New Program Director
Dr. Michael Greene becomes director of the Black/Africana Church Studies Program at Perkins.
DALLAS (SMU) – Dr. Michael “Mike” Greene has been named the new director of the Black/ Africana Church Studies (BACS) Program at Perkins School of Theology effective September 1.
“I believe BACS has great potential to become a premier program, and I’m excited to get started,” said Greene.
Greene is a religious ethicist and economist with pastoral experience in the United Methodist Church. He is a 2004 graduate of Southern Methodist University, where he earned a PhD in Religious Ethics from the Graduate Program in Religious Studies (GPRS).
From 2002 – 2019, he served in two pastoral appointments: Associate Pastor of St. Luke “Community” United Methodist Church in Dallas and then as Lead Pastor of Highland Hills United Methodist Church in Dallas.
Greene did undergraduate work at Columbia University, graduate work in Public Policy at Cornell University, and earned a doctorate in Economics from the University of New Hampshire. Most recently, Greene served as Professor of Business and Economics at Paul Quinn College in Dallas.
“I've always had an abiding interest in bringing together the fields of economics and religious ethics, and in particular the economic ideas of great thinkers such as Martin Luther King, Jr. ,” he said.
Greene has also taught at Perkins as an adjunct faculty member, most recently leading a course in Christian Social Ethics in the Course of Study School (COSS).
“We’re pleased that Dr. Greene is joining us,” said Dr. Hugo Magallanes, Dean ad interim of Perkins. “With his multidisciplinary perspective – as an ethicist, an economist, and a pastor in predominantly Black congregations – he’s well prepared to lead BACS to the next level.”
The BACS program offers a range of opportunities and activities designed to enrich the educational, cultural, and communal experiences of Black students at Perkins and the Graduate Program in Religious Studies (GPRS) as well as the broader SMU community. Greene identified two priorities he’ll focus on initially: developing a strong consultative team to help shape the program, and establishing strong relationships with members of the community, especially Black students and faculty members. Other priorities include fostering a relationship between BACS and the Black Seminarians Association; building interest and advising M. Div. students who elect the Black Africana Church Concentration; developing relationships with local, national and international Black church leaders and religious scholars; assisting with the recruitment of prospective students.
Perkins established the first Black Church Studies Program in 1970 under Dean Joseph D. Quillian, Jr. The first Coordinator of Black Church Studies was also the first Black faculty member of Perkins, the Rev. Nathaniel Lenard Lacy, Jr. (1935-2016), a United Methodist clergyman who served as Assistant Professor of Practical Theology from 1970-74. However, without specifically designated funding, the Black Church Studies Program and Director ceased by the 1980s; instead, Black faculty advisors worked with the Black Seminarians Association. The program was relaunched in 2021 with Dr. Tamara Lewis as director.
“The Black church and faith tradition played a historically important role in the struggle for economic, racial and social justice,” Greene said. “It’s important for students and others to be continually aware of that role, especially at this point in history.”
Perkins School of Theology, founded in 1911, is one of five official University-related schools of theology of The United Methodist Church. Degree programs include the Master of Divinity, Master of Sacred Music, Master of Theological Studies, Master of Arts in Ministry, Master of Theology, Doctor of Ministry, and Doctor of Pastoral Music as well as the Ph.D., in cooperation with The Graduate Program in Religious Studies at SMU's Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences.