Disciples of Christ elect first woman of color to lead a mainline denomination
Teresa Hord Owens, a descendant of one of Indiana’s oldest free black settlements, is general minister and president.
Teresa Hord Owens after her election as head of the Disciples of Christ on July 9, 2017. Photo by Mary Ann Carter.
Despite all the talk of mainline decline, Teresa Hord Owens, the first woman of color to be the top executive of a mainline denomination, is not in survival mode.
“The life that we will find is continuing to be relevant to a society that deeply needs to see hope,” she said.
The Indianapolis-based Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) elected Owens, a descendant of one of Indiana’s oldest free settlements of African Americans, as its general minister and president on July 9.
