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Life and Work with Theresa Harvard Johnson

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Theresa Harvard Johnson.

Theresa, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I coped with life through art and writing.

If it hurt, I wrote it.

If it was too difficult to speak, I painted it.

Growing up in a severely abusive household forced me into a world shaped by the darkness of V. C. Andrews, the realities of Margaret Walker and Maya Angelou, and the curiosity of the main characters in Carolyn Keene’s mystery stories. I escaped my tumultuous childhood and the foster care system through a passion for research, reading, and writing. Ultimately, this led to a successful, eighteen plus year career in journalism and public relations where I enjoyed the life of an award-winning writer and communications executive.

Success for me, as it often is with people, was a filler for a lifetime of unreconciled trauma. I was a mess… and now that mess was a wife and mother. Facing this reality placed me on an extremely deep healing journey of faith through Christ where I expressed my healing process and salvation through poetry and spoken word at open mics across the nation. With each venue, new poets and writers connected with similar messages of salvation, hope, and encouragement. We formed a ministry team known as the Voices of Christ Prophetic Poetry Team. This was at the turn of the century (2001) before evangelistic poetry and the spoken word became a thing and had taken shape the way we see it today.

As a team, we held Bible studies, prayed together, organized writing conferences, encouraged one another in our journeys, hosted poetry and creative arts events, ministered at conferences and events, and shared poetry on the streets of Atlanta with homeless youth and adults. Eventually, we found ourselves on the road transforming hearts through our gifts and helping church leaders see the potential of the arts beyond drama teams and Christmas plays. I began teaching about prophetic writing, and the history of scribes in the Bible. In 2004, an international Christian magazine featured us in an article as pioneers sharing the Gospel through poetry and spoken word.

A year later, I wrote the first of 19 books on about the ministry of the prophetic scribe, and we began having conferences that focused not only on writing but the ministry of the prophetic scribe which drew people from around the world. Eventually, the poetry team phased out and a new ministry emerged to equip, affirm and empower this population of believers. Today, I oversee the Voices of Christ Apostolic Prophetic School of the Scribe, called “The School of the Scribe,” and The Scribal Conservatory Arts & Worship Center which meets every Sunday here in Atlanta. Think of it as a worship center for prophetic scribes and worship artists. Our goal at The Scribal Conservatory has created a safe place for prophetic, creative believers to explore their creative calling to ministry while growing and maturing in faith.

It is so important for believers to develop according to God’s plans for them versus that of tradition or people’s opinion. There’s more than one way to be effective in ministry. We are proving that this is not only possible but that it can be extremely effective.

Today, I travel extensively awakening prophetic writers; educating the congregation about the power of scribal ministry and the worship arts; establishing scribal companies, and setting foundations globally concerning the unique calling and ministry of the prophetic scribe. This school and the resources provided are the first of its kind in the Charismatic faith. I am also an engaged visual artist.

My efforts are not simply rooted in prophetic revelation, although this is foundational to what we do. I also hold an MDIV in Biblical Studies and an MA in Professional Writing which bridges an understanding of the historical and academic histories of the faith, art, and culture with spiritual understanding. To be effective at educating believers in this arena, we need balance if we hope to reach a broader audience with our message and passion.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
By no means has this been an easy journey. My greatest obstacle was me. It took deliberate effort to allow myself to heal from a lifetime of trauma – physical, sexual, emotional abuse, and all the rejection, abandonment, shame and agony that came with the process. It was through my faith that I gained the strength and courage to pursue healing and connect with safe people to help me move forward. What I couldn’t do, and what you can’t do, is keep silent and stay in the same place for the next twenty years. All healing requires fervent, continuous release… with the intent to be free. I found that by sharing my poetic gift with others. In turn, Christ allowed me to see how much it helped others who were still locked inside themselves. This was my beginning, my first step. And the truth is all you need to do is take one step at the time. Nothing more. Every small step adds up over time. If you can keep moving forward, you will find the path that leads to the end of that journey and the beginning of the next one.

When I started sharing my poetry, I can remember being told that it wasn’t true ministry or that it was a nice gift that was only fit for events. Back then, people had the starving artist mindset and they thought in terms of traditional careers. In addition, women were restricted in their life choices far greater than they are today – especially in ministry. I urge anyone who has a God-defined dream stirring on the inside of them to go for it! Never let someone else’s no determine how you respond to your calling, purpose. I had no idea what was in me or what was in store for me. I did, however, have a determination to see where it led. With every step and with every point of healing, the vision became clearer. If you purpose it in your heart to push hard, the same can be true with your story whether you are starting from the beginning or starting over. Life is difficult, but it is much better with Christ guiding the way.

Please tell us about Voices of Christ Apostolic Prophetic School of the Scribe.
I am the founder of The School of the Scribe, the premier educational center for prophetic scribes, prophetic writers and scribal prophets who are seeking to uncover their scribal identity; refine their purpose and discover how to impact their spheres of influence with integrity, authority, precision, and power.
In biblical history, a scribe was a part of the original judicial council established by Moses to help facilitate the governance of the children of Israel. Through the history of the church, their function expanded to include service in administrative, instructional and creative capacities in the Kingdom. They are best known for facilitating tasks ranging from the copying and preservation of scripture to building libraries and initiating educational reform. In today’s culture, most people outside of academia only recognize them as writers which is only one aspect of their biblical history. I believe our efforts are geared toward restoring a complete understanding of their role in the church in the same way that we recognize music and art today.

In The School of the Scribe, we help believers who sense that they are called to administrative, instructional and creative scribal ministry make sense of their calling through academic, historical and spiritual understanding and interpretation of the scriptures. Specifically, we breathe life into those who believe they are called to scribal ministry prophetically.

The teachings, conferences, and events hosted by the school are based on nearly two decades of ministry and research that I have conducted exclusively in this area, as well as The Scribal Anointing® book series inspired by my findings.

Currently, the school offers mentoring, online courses, a repository of study resources for the prophetic community, events across the nation, consulting services for congregations with scribal ministries, an annual conference and limited, individual mentoring,

My joy, however, is watching prophetic scribes uncover the breadth of their ministries and expand their understanding of the scribe beyond the definition of a writer.

Were there people and/or experiences you had in your childhood that you feel laid the foundation for your success?
Though my childhood was traumatic, I had a tremendous will to survive. As a little girl, I knew that I could have a different life from the one I witnessed. As I reflect, I recall school teachers, house parents at the group home and social workers who saw my potential and took moments to speak into my potential. A houseparent said to me one day, “You are college-bound Theresa. Don’t let anyone tell you anything different.” Up until that moment, at age 16, I had never considered college. But if I succeeded, I would become the first college graduate in my family.

Not only did the houseparent encourage me to go to college but took me on a college tour, introduced me to live outside of the projects I was used to and encouraged me to travel. My eyes were opened to a world beyond my own neighborhood. This experience, and a few others like them, turned my heart toward at-risk youth and hood mindsets… giving me unbelievable compassion for those whose realm of experience is limited. My heart, especially coming into the faith, has always been one full of hope for the hopeless. There is nothing I enjoy more than seeing people awaken to their potential and pursue the life they were ordained to live.

My success has been and always will be rooted in knowing I beat the odds. I stand today as an anomaly against my upbringing. I use my art and poetry not only to tell my story and express my faith in Christ but to also speak into social justice, world issues and to give voice to the voiceless.

Contact Info:

Image Credit:
Tammil Lovee (Profile Image Credit), Theresa Harvard Johnson (Art Images)

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