
Conrad Tillard
Preacher & Hip-Hop Generation Leader
Selected in 2009 as “Pastor of the Year” in Brooklyn, New York, by Church Women United and in 2005 and 2006 by Beliefnet.com as one of “The Most Influential Spiritual Black Leaders” in the United States, the Reverend Conrad B. Tillard is an important ecclesiastical voice growing in America. He has been a student activist,…
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Selected in 2009 as “Pastor of the Year” in Brooklyn, New York, by Church Women United and in 2005 and 2006 by Beliefnet.com as one of “The Most Influential Spiritual Black Leaders” in the United States, the Reverend Conrad B. Tillard is an important ecclesiastical voice growing in America. He has been a student activist, minister, and community activist for over 20 years.
Today he serves as the Senior Minister of Nazarene Congregational Church, a United Church of Christ (UCC) congregation in the Bedford Stuyvesant community in Brooklyn, New York.
One of the oldest African American congregations in the city of New York, Nazarene has a distinguished track record of service to the African American community nationally. The Reverend Jesse R. Moorland, a former minister and trustee of the church, donated his personal book collection to Howard University; the books helped to establish the world renowned Moorland-Spingarn Library at the University located in Washington, DC.
The Reverend Conrad Tillard was born September 15, 1964, in St. Louis, Missouri. He is a graduate of Francis L. Cardozo High School in Washington, DC, and earned a bachelor of arts from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, majoring in African American Studies. He has pursued graduate studies at both the Harvard Divinity School and Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. Reverend Tillard earned the Master of Divinity degree in systematic theology and Christian social ethics at the Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York, studying under the esteemed scholar Dr. James H. Cone, the father of Black Liberation Theology. Reverend Tillard is also a graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary, where he earned a Master of Theology in practical theology, with a concentration in congregational ministry.
Reverend Tillard is a Baptist and Congregationalist (UCC) minister, licensed and ordained at historic Abyssinian Baptist Church of the City of New York. He was trained and mentored in the Gospel ministry by the Reverend Dr. Calvin O. Butts III, Pastor of Abyssinian. He is affiliated with the United Missionary Baptist Association of New York, Empire Baptist Convention and the National Baptist Convention USA, Inc., The American Baptist Churches USA and holds dual standing with the Metropolitan Association of the United Church of Christ New York Conference. Rev. Tillard is also a lifetime member of the NAACP, and active in the organizations Brooklyn branch.
Previously he served as the Project Director for New Yorkers for the Gulf Coast (NY4GC), an organization uniting leaders of the religious, business, and entertainment sectors together to continue to provide support to victims of Hurricane Katrina. The organization is Chaired by Dr. Calvin O. Butts III.
He is the former Interim Pastor of the 170-year-old Eliot Congregational Church of Roxbury, located in inner city Boston. Eliot Church is a vibrant United Church of Christ congregation, with expansive community service ministries.
Reverend Tillard started his career as a student activist, working as a National Student Coordinator in the historic 1984 presidential campaign of Reverend Jesse L. Jackson. In 1984 he joined the Nation of Islam and rose rapidly in that movement; he was appointed the National Youth Minister in 1989 and in 1991 he was installed as Presiding Minister of the organization’s legendary Mosque #7 in Harlem where he served for seven years.
In 1998 he resigned from that movement and started down the road that would reunite him with the Body of Christ. He enrolled at the Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was a class at Harvard on the teachings of the profound Baptist theologian Howard Thurman that gave him new insight into Jesus Christ, the Christian faith, and the mission of universal brotherhood, reconciliation, and love. In 2001 he returned to the church of his youth and walked down the aisle and joined Abyssinian Baptist Church.
In 1998 he founded A Movement for CHANGE, a youth organization credited with creating the thrust of hip-hop political activism that culminated in the election of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States of America. He has been both a mediator of hip-hop’s violent conflicts and spiritual mentor to troubled hip-hop personalities such as Sean “P-Diddy” Combs and Jamal “SHYNE” Barrow. He has been an outspoken critic of negativity in youth culture and the hip-hop industry.
Tillard has been featured nationally in such magazines and newspapers as Savoy, Vibe, Source, Esquire, XXL, Essence, Ebony, Time, Newsweek, The New York Times, Washington Post, Philadelphia Inquirer, and the Los Angeles Times. Recently, he was featured in Essence Books’ 50 of the Most Inspiring African-Americans, and in 1999, he was among leading African American men in another of Essence Books titled Essence in Celebration of Our Brothers.
He has hosted “New York Roundtable” and “Sunday Night Live,” daily and weekly radio talk shows, respectively, in New York City, on the African American-owned Inner-City Broadcasting Corporation.
Reverend Tillard is a regular guest host on the station’s GBE’s “Express Yourself” and “Politics Plus” programs.
In 2001 he co-wrote and hosted a one-hour television program, Culture Shock, for WPIX Channel 11 in New York City. The program, addressing the issue of negative imagery in the media in youth programming, won the 2001 National Council on Family Relations First Place Media Award and Platinum Best; in 2002 the program won the Show Award and the Aurora Award.
Reverend Tillard is currently working on his autobiography that will detail his ministry and spiritual journey through the African American religious experience. The Prodigal Son Imperative: In My Father’s House will be published in 2009.
The Reverend Conrad B. Tillard, the activist preacher, is committed to a life and ministry that can best be summed up in the phrase “unashamedly black and unapologetically Christian.”
Testimonials
Ernie was perfect for our Elders Conference at Little River Casino Resort in Manistee, Michigan. We will definitely be using PDA again!

