Open Mike

Gloom & Doom for The Church This Easter? Go Glocal (my article in local news)

[I was invited to write the Easter article for our local N Charlotte newspaper The Lake Norman Citizen. Here ya go - with added pictures]

IT’S EASTER!   And most churches are experiencing low in-person attendance due to lingering concerns and at-home habits from the pandemic.

IT’S EASTER!   And Millennial young adults are leaving the church at historic rates, compared to Xers (“we grunge rock!”) and Boomers (“we classic rock!”).

And yet – I’m thrilled.  Thrilled and amazed at the ongoing impact of Jesus’ resurrection.  And no, those of you who know me at Lake Forest Church, it’s not just because of my naturally excitable personality, although that’s always a thing when I consider Jesus.

Though Christians in Lake Norman may take momentary discouragement from our contemporary and local experience of what seems like a depression of the Christian faith -- the indisputable, factual, historical impact of the resurrection over 2,000 years tells a completely different story.  Let me ‘splain please.

Back to Easter.  On that first resurrection day, among the risen Jesus’ first eyewitness-recorded words to his disciples were these: “Go and tell…” (Matthew 28:10; also John 20:17, Mark 16:7, Matthew 28:19).  And boy, did they ever “Go and tell…”  

To the point that today the church of Jesus Christ is the largest, most multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, multi-cultural institution in the world, and in human history.  2.382 billion souls identify as Christian today, which is 31.11% of y’all breathing on planet earth right now, marking Christianity as the majority religion.  Jesus’ person, Jesus’ message, and Jesus’ work are – measurably – the most compelling spiritual sustenance in human history.  Have you ever thought of it that way? 

An interesting thing about the ‘state of the church’ today is that one of the primary turnoffs American millennials state to me directly about ‘the church’ is its lack of diversity.  When in fact, if we step back and view the church globally and historically, the opposite is true (though yes, we need to fix that here).

 In fact, most of the dynamism in Christian worship and mission in our century is found in the fast-growing churches of the Global South.  “By 2020 fully two-thirds of all Christians were in the Global South, with only one-third in the Global North. By 2050 we anticipate that 77 percent of all Christians will live in the Global South,” according to the Pew Research Center.  And did you know that more Arabic speakers have become followers of Jesus over the past 30 years, than in the past 1,000 years combined?

And let me tell you – I am a witness.  I’ve worshipped in Shanghai with hundreds at a church full of expats from around the world – the Spirit-filled worship team of African and Asian university students radiated the grace and truth of Christ. 

In Cairo I wept in the front row as I experienced the worship of Jesus in original Arabic language songs for the first time, in a congregation of thousands. 

In London, I was joyful during Spirit-filled rock and roll modern worship in an ancient stone cathedral, full of young adults of many ethnicities.

So, if what your heart longs for is to be part of a global spiritual movement that has vibrancy in almost every culture, and that acts for justice and mercy on every continent, I recommend ‘the society of Jesus,’ His church.  Find a local church that’s participating with the global church – a glocal church is the ideal.

There are many valuable insights and practices in the world religions that I have had the privilege to study and experience.  Yet when the message of Jesus has been offered down through the ages, more people have reported life change and spiritual peace through faith in this Jesus, than any other way.  What is His message?  God and I are one (the Incarnation), God is love (the ontology of the divine), God loves you (the disposition of God), God suffered for your suffering and sin (Atonement at the Cross), God conquered death and suffering (Victory at the Empty Tomb), God will and is making all things new (Second Coming).

I hope you’ll ‘go and hear’ about Jesus this Easter at a local church.  I pray also you’ll take up your role in the story and live a life of ‘Go and tell,’ while sending others to do the same globally. In the name and power of the resurrected Jesus.

-credit to Bob Roberts for the term 'glocal' church

What About Female Church Elders & the Bible? + Elders as the Special Sauce of our Church

The quiet strength of Lake Forest Church is our Elders. We believe the Scriptures teach the roles of leadership in the church, including that of elder, are open to both women and men.  We do not operate with a 'quota' system of elders regarding gender, but trust the Spirit to make clear who is called each term.  Thus some years a majority of our candidates are men, and as in this year, sometimes a majority are women. 

I have been told that the role of women in leadership in the church (or not) has become a 'reheated' issue in the Christian blogosphere this year.  Please read to the end if you're interested in why we think the Bible teaches elder and pastors should be from both genders.

Since our founding, we have practiced the biblical principle of submission to authority by having pastors who minister under the authority of congregationally selected elders, and elders who shepherd the church under the authority of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church denomination. No pastor should be an authority unto him or her-self.  No church should be the end-all authority unto itself.  Neither circumstance is wise or biblical.  Run away, run away if you find yourself in a church where the pastor is an unaccountable authority unto himself!

