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How to Start a Wealth-Building Ministry at Your Church

In disadvantaged communities, economic instability makes it difficult for many to access important financial knowledge. Without this information, people cannot lift themselves up and grow their wealth. And if the people are poor, the church will be poor. Read More

Murray Center Wishes Mark Whitlock Great Success on New Pastoral Assignment

The USC Cecil Murray Center for Community Engagement and the Center for Religion and Civic Culture will miss the immense contributions that Mark Whitlock has made to our collective endeavors. Mark first came to be involved with CRCC when he was the executive director of the FAME Renaissance Center in the wake of the 1992 civil unrest. He helped lead Clergy United for Economic Development (CUED), a roundtable of faith-based community development corporations that met at CRCC. Read More

Rev. Cecil L. Murray: A Call to Ministry

Rev. Cecil L. Murray led First African Methodist Episcopal (FAME) Church in Los Angeles for 27 years. In this video, Pastor Murray reflects on his calling to the ministry, from his childhood in the Deep South to preaching to thousands at FAME. Pastor Murray shares his pastoral theology, which grounded his sermons in a liberating reading of Scripture as well as universal truths of human nature and the particular context of his congregation. Read More

The Murray Method of Church Leadership

In his 27-year tenure at the First African Methodist Episcopal Church in Los Angeles, Rev. Cecil L. Murray transformed a small congregation into a megachurch that brought jobs, housing and corporate investment into South Los Angeles neighborhoods. He did so through a leadership philosophy he developed for helping churches grow and make a difference in the world. The "Murray Method" includes five "M's" that guide church leaders: Read More