About

Rev. Dr. Robert Richard Allen Turner is a millennial who is passionate about his calling to serve this “present age” by speaking truth to power, and by following the Word as printed in Isaiah 61 to “preach good tidings to the poor…heal the brokenhearted…proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.” Currently, Dr. Turner is the pastor of Empowerment Temple. Additionally, Dr. Turner is a published author of Creating a Culture of Repair the longest list of reparatory ideas in the world. It was nominated as a finalist for the Foreword Indie award. Written an accepted submission to the United Nations office of Human Rights. He sits on the National African American Reparations Commission, a Commissioner of the Reinvestment and Reparations for the city of Baltimore, and the Advisory Board of the Blackburn Institute of the University of Alabama and the Board of Advisors as well as the Board for the Baltimore Children and Youth Fund, Associated Black Charities and Baltimore Workforce Development Board. As Pastor of Empowerment Temple Dr. Turner has renovated the church office area, commissioned a mural, added a chapel, gym and enlarged the pulpit area. Additionally he visits the sick, reinvigorated the congregation and walks monthly from Baltimore to the White House for reparations. #40milesfor40acres
Dr. Turner has been featured on CBS’s 60 Minutes and Evening News, ABC, BBC, MSNBC (Chuck Todd, and Andrea Mitchell’s show) CNN, Good Morning America3 (twice), NPR Here and Now (twice) and the Euronews, Washington Post (as an op-ed writer and interviewee), LA Times, and New York Times, along with Politico, and several other national and international publications and news outlets.
Rev. Turner graduated with honors from the Interdenominational Theological Center’s Turner Seminary in Atlanta, GA, with a Masters in Divinity. He later received his Doctor of Ministry from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. In his dissertation, Rev. Turner coined the phrase, “Prophetic Civic Engagement,” and highlighted Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as a shining example of this concept. He is a 1999 graduate of Alabama Boys State, a 2013 graduate of Leadership Mobile, an ordained clergyman, and a lifetime member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc and currently a member of Baltimore Alumni. 
Robert Turner

Rev. Dr. Robert Richard Allen Turner

Robert Turner
A cum laude graduate from the Honors Program at the University of Alabama, he majored in Political Science with a minor in Spanish. Rev. Turner was the first Black Chief of Staff for the Student Government Association at the University of Alabama and was honored as the 2004 University of Alabama Most Outstanding Male Student. In addition, he was featured on CNN concerning the University of Alabama’s Faculty Senate Apology for slavery that took place on their campus. Moreover, Rev. Dr. Turner helped lead a movement, which caused the University of Alabama to recognize the presence of two slaves, Jack and Boysie, who were buried on the college campus.
In 2005 after struggling over his calling, Rev. Turner withdrew from law school and went on a mission trip to Kenya and was given the title co-team leader. In Kenya, Robert grew extremely close to God. While there he supervised approximately 25 young adults together they by the power of God, taught, preached, and healed, many people. From the Kenyans Turner grasped a greater appreciation for living by faith alone. Furthermore, by the mercy of God, he and his teammates were used to bring well over 200 souls to Christ. Constantly seeking to help the needy. After Hurricane Katrina, Pastor Turner also went down to New Orleans to evangelize, comfort those grieving, and to offer assistance where needed. Most recently, he took a mission trip to Egypt where he visited holy sites, and learned from monks key insights on spiritual discipline.
Formerly the pastor of St. Paul A.M.E. Church in Mobile for three years, he is a former board member of the Mobile Chapter of the Sickle Cell Disease of America and the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance, assisted organizations create mentorship programs and recruit mentors. Dr. Turner was also a UniServ Director for the Alabama Education Association where he represented over 1,800 members covering 4 counties, and 51 work sites. Before moving from Mobile, Rev. Turner was a regular columnist for the Press-Register and AL.com. Previously he has interned for U.S. Senator Richard Shelby, former Congressman Artur Davis, Alabama Supreme Court Justice Harold See, and Secretary of State Jim Bennett and a member of the Board of Trustees for the American Village.
Additionally, Dr. Turner has done research for the Kettering Foundation and the David Mathews Center for Civic Life. While at the Mathews Center for Civic Life, he co-authored the 2015 Alabama Civic Health index. Dr. Turner loves to preach and was an adjunct professor of Homiletics for Jarvis Christian College and Chief Academic Officer for Jackson Theological Seminary. His passion for social justice led him to become the Chair for the Social Civil and Political Action for the A.M.E. Church in the state of Alabama. He continued his fight against racism in his previous position as Project Director for Truth Racial Healing and Transformation for Selma, Alabama where he oversaw a $3 million grant from the Kellogg Foundation for the BlackBelt Community Foundation with the goal of jettisoning the belief of a hierarchy of human value based on physical characteristics such as skin color.
As the pastor of Vernon Dr. Turner help lead the fight for justice for the victims of the 1921 Race Massacre, getting burial sites excavated, and seeking reparations. Each Wednesday you could find him with his Bible and Bullhorn seeking by God’s direction, to call the city to recognize what they did in 1921, repentance, and reparations and found an attorney to file a lawsuit against the city for reparations. Also he by God’s guidance began a food ministry during Covid that served over 500,000 meals to those in need. Under his leadership Vernon also acquired a new shuttle bus, purchased cameras, spotlights, 1949 microphones and speakers restored, did over a million dollars worth of improvements done to the stained glass windows, restrooms, prayer rooms, masonry, new roof, Prayer Wall for Racial Healing and much more. He gave countless tours of the church and hosted several dignitaries like Sens. Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren, James Lankford, and Chris Coons, Majority Whip James Clyburn, Rep. Barbara Lee, Lisa Blunt Rochester, Beto O’Rourke, US. AG Merrick Garland, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Mayor Mike Bloomberg, increased membership by 95%, and finances by over 100%. Under his leadership they installed tv monitors, the church has been placed on the National Historic Registry, creation of a website, started several ministries, and outreach programs, children’s church, an evening service, a satellite campus, and a homeless ministry. He sat on the 1921 Race Massacre Centennial Commission, Tulsa Mass Graves Oversight Commission, BEST Advisory Board, founding President of the Historic Greenwood Main Street District, the Board of Directors for the Grit for Democracy, North Tulsa Task Force, Demanding a Just Tulsa. Dr. Turner received in 4 years received the
following awards Tulsan of the Year (Tulsa World) Hometown Hero (Modern Woodmen), Nat Turner Award (African Ancestral Society), Community Service Award (Oklahoma Conference of Churches) Circle of Friends (Links) Fellow of the Year (Blackburn Institute) Dan Allen Social Justice Award, Certificate of Recognition (Greater Mt. Olive Baptist Church), Community Service Award (Terence Crutcher Foundation), Trail Blazer Award (Tulsa Public Schools)
ministry,
As of September 26, 2021, Rev. Dr. Robert R.A. Turner became the pastor of the Empowerment Temple in Baltimore Maryland. Since becoming the pastor, he has walked monthly from Baltimore to the White House for reparations, renovated the sanctuary, adding to new enclosures one a chapel and a children’s church facility along with enlarged pulpit, LED screen, monthly food giveaways, monthly evangelistic outreach, faith-based monthly political discussions and so much more.
Turner has been married for over 19 years to Shere Turner. They have two boys, ages 14, and 13, Robert Richard Allen Turner II (Deuce) and Malcolm Robert Martin Turner (Bobby).
In his free time, he enjoys reading, exercising, and spending time with his family and friends.
Dr. Turner travels the country as a guest lecturer, human rights activists, life coach, racial equity consultant, presenter, facilitator and motivational speaker. His areas of focus are racism, community development, grassroots organizing, non-profit grant program management, faith-based community involvement, civic engagement, mentorship, deliberative forums, and employee relations. If you would ever like him to come visit your area you can book him at robertturnerministries.net