When it comes to elders and pastors, we have performed a delicate dance of mutual submission to one another out of reverence for Christ in healthy ways for all of our years.  The elders give each of our Lead Pastors priority of calling and position as a 'first among equals' when it comes to vision, direction, and theology for the church, particularly.  And our pastors have a vote in all key decisions because we are elders also.  But elders outnumber us pastors on purpose when it comes to voting (our constitution calls for a 2-1 elder to pastor ratio).

When pastor-types gather and sit around and swap horror stories of elder meetings, pastor-elder-deacon conflict, etc. I sit quietly and thank the Lord for the unity we have enjoyed.  In 23 years, we have never had an elder or former elder leave the church in anger or disharmony - we have only lost elders when they moved away.

That unity is partly due to the caliber of our first elders passing it down (the 'founding fathers:' Rusty, Sam, Jack and Dave), partly due to a rigorous and lengthy selection process and criteria, partly due to specific practices we built into our elder rhythms from the beginning.  Some examples:

-we meet three times monthly so we can build a relational community of spiritual leaders, not a board of directors/deciders

-we meet frequently for nimbleness of decision-making and so we never have to raise a big or contentious issue at the same meeting a decision is needed - because that's when people feel manipulated or coerced against their conscience

-we don't seek unanimity, but we always insist upon unity

-when an issue is clearly gray, we choose to err on the side of grace as far as we can tell what that is

-as Lake Forest has grown from 42 to a few thousand as a family of churches, we continually adjust role differentiation between elders and pastors/staff

-no one is a successful elder candidate unless they have been fruitfully shepherding souls in some manner at Lake Forest already

-we measure a lot of stuff as elders, but we primarily measure church health by God-stories of 1. conversion and 2. spiritual growth of followers of Jesus

-we set a tone in the first year that vigorous discussion and disagreement between elders and me (or now also Aron/Michael/Victor/Terrell as Lead Pastors) is not only helpful but encouraged; and that I can disagree vigorously (usually with more words :) ) in return. That's healthy.

-ultimatums and fit-pitching are simply not allowed nor tolerated in our elder/pastor culture. If this ever happened in a meeting (it has not thus far), I think the response would be laughter

-we never invite someone to become an elder to begrudgingly fill the sick (but common) role of 'loyal opposition'

-elders are not selected or appointed to represent any 'constituency' in the church body - we avoid that like the plague because it leads to factionalism in the church

-we keep the active elder group (who serve a three year term) to a manageable size, even between our several Family of Churches, so the group can remain a community and lead-able.  we invite all inactive elders (not currently serving a 3 year term) to participate in director-level hiring interviews and the annual elder strategy retreat in August up in the mountains, in order to keep unity with the larger elder body

-the elders' responsibility for our whole Family of Churches, and each elder team for the local churches, is 'to discern the mind of Christ' on behalf of the health and future of the church. the elders of each LF Church meet 2-3 times a month, and the active elders of The Family of Churches meets monthly over a meal over shared identity and shared ministry (aka church planting)

It is elder affirmation and election weekend at Lake Forest right now. The elder search team has recommended candidates that our Ministry Partners (aka 'members') will vote on this Sunday.

One of our Ministry Partners asked me this week for a helpful overview of why I teach that the Bible invites women into leadership in the church, so I thought I would pass them along to you as well.  Here are my two favorite succinct treatments on the subject.

If you ask me about this in my office during a conversation, I will become most animated and pointed as I open up I Corinthians 11 with you, and read verse 5 where Paul asserts about details 'WHEN a woman prays or prophesies/preaches' in church.  I will then leap to Romans 16, then to the Old Testament examples of female headship over men and society spiritually and otherwise, then back to other female leaders in the New Testament. So pay particular attention to each paper's elucidation of I Corinthians 11.  Also, both papers deal forthrightly with the passages that appear to forbid female leadership in the church - check it out.

This is written by my friend Gerrit Dawson, a scholarly pastor and leader in our denomination (currently pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Baton Rouge LA): Download Women Ordination Paper _ Gerrit Dawson (2011)

This resource is from the Evangelical Covenant denomination, which shares our same commitment to the authority and infallibility of the scriptures for Christian faith and practice.  I've posted it before: Download Women-called-and-gifted-booklet-2.10-1

Thank you to the elders of Lake Forest for the gift of humble mutual submission you have give to me and the other pastors these years.  Thank you for the burdens you have borne heavily and quietly on behalf of our church.  May you find joy in your calling as an elder at Lake Forest Church this year!

[this post is an edited version of a blog entry of mine from 2015]

The quiet strength of Lake Forest Church is our Elders. We believe the Scriptures teach the roles of leadership in the church, including that of elder, are open to both women and men.  We do not operate with a 'quota' system of elders regarding gender, but trust the Spirit to make clear who is called each term.  Thus some years a majority of our candidates are men, and as in this year, sometimes a majority are women. 

I have been told that the role of women in leadership in the church (or not) has become a 'reheated' issue in the Christian blogosphere this year.  Please read to the end if you're interested in why we think the Bible teaches elder and pastors should be from both genders.

