Announcing 2 New National Partners

The CNBC and CME Church join the Shoulder to Shoulder campaign

This year, the Shoulder to Shoulder campaign is excited to welcome two new member organizations to our network: the Conference of National Black Churches and the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church.

The Conference of National Black Churches (CNBC) is “comprised of the national leadership of the seven largest historically Black denominations in America. The organization represents more than 80% of African American Christians across this nation that have a combined membership of over 20 million people and 30,000 congregations. CNBC serves as the vehicle by which our member denominations collaborate in the areas of health, social justice, and public policy on behalf of African American communities. CNBC uses the influence and power of the leadership of the historically Black denominations to serve as a critical educational, organizational base, voice, and influence to advocate for African Americans. Through CNBC, the member denominations work collectively to become a permanent point of interdenominational coordination for addressing systemic social change that will ultimately result in improving the quality of life for African Americans and other underserved. The headquarters of CNBC is based in Atlanta, Georgia.”

The Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, “familiarly known as the CME Church, was organized December 16, 1870, in Jackson, Tennessee by 41 former enslaved members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Composed primarily of African Americans, the CME Church is a branch of Wesleyan Methodism founded and organized by John Wesley in England in 1844 and established in America as the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1784. The CME Church has more than 1.2 million members across the United States and has missions and sister churches in Haiti, Jamaica, and fourteen African nations. The CME Church maintained their relationship with the Methodist Episcopal Church, South and continues their ecumenical and interreligious commitment partnering with and in leadership in NAACP, National Council of Churches, and the World Methodist Council of Churches, to include global, national, and grassroots activism and social education. The mission of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church is to be disciples of Jesus the Christ by serving individuals, communities, and the world as the representative, loving presence of God and as witnesses to God’s salvation and grace.”

It is an honor to welcome both of these organizations to Shoulder to Shoulder’s national network and to share this announcement during Black History Month. May the work we do together be a part of building a better society where all people, no matter their faith or background, are treated with dignity.

Learn more about the history, vision, and mission of the Shoulder to Shoulder campaign here and see a list of our 36 national partners here and over 70 local partners here.