This month we want to introduce the Foundation’s Nominations Committee Chair, Joel A. Brown. As the President of the Disciples of Christ Historical Society, Joel brings a wealth of knowledge about the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and its rich history to the Foundation board.
Joel A. Brown (he/him) is President of the Disciples of Christ Historical Society, which is located in Bethany, West Virginia, just a few steps from the home of Alexander Campbell. The Historical Society is a general ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) with the special mandate to serve all three major streams of the Stone-Campbell movement: Churches of Christ, the Christian Churches/Churches of Christ, and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). The Historical Society preserves records and artifacts common to our traditions and foster collaboration and conversation through historical research, publications, and lectures.
Joel is a scholar of American religious history and specializes in the study of race and religion in modern U.S. history. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago and is currently finishing a book titled Saving Black Metropolis: African American Club Women and Social Christianity in Turn-of-the-Century Chicago. Joel is also in the early stages of writing a religious biography of Lyndon B. Johnson, a Disciple and member of National City Christian Church, which we at the Foundation are particularly excited to see released.
A product of two of the Stone-Campbell Movement’s three main streams, Joel has had the opportunity to study under several distinguished historians of the movement. He worked with Church of Christ historian and Alexander Campbell biographer Douglas Foster while completing his undergraduate (BA) and Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degrees at Abilene Christian University. Joel then studied under Disciples historian and Barton W. Stone biographer D. Newell Williams while completing his Master of Theology (Th.M.) degree at Brite Divinity School. During his doctoral studies, he studied Disciples history and thought with W. Clark Gilpin at the Disciples Divinity House of the University of Chicago.
Joel and his wife, the Rev. Erin James-Brown, have two daughters, Margot (5) and Evelyn (2). They are members of Bethany Memorial Church (Disciples of Christ), where Erin is the pastor and Joel teaches children’s Sunday school.
In lieu of the questions we often ask our board members and with a mind towards the forthcoming 225th Anniversary of the Cane Ridge Revival on August 8, 2026, we wanted to share two recently published articles written by Joel on the Cane Ridge Movement that add insight to this shared endeavor we share as the National church.
The Historian’s Corner: Cane Ridge and the Beginning and End of Worlds
The Historian’s Corner: Turning Toward Cane Ridge
As we at the Foundation reflect on our past and vision our future as part of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) we are grateful to have Joel’s expertise as a historian and leader in the church as part of our leadership team.