First Step in Church Antiracism

CHURCH WITNESS AGAINST RACISM

YOUR MISSION, SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT, IS TO FORM A TEAM OF CLERGY WHO WILL ENGAGE THEIR  MEMBERSHIP IN A CREATIVE RESPONSE TO RACISM THAT AFFLICTS SOCIETY, CHURCH, AND THE FAITH OF OUR MEMBERS

FIRST STEP FOR A PASTOR OF A CHURCH

1. Identify five or six other clergy that you think might also be interested in exploring an anti-racism strategy in their churches.  While it is not essential in this first step, it would be preferable if there were both Black and White pastors.
   1. Preferably arrange for either some members of your church to prepare the meal or find a private dining room in a convenient restaurant accessible by your guests.
   1. Alert them to the fact that you want to find a convenient date when all of you might come together to both discuss and experiment with an antiracism strategy. Assure them that they aren’t making a commitment beyond having a meal together until the idea is fully explored.
   1. Tell them you will send them a small piece of homework that you would like them to complete before they arrive
   1. Make clear that you will meet for a couple of hours to eat and discuss the idea.

Preferably these are statements that a majority of their members would recognize as a part of the Christian faith.  (e.g., You shall love your neighbor)

• During your time together, each will share their list and then as a group you will try to identify a combined list of ten that together you feel are recognizable as central to basic Christian faith.

• Then discuss together how these beliefs are related to racism in our society.  Take each of ten and discuss how, if people lived this faith, it would impact the tensions of and divisions caused by racism in our churches and society.

• Invite them to join in a multi-church anti-racism ministry. Like they have just experienced, it would begin by probing their membership via the internet to identify the basic belief structure which would be shared in graph form with each participating church. ( See sample of the  process below.)

• The end goal would be to build connections among several parts of the Body of Christ. This would lead to exploring ways to share anti-racism ministry.
• The first steps would be to talk with each of your church’s lay leaders   and gain their support.
• (Continued in Next Blog)