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BE Modern Man is an integrative program that honors the essence, image, and accomplishments of today’s man of color. With features of today’s leaders, executives, creatives, students, politicians, entrepreneurs, professionals, and agents of change—these men share the common thread of creating a new normal while setting the bar in tech, art, philanthropy, business, and beyond. The BE Modern Man is making a positive impact, his way, and has a story to tell.
BE MODERN MAN LAWRENCE E. ADJAH
Age: 34
Profession: Entrepreneur, Business Adviser, and Pastor
One Word That Describes You: Polymath
Social Media: Twitter: @adjah_l | Instagram: @adjah_l
Website: www.lawrenceadjah.com
What does being one of the BE Modern Man 100 Honorees mean to you?
It’s encouraging to be recognized as a BE Modern Man. Even though recognition has not been my central pursuit, I’m grateful to be reminded that there are others who appreciate the ways I’ve been fortunate to serve with my life. As someone who loves our people, with intention, it is an honor to be recognized alongside other brothers who have a similar burden for using their gifts, to serve others.
What is your “Extraordinary Impact?”
We are not meant to do life alone, thus, I’ve been burdened by the sleeping giant of our time: loneliness. We’re more digitally connected than we’ve ever been, yet more isolated and disconnected interpersonally than ever before. In a time where many of us are mediating our lives behind a computer screen and are living in cities without strong pre-existing relationships, it is vital for people to have a space where they can build lifelong, life-sustaining relationships. I’ve dedicated my life to building, serving, and advising communities, organizations, and efforts that exist to heal, unite, and transform lives. After years as a management consultant, entrepreneur, and community builder, I’ve been led to a place which sees the solution to this challenge being as much a spiritual matter as it is a civic, social, and technological opportunity.
As such, I honor this mission in three ways: I serve as the founder and chairman of Family Dinner Foundation (Our Family Dinner, ourfamilydinner.org) whose mission has been to connect the world as a family over the dinner table. We want to serve as an encouraging model of what doing life in community could be through the tradition of dinner—Our Family Dinner steps into that need and equips hosts around the world to open their hearts, hands, and homes to welcome, know, and care for people like you and me. I serve as a Pastor at Renaissance Church in Harlem and the Lead Pastor and Church Planter for a new church coming to Jersey City, New Jersey, in fall of 2020. At the heart of the great redemptive love story is God redeeming and reconciling our broken relationship with Him and inviting us to do that with one another. I also serve as an adviser to a number of organizations and institutions, across all sectors, whose purpose and products aim to bring people together.
What are you doing as a BEMM to help support black male achievement now or in the future?
It is my heart and hope to be a part of training up the next generation of men who love God, His word and His family, faithfully and fearlessly at home and in the public square. It’s difficult for black males (or anyone) to achieve and sustain said achievement, if they are not emotionally or spiritually healthy. We’re losing our brothers left and right and it can seem that the solution is only downstream, but I believe through efforts of making spaces for black men to serve, be known, and cared for (Family Dinner Foundation) and for them to be sharpened (gospel-centered ministry), we will open the door to more sustainable achievement. Research shows as men age, they tend to isolate and if they do maintain relationships, they tend to only nurture functional relationships tied to their career, which hurts us now and will hurt us even more later in life.
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