Dr. Robert E. Young

 

The Healthy Preacher Movement was birthed in a critical moment for me. I was 3 years into my pastorate, turned 30 years old and was embarking on my doctoral journey. I was deeply moved by God to discipline my lifestyle. God asked me like the man at the pool, "Rob, wilt thou be made whole?" I was spiritually exhausted, intellectually unchallenged and overweight. I personally convicted, not feel like an example or model of wholeness to my congregation. How can I preach, "get yourself together" when I'm busting at the seams? I began reflecting through the filter of being a "PK" having witnessed dynamic preachers suffer physically and prematurely die from a lack of self care; I wanted to be whole!

I cancelled my gym membership and made myself earn a gym membership. For 3 months, I worked out in my basement with DVDs and a power tower eventually earning a gym membership. For 3 years, I maintained a regimented schedule which consisted of dropping the kids off to school, go the gym, then to the library, to the church, pick kids up, take them home and back to church or any evening ministry obligations! As a method of personal responsibility, I would post selfies of me in the gym, at the library and ministry activities with the hashtag #healthypreachermovement. Eventually some of my colleagues, friends and mentors started tagging me in post along with the hashtag. I realized God had breathed on this after searching the internet and social media for who else may have been using the hashtag...it went viral! We started as a grass roots, social media based network of preachers who were getting it in...striving to be whole Spiritually, Scholarly and Somatically!

Not long after that, I published this blog, trademarked the movement, launched the website, published the BE WHOLE Newsletter, and made T-shirts available for a symbol of uniformity. The response was overwhelming! Over 3,000 hits on the blog, over 360 subscribers to the newsletter, over 1,000 new followers, over 200 shirts purchased. We are represented in every region of the USA including 28 states and D.C.! Testimonies of weight loss, lifestyle changes, quality of life improvements, spiritual awakenings were being emailed to me from Los Angeles to Mississippi! God was and still is saving lives through this movement!

Be Whole!
Dr. Robert E. Young, Founder

 

To invite Dr. Young to an event or program, kindly send correspondence to healthypreachermovement@gmail.com. 

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To read more from Dr. Young about the history of the Healthy Preacher Movement,

visit his blog at www.healthypreachermovement.blogspot.com 

 

 

CURRENT SERVICE AND EDUCATION

 

• Senior Pastor, Mt. Olivet Baptist Church – Peekskill, NY  (May 2015 – Present)

   

• Senior Pastor, New Hope Baptist Church – Braddock, PA  (March 2008 – April 2015)

 

• Adjunct Professor, Geneva College – Pittsburgh, PA (January 2013 – January 2014)

 

• 1st Vice President, Braddock Ministerial Association – Braddock, PA (2013 – 2015)

 

• 2nd Vice President, Baptist Ministers Conference of Pittsburgh & Vicinity –
  Pittsburgh, PA (2012 – 2015)

 

• United Theological Seminary – Dayton, Ohio (May 2014)

       Doctor of Ministry – Preaching Prophetically in a Postmodern Culture: 
       Communicating with Contemporary Audiences Dissertation –
      "Soulful Sermonizing: Black Preaching with a Blues Motif"

 

• Virginia Union University – Richmond, Virginia (May 2008)

       Master of Divinity Degree

 

• Morgan State University – Baltimore, Maryland (May 2003)

       Bachelor of Arts Degree:  Music with Concentration in Piano 

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