Dr. Colvin Blanford earned his doctorate at the Southern California School of Theology at Claremont, organized a church in San Francisco, Chicago, Gary, Indiana, and Mesa, Arizona. He served as director of Black Church Studies and associate professor of ministry at Northern Seminary teaching in the areas of Black church studies, preaching and social ethics. He has also ministered on missions to Liberia, Malawi, South Africa, Swaziland, and Nigeria. Pastor Blanford and his wife, Margaret, have been happily married for 57 years and have two sons and several grand and great-grandchildren.