Our Spiritual Leader

Rev. Bronte Colbert was hired in October 2004 by a special search committee to lead Unity Athens to its next level of growth. She attended the Barbara King School of Ministry in Atlanta on the Ministerial / New Thought Master Teacher / Spiritual Counseling track, and graduated in June of 2001. She was ordained by the Rev. Dr. Barbara King of Hillside International Chapel and Truth Center.

Before coming to Unity in Athens, Rev. Bronte served as a guest Sunday speaker at a number of Unity and New Thought churches including Christ Unity Church Chattanooga; Unity of Montgomery, AL; Spiritual Light Center, Franklin, NC; Unity Church of Savannah, GA; Unity Christ Church, Myrtle Beach, SC; Unity in the Seven Hills, Lynchburg, VA; Unity Christ Church of Bon Air, Richmond, VA; and Unity of Tuscaloosa, AL.

She has served as an instructor at the Barbara King School of Ministry, leading Master Teacher classes including “Whole Brain Education” and “Training the New Thought Teacher.” She has also taught a variety of workshops and classes in prayer and meditation, Emilie Cady’s Lessons in Truth, numerous other New Thought texts, and in-depth workshops in prosperity and abundance consciousness.

An accomplished public speaker, she is a longtime member of Toastmasters International (Advanced Toastmaster Silver level) and has participated in and won speech and storytelling contests at local and state levels.

Bronte completed a Bachelor of Arts in English degree through the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and Kennesaw State University. She has completed all required coursework for a Master of Arts in Children’s Literature from Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia and is working on her thesis for completion of the degree.

An author of fiction, nonfiction and poetry, her first published story appeared in Unity’s WEE WISDOM magazine (no longer published). She says, “I can still see the little blue owl, their logo, perched on one corner of the envelope from WEE WISDOM. I was so excited when I opened it and discovered their offer to buy and publish my first children’s story.”

While her fiction and poetry have appeared in many other publications over the years, in a way WEE WISDOM led her to Unity, and eventually, to Athens. “I was looking for a new church home,” she says, “a place where I could explore and nurture my own inner spirituality. I was already meditating regularly and reading a lot of spiritual and New Thought texts. A friend suggested that I try Unity. At that point, in 1988, I had two or three stories published by Unity Village, but had not attended a service. I visited the Unity Church in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, which was graced by a very inspiring minister. Like I’ve heard so many people say since then, I felt like I had ‘come home.’”

That Unity church, she says, “planted the seed” in her to become a minister, although she admits it took a few years for her to acknowledge the growing calling. “Becoming a minister is a huge decision,” she shared, “and not one to be taken lightly. It is life-changing and the process is ever-unfolding.”

Her vision for Unity in Athens?

“It’s really not about my vision,” she admits. “It is about our collective consciousness, vision, and energy. It’s about love. What has happened and will happen in our spiritual center in Athens is Spirit working in and through us. People are coming together to connect, to share, to explore that beautiful divinity that is manifest in our glorious Universe and within each of us.”