Sunday Best

Sunday Best is a reality television Gospel singing competition series which airs on BET.

Each season the show and its judges set out to find the best undiscovered gospel talent in America. Finalist compete each week until a winner is crowned. Current judges of the competition are Gospel singers Yolanda Adams CeCe Winans and Donnie McClurkin, former host include Mary Mary & Bebe Winans. Gospel singer Kim Burrell serves as the contestants mentor, and the program is hosted by Kirk Franklin.

The Sunday Best winner receives a national recording contract, a new automobile, and an undisclosed cash prize benefiting his or her community as well as the title of 'Sunday Best'. Season one runner up Shari Addison also scored a recording contract, as well as season two runner up Jessica Reedy although her contract was not rewarded from the show.

On the season 4 finale, host Kirk Franklin announced that the series would be returning for a 5th season next year. The 5th season premiered Sunday, July 8, 2012. Season 5 ended with a 2 hour special on September 2, 2012. The winner of the 5th season is Joshua Rogers from Greeleyville, South Carolina. He made history as the first male contestant to win the Sunday Best title.

The Sheards

The Sheards is a weekly docu-drama following the lives of the Sheard family as they navigate family, friends, and faith in a modern world. Faith. Music. Sex. Family. Love. Relationships. Choices. These are all issues teens and young adults face. But when you're a pastor's kid and live in a world where drinking, sex and drugs are all considered abominations, these issues become a lot more powerful.

The Sheards will follow the lives of Kierra “KiKi” Sheard, 24, and her brother J. Drew Sheard, 22. As the kids of First Lady Karen Clark Sheard, one of gospel’s most powerful women, and Bishop J. Drew Sheard, a mega-church pastor in Detroit, they face a responsibility unlike any other. And as they continue to grow and face the ups and downs of becoming adults, they’ll show us the choices they make as they learn life’s lessons, in many cases the hard way

Forever Jones

forever JONES is a reality series following the successful gospel family group of the same name. The show catches the family at career and personal crossroads, as mainstream success has proven to be their biggest blessing and also their greatest challenge. Can faith and family lead to fame and fortune? The Jones’ family life is a beautiful struggle and they can make it through anything as long as they do it together

Best Funeral Ever

 The series follows Dallas-based Golden Gate Funeral Home's staff as they prepare over-the-top "home-going" ceremonies. That means elaborate theme-parties for the deceased, like the bowling celebration they threw for Judy Sunday's family.

The gathering culminated in one of the strangest things we've ever seen, when Judy's friends and families pushed her casket down a bowling lane. The pins were labeled "RIP Judy." The pastor kicked it off by announcing quite solemnly, "Now we’ll come to the time where sister Judy Sunday will get the last strike of her life. Come on and step up. Take these last memories of the opportunity of serving your mother down here, of pushing her down.”

The AV Club's Sonia Saraiya says "Best Funeral Ever" walks the line between heartfelt and bizarre. "That title is silly enough on its own," she wrote. "But hyperbole aside, it appears that for once, TLC isn’t making fun of its subjects. Okay, it’s making fun of them a little, but the skeptical reaction shots and sarcastic musical stings, which color most of its other reality shows, are at a minimum.”

Over at Bustle, Alicia Lutes is sold on the show, but not so sure about "home-goings." She couldn't believe the cost -- an hour-long service was $50,000. “According to owner John Beckwith, '[They cost] less than a wedding. Less than a luxury car. More than a year’s supply of Diet Coke,'" she quoted. "They must be drinking a lot of Diet Coke. Jesus take the wheel (and also maybe pick up the tab because this ish is expensive and you always provide, right?).”

Church Rescue

Running a church takes more than faith, and even the holiest of institutions can fall victim to harsh realities. Enter the "Church Hoppers" — three business-savvy ministers who travel the country helping faith-based organizations reestablish themselves in the marketplace so they can continue spreading the good word to their followers. They use the wisdom of Scripture and a little Southern ingenuity to pull off inspiring interventions

Preachers Daughters

The gap between heaven and hell has never been wider than in the season two of "Preachers' Daughters." Lifetime's youngest skewing show, with a median age of 32, the series is produced by Thinkfactory Media and follows the lives of four preacher families after the church doors have been shut. With judging eyes watching, the drama runs deep as the girls struggle with living up to the expectations of their parents and their congregations. As temptation, redemption, guilt and the path to right and wrong collide, will these preachers' daughters choose sin or salvation?

The families featured this season include:

The Cassidys of Boiling Springs, South Carolina
With her dad Jeff recently joining the ministry full-time, Megan discovers everything she does, says and even tweets is now seen by the entire congregation. Her mother, Darleen, is also adjusting to life as a newly minted Associate Pastor's wife while their son, Zac, is in rehab.

The Colemans of Joliet, Illinois
Now that Taylor is 18, she continues to push the boundaries established by her strict father, Ken, and her mother, Marie. Her desire to be in the limelight as an actress and singer isn’t always in line with how her parents feel she should behave and with Ken's failing health, Taylor tries her hardest to be the good daughter; but temptation seems to follow her every step of the way.

The Elliotts of New Orleans, Louisiana
A former cop, Tori is the free-spirited child of Kenny and Monique, who likes to party hard on Bourbon Street. But when she is served with an eviction notice, she's forced to move back home with her parents and sister, Courtney, and discovers taming her wild ways while living under their roof is not an easy task.