LITTLE RIVER BAND OF OTTAWA INDIANS
Our speaker was great and the crowd enjoyed her! She was very engaging. Thank you again PDA for the great list of suggestions!

MEDTRONIC
Everything went great! and our speaker was wonderful! Thank you so much for all your help PDA! Looking forward to the next one.

UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI – KANSAS CITY
I hope that this message finds you well. We had a phenomenal time with Atsuko this past Thursday. We wanted to just let you know how amazing she was. All those that were in attendance thoroughly enjoyed her and had nothing but amazing things to say about her. Thank you for working with us to make sure this happened!

BAYLOR UNIVERSITY CAMPUS
We had a fantastic day with Inge! She was very engaging with all those that attended. Her personal stories about the holocaust were very special and we were moved that she was willing to share them with everyone. Thank you again, PDA for all your hard work and dedication to make this program such a success!

SALT LAKE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Dear PDA Group, Thank you so much for your hard work in scheduling our speaker! From the moment we reached out to you the first time, you worked with us on all details and logistics and kept us up-to-date on the progress. Thank you for all your hard work on making our event such a success! We couldn't have done it without you and your team!

SAP COMPANY
Thank you again, Dr. Kimbrough, for a great presentation, our attendees are still talking about it!

CAMPUS LABS
Dr. Henry Lee's presentation was entertaining, insightful and wise. I, and everyone at Pfizer, especially appreciate the remarks you directed about following your passion and preparing yourself to excel. Thank you, everyone, at PDA for helping to make this happen!

PFIZER
The event was successful! I received many messages expressing how awesome, outstanding and inspiring Ms. Webb-Christburg's speech was."

DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. MEMORIAL BREAKFAST, BOSTON, MLK SPEAKER
Everything went well. Atsuko was very easy to work with and the students enjoyed her performance! Thank you again for your recommendation and I hope to work with you again in the future!

CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
Dr. Novello left this morning after a very successful event on our campus! Thank you PDA Group for your help from the first phone to the last you were with us every step of the way.

GRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY
Jordan Carlos was very very entertaining! A majority of students who answered the event survey indicated they really enjoyed Jordan and definitely will bring him back!

WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY
On behalf of myself and my organization Entertainment Unlimited the Campus Programming Board of Ferris State University, we thank you PDA and Dan for a successful event!! Dan was magnificent! Students really enjoyed the presentation. I know I did. Can't wait to bring in more programs with PDA Group.

FERRIS STATE UNIVERSITY
It was a great pleasure to work with PDA Group! The communication was always prompt, friendly and helpful. We loved the speakers and events we booked through Mr. Peter Walker (PDA Group).

WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
Thank you, Peter, for all your help, you'll be happy to know that the event went incredibly well! Aneesa Ferreira was by far one of the best speakers we've ever had!

FURMAN UNIVERSITY
Topics
The Hip-Hop Minister Speaks: A State of the Hip-Hop Generation Address
The Hip-Hop Generation: Inheritors or Betrayers of the Dream and the Civil Rights Movement
The Conversion: From Separation to the Beloved Community
The Betrayal: Who Hip-Hop has sold out the African- American Community
The African- American Church
African-American History, Politics and Religion
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Reverend Conrad B. Tillard
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