Important announcement: Reconciliation Ministry

Rev. Dr. April G. Johnson has served as Minister of Reconciliation and Executive Director of Reconciliation Ministry for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada for 17 years. She has brought a sustained and deep passion for racial justice, healing, and restorative justice to this ministry, and has discerned a call to end her tenure in this role with the covenantal support of Rev. Terri Hord Owens, General Minister and President, and the affirmation of the Reconciliation Commission, effective August 1.

In May 2023, she earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, Indiana. Her dissertation, “Re-Membering Reconciliation Ministry for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ); Reclaiming Restoration – Reframing Reconciliation,” introduces a model for congregations to be certified as anti-racist churches.

Prior to her current role, Rev. Johnson served as Assistant Dean of Students/Director of Diversity Services and Associate College Chaplain at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. There, she provided leadership to cultivate a climate of welcome and inclusion for all members of the campus community. She also led several cross-cultural, immersive, service-learning experiences for students in Belize, Central America, and Kenya, East Africa.

Rev. Johnson earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and her Master of Divinity from Howard University in Washington, D.C. While at Howard, she served as Assistant to the Editor of the Journal of Religious Thought, editor of the school’s weekly newsletter The Weekly Word, and founder of the student-faculty collaborative project Theological Harambee.

As Minister of Reconciliation she has lead the church-wide process of analysis, awareness, and activism to heal the fractures within the body of Christ caused by systemic racism and oppression. She has worked with a cadre of organizer-trainers, regional and congregational staff, anti-racism teams, and ecumenical partners to develop educational programs and resources to support this transformative work.

Please join the Reconciliation Commission in celebrating her prophetic ministry and collaborative leadership at the Reconciliation Ministry breakfast at General Assembly on Tuesday, July 15 and by making a gift to support Reconciliation Ministry .