The Koloffs of Kannapolis, North Carolina, and Nashville, Tennessee
Kolby, who has two preacher parents, finds herself at odds with her father, Nikita, who is pushing her towards a year of ministry, while her mom, Victoria, carries a no-nonsense approach to talking about sex to teens, including Kolby and her friends. Kolby continues to look towards her sisters—Teryn, Tawni and Kendra—to help her navigate the rules set by her overbearing parents.

"Preachers' Daughters" is produced by Thinkfactory Media and executive produced by Adam Reed, Aaron Fishman, Adam Freeman, Emily Sinclair and Leslie Greif and with Lifetime’s Eli Lehrer, Mary Donahue and Kimberly Chessler. Lifetime has ordered ten one-hour episodes of the series

The Sisterhood

Congregations of thousands thrive in Atlanta's bustling metropolis, but it is not just the preacher men who help to keep these communities afloat. Preacher Wives will offer a candid look into the holy worlds of outspoken ladies who work to ensure that their churches run as smooth as Southern-churned butter. These larger-than-life women play a dynamic role in maintaining and expanding their devoted following. They manage day-to-day politics, help troubled or needy congregants and hire and fire staff. Some even step up to the pulpit to spread their own personalized sermons of inspiration and enlightenment. 
Viewers will also get a peek into their lives as mothers - seeing if they can strike a balance between being a parent and a respected public figure. The standards are high and the expectations can be overwhelming, but these driven, spiritual women are on a mission to overcome challenges, break molds and expand their group of devotees.

Preachers of LA

Known for their fiery sermons, community outreach and passionate followings, pastors have become iconic, beloved, and sometimes polarizing figures in modern culture. Yet, few people have access to these larger-than-life men away from the pulpit. Until now.

We're thrilled to introduce Preachers of L.A, a rare glimpse into the lives of six high-profile pastors from Los Angeles. From pro skateboarder Pastor Jay Haizlip to Grace Jones' brother Bishop Noel Jones to Bishop Clarence McClendon, who reaches 250 million homes via international broadcast each week, Preachers of L.A. will explore the human side of these ambitious and very powerful men of faith.

Snake Salvation

In the hills of Appalachia, Pentecostal pastors Jamie Coots and Andrew Hamblin struggle to keep an over-100-year-old tradition alive: the practice of handling deadly snakes in church. Jamie and Andrew believe in a bible passage that suggests a poisonous snakebite will not harm them as long as they are anointed by God’s power. If they don’t practice the ritual of snake handling, they believe they are destined for hell. Hunting the surrounding mountains for deadly serpents and maintaining their church’s snake collection is a way of life for both men. The pastors must frequently battle the law, a disapproving society, and even at times their own families to keep their way of life alive.

Mary Mary

ABOUT THE SHOW

Faith will be tested in the most intense season of WE tv’s MARY MARY, premiering Thursday, February 27 at 9PM ET/PT. Their personal lives are demanding all the attention as Erica and Tina Campbell’s world is turned upside-down from shocking betrayals and devastating news. Tina deals with an intimate issue fans will be shocked to learn the details about, and as Erica struggles to care for her sister, she begins to launch her solo career. When all is shattered, the ladies must look within themselves, and each other, to find the strength to pick up the pieces.

After landing the high profile cover on Ebony Magazine - where Tina unexpectedly decides to tell all about Teddy’s infidelity - Tina’s picture perfect dream becomes a nightmare. Devastated by Teddy’s actions, Tina struggles with her desire to forgive her husband. A broken Tina is unsure whether she has it in herself to forgive the man she thought she knew and searches for answers. Erica tries to be there for her sister, but finds that Tina is not always interested in her sister’s advice.

While Erica’s heart is breaking for her sister, she realizes that her desire to transition from Mary Mary to solo artist is more difficult than she anticipated. Erica takes the spotlight when she debuts her new single in New York City; however, she worries that she is unable to connect with the crowd without her sister. As she pushes on, Erica realizes that success has a cost: a ruptured vocal chord. Will the stress of balancing a solo career, her health and Mary Mary be too much for Erica?

After losing multiple Mary Mary bookings and forfeiting Erica and Tina’s trip to Africa, the fate of their manager, Mitchell, hangs by a thread. Erica and Tina are facing major life issues, including the news of their father’s terminal illness and untimely death. Famous or not, the ladies of Mary Mary have some major life changes to contend with, but who will come out the victor?

Source WEtv.com

It Takes A Church

While many in America are watching The Bachelor this winter, a Christian version is set to hit the airwaves this summer with a twist on the popular reality TV show.

It Takes a Church, with 2014 Grammy Award nominee Natalie Grant, is set to debut on GSN midyear. GSN is now casting for what it calls “an exciting, family-friendly dating show that takes place in the best community churches in America.”

If you “belong to an amazing church filled with a lively, fun congregation” or if you “have a dynamic pastor who inspires you every single day,” GSN wants to hear from you. Your church could be part of the latest 60-minute Christian reality TV program that will document efforts to find a “romantic partner” for the show’s star. At each church, the pastor will ask members to play matchmaker.

According to the Los Angeles Times, at the end of the competition, the single person in question will have to choose his or her favorite romantic partner, and the member of the congregation who recommended the match will win a donation for the church.

“I’m so excited to host It Takes a Church and have the opportunity to interact with churches all across America to bring a family-friendly show based on Christian faith and values," Grant says. “Church has been such an anchor and source of hope in my own life, and I look forward to showing the sense of community that can be found in the local church.”