. In addition, I knew—given the opportunity to sit at their feet—it would richly impact my life and the ministry for which I had been called. Furthermore, the essence of liberation means to give hope to the poor, marginalized, the prisoner, and the oppressed. God’s plan was beginning to unfold. For this reason, God in His infinite wisdom had pre-ordained me to be a voice crying in the wilderness for both clergy and lay women alike whose prophetic voices had been muted because of various forms of oppression.
Your D.Min. project is “The Rebirth of the Woman’s Prophetic Voice Using Liberation Theology to Empower Women in the 21st Century Church.” Please share more about it and the implications for your own personal ministry and the broader implications for the church community you serve.
What makes my work unique is that I’ve combined three threads of thought: liberation, womanist, and prophetic concepts. While there is a great deal of work done in the individual fields, there isn’t any merging these three thoughts. Secondly, I discovered when in a dialogue about the prophetic ministry that it has generally been limited to the pulpit and to men, leaving the woman’s voice unappreciated and oftentimes muted. Moreover, my work was designed to include both clergywomen and laywomen.
Based on what you’ve told me, your work is looking at how the prophetic voice of women in our pews in this context has been suppressed and needs to be opened and allowed to function and you’ve seen that in your own church. What are some ways this can be practically dealt with throughout the conventional church?
The thesis title is “The Rebirth of the Woman’s Prophetic Voice” and this word “re” is a prefix occurring originally from Latin which means “again.” Various reasons have been given as to why women should not be allowed to serve in leadership positions. Such patriarchal thinking has had a negative impact on the churches, our homes, and our communities.
The woman’s prophetic voice is essential in the church because it is the voice of wisdom. My work is not about whether you are called to preach. My work is about activating the prophetic ministry within each woman, in the pew and pulpit alike. In other words, the primary purpose of this work is to encourage women to take their rightful positions because God is calling for the prophetic voice to be resurrected again in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. God is calling both clergy and laywomen to prophesy, dance, write, pray, and sing prophetically. A prophetic ministry liberates all of God’s children and in doing so, the body of Christ is then able to operate in a supernatural realm causing heaven to kiss the earth.
In closing, could you share one highlight from your academic experience at Payne?
It is difficult for me to describe only one highlight because there are many. Looking at the prophetic call and my academic experience with Payne Theological Seminary is relational. Human messengers are necessary in that they help to confirm the varying relationships between the Creator and His Creation. Payne Theological Seminary helped each one of us to remember our greatness which lies within. We experienced this in the eyes of the staff, we heard it from the lectures of our mentors, and we felt in the hearts of our new friends. The students were free to learn, love, and embrace their dreams. I have been transformed into the woman God intended with a prophetic voice. I will forever be grateful to God for my journey at Payne. Payne met me where I was and guided me safely to the place of my prophetic calling.
