SEJ-BMCR 53rd Annual Banquet Sermon The Reverend Doctor Kevin R. Murriel "Making the Shift Happen"

The Reverend Doctor Kevin R. Murriel serves as the senior pastor of Cascade United Methodist Church, a multi-site ministry that includes campuses in midtown and southwest Atlanta, Georgia. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Jackson State University, his Master of Divinity from Candler School of Theology, and his Doctor of Ministry from Duke University. An insightful preacher, avid reader, and social activist, Dr. Murriel’s research focuses on translating the methods of the Civil Rights Movement into a modern strategy for social justice. In 2018, he was appointed by Dean Jan Love as Assistant Professor in the Practice of Practical Theology and Director of the Black Methodist Seminarian’s Program at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology. Dr. Murriel is a community leader and faithfully serves on several boards which include, the Andrew and Walter Young Family YMCA, the North Georgia Board of Ordained Ministry, Murphy–Harpst, The Foundation for Wesley Woods, and The Joseph and Evelyn Lowery Institute. Dr. Murriel is a member of the 100 Black Men of Atlanta and the Leadership Atlanta Class of 2019. For leading innovative change and being a conscious voice for social justice, Gammon Theological Seminary named him as the 2016 Emerging Prophetic Leader. In 2021, he was inducted into the Martin Luther King Jr. College of Ministers Board of Preachers through Morehouse College, named a Man of Influence by the Atlanta Business League, and inducted into the National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame. Dr. Murriel is the author of Breaking the Color Barrier: A Vision for Church Growth through Racial Reconciliation. He is married to Dr. Ashleigh Murriel and they are the proud parents of Scarlett Grace and Anderson Blake.