He is pastoring his seventh church thus far. The first was Waymon Chapel A.M.E. Church in Brierfield, Alabama where he was instrumental in putting a new roof on the church increased membership. The second was Ward Chapel A.M.E. Church in Selma, Alabama where he was involved in repairing the floor. The third was St. Paul A.M.E. Church in Mobile, Alabama where he created the St. Paul Community Resource Foundation along with updated the sound system, renovated sanctuary and educational building, acquired computers and other appliances and greatly increased the size of their membership and financial development. The next was  St. Paul A.M.E. Church in Tuscaloosa, Alabama within the Taylorville community while there he has increased the land mass by half, created a youth choir. The fifth is St. James A.M.E. Church Birmingham, Alabama in the Avondale Community, where in his first year God has blessed them to develop a website,  renovate the fellowship hall, begin a food pantry and to start a children’s church. The sixth was Vernon see Editorial: Tulsa needed Vernon AME Pastor Robert Turner at this point in history | Editorial | tulsaworld.com for a summary of the ministry there.While in Vernon Turner was a tireless advocate for the Historic Greenwood District (the site of former Black Wall Street), highlighting the church’s history from its beginning in 1905 to today, given countless tours of the church,  increased membership, installing tv monitors, the church has been placed on the National Historic Registry, creation of a website, started several ministries, and outreach programs, children’s church, an evening service, a satellite campus, homeless ministry,

As of September 26, 2021, Rev. Dr. Robert R.A. Turner became the pastor of the Empowerment Temple in Baltimore Maryland. Since becoming the pastor, he has walked monthly from Baltimore to the White House for reparations, renovated the sanctuary, adding to new enclosures one a chapel and a children’s church facility along with enlarged pulpit, LED screen, monthly food giveaways, monthly evangelistic outreach, faith-based monthly political discussions and so much more.

Turner has been married for over 18 years to Shere Turner. They have two boys, ages 14, and 12, Robert Richard Allen Turner II (Deuce) and Malcolm Robert Martin Turner (Bobby).

In his free time, this author, civil rights leader, consultant, dean, and clergyman enjoys reading, sports, mentoring youth, working with convicted felons and spending time with his family.

Dr. Turner travels the country as a guest lecturer, life coach, DEI trainer, presenter, facilitator and motivational speaker. His areas of focus are racism, community development, grassroots organizing, non-profit grant program management, faith-based community involvement, civic engagement, mentorship, deliberative forums, and employee relations. If you would ever like him to come visit your area you can book him at robertturnerministries.net

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