Dr. TaNikka Sheppard is the founder and President of Sheppard Leadership Solutions. She has held numerous leadership positions in denominational and non-profit organizations.
___
By Starlette Thomas
The Rev. Dr. TaNikka Sheppard embodies solution-driven and innovative leadership. A global leader, her passion for Christian ministry and her commitment to leadership development are evident in her roles as immediate past President of the Baptist Women of North America (BWNA) and a former vice president of the Baptist World Alliance’s Women’s Department. Sheppard serves as Regional Executive Minister of the Cleveland Baptist Association and the North American Baptist Fellowship’s General Secretary. She also has pastoral experience, having recently served as Executive Pastor of The Fountain Church in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Committed to ensuring the health of the next generation of leaders, Sheppard shared with me her determination for young leaders to be their authentic selves as part of their calling at a recent denominational meeting. I immediately started taking notes. “Young leaders don’t want to be made in the image of older leaders; they want to be made in the image of God,” she said. To current leaders, Sheppard explained, “Calling means that you do not get to call the shots. Instead of saying ‘yes’ to God, we often want them to say ‘yes’ to us.”
Reflecting on her leadership journey, she said, “I was never getting in anybody’s line, but I was within reach. Look to the margins. They are out there serving.” Likewise, TaNikka Sheppard is out in the world and serving the good news of liberation from old organizational charts and leadership paradigms. The church is better for it.
—Starlette Thomas is associate editor and director of the Raceless Gospel Initiative at Good Faith Media.
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
Reflection and resources at the intersection of faith and culture through an inclusive Christian lens.