Since our founding, we have practiced the biblical principle of submission to authority by having pastors who minister under the authority of congregationally selected elders, and elders who shepherd the church under the authority of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church denomination. No pastor should be an authority unto him or her-self.  No church should be the end-all authority unto itself.  Neither circumstance is wise or biblical.  Run away, run away if you find yourself in a church where the pastor is an unaccountable authority unto himself!

When it comes to elders and pastors, we have performed a delicate dance of mutual submission to one another out of reverence for Christ in healthy ways for all of our years.  The elders give each of our Lead Pastors priority of calling and position as a 'first among equals' when it comes to vision, direction, and theology for the church, particularly.  And our pastors have a vote in all key decisions because we are elders also.  But elders outnumber us pastors on purpose when it comes to voting (our constitution calls for a 2-1 elder to pastor ratio).

When pastor-types gather and sit around and swap horror stories of elder meetings, pastor-elder-deacon conflict, etc. I sit quietly and thank the Lord for the unity we have enjoyed.  In 23 years, we have never had an elder or former elder leave the church in anger or disharmony - we have only lost elders when they moved away.

That unity is partly due to the caliber of our first elders passing it down (the 'founding fathers:' Rusty, Sam, Jack and Dave), partly due to a rigorous and lengthy selection process and criteria, partly due to specific practices we built into our elder rhythms from the beginning.  Some examples:

-we meet three times monthly so we can build a relational community of spiritual leaders, not a board of directors/deciders

-we meet frequently for nimbleness of decision-making and so we never have to raise a big or contentious issue at the same meeting a decision is needed - because that's when people feel manipulated or coerced against their conscience

-we don't seek unanimity, but we always insist upon unity

-when an issue is clearly gray, we choose to err on the side of grace as far as we can tell what that is

-as Lake Forest has grown from 42 to a few thousand as a family of churches, we continually adjust role differentiation between elders and pastors/staff

-no one is a successful elder candidate unless they have been fruitfully shepherding souls in some manner at Lake Forest already

-we measure a lot of stuff as elders, but we primarily measure church health by God-stories of 1. conversion and 2. spiritual growth of followers of Jesus

-we set a tone in the first year that vigorous discussion and disagreement between elders and me (or now also Aron/Michael/Victor/Terrell as Lead Pastors) is not only helpful but encouraged; and that I can disagree vigorously (usually with more words :) ) in return. That's healthy.

-ultimatums and fit-pitching are simply not allowed nor tolerated in our elder/pastor culture. If this ever happened in a meeting (it has not thus far), I think the response would be laughter

-we never invite someone to become an elder to begrudgingly fill the sick (but common) role of 'loyal opposition'

-elders are not selected or appointed to represent any 'constituency' in the church body - we avoid that like the plague because it leads to factionalism in the church

-we keep the active elder group (who serve a three year term) to a manageable size, even between our several Family of Churches, so the group can remain a community and lead-able.  we invite all inactive elders (not currently serving a 3 year term) to participate in director-level hiring interviews and the annual elder strategy retreat in August up in the mountains, in order to keep unity with the larger elder body

-the elders' responsibility for our whole Family of Churches, and each elder team for the local churches, is 'to discern the mind of Christ' on behalf of the health and future of the church. the elders of each LF Church meet 2-3 times a month, and the active elders of The Family of Churches meets monthly over a meal over shared identity and shared ministry (aka church planting)

It is elder affirmation and election weekend at Lake Forest right now. The elder search team has recommended candidates that our Ministry Partners (aka 'members') will vote on this Sunday.

One of our Ministry Partners asked me this week for a helpful overview of why I teach that the Bible invites women into leadership in the church, so I thought I would pass them along to you as well.  Here are my two favorite succinct treatments on the subject.

If you ask me about this in my office during a conversation, I will become most animated and pointed as I open up I Corinthians 11 with you, and read verse 5 where Paul asserts about details 'WHEN a woman prays or prophesies/preaches' in church.  I will then leap to Romans 16, then to the Old Testament examples of female headship over men and society spiritually and otherwise, then back to other female leaders in the New Testament. So pay particular attention to each paper's elucidation of I Corinthians 11.  Also, both papers deal forthrightly with the passages that appear to forbid female leadership in the church - check it out.

This is written by my friend Gerrit Dawson, a scholarly pastor and leader in our denomination (currently pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Baton Rouge LA): Download Women Ordination Paper _ Gerrit Dawson (2011)

This resource is from the Evangelical Covenant denomination, which shares our same commitment to the authority and infallibility of the scriptures for Christian faith and practice.  I've posted it before: Download Women-called-and-gifted-booklet-2.10-1

Thank you to the elders of Lake Forest for the gift of humble mutual submission you have give to me and the other pastors these years.  Thank you for the burdens you have borne heavily and quietly on behalf of our church.  May you find joy in your calling as an elder at Lake Forest Church this year!

[this post is an edited version of a blog entry of mine from 2015]

Ancient Future Church 2021: Praying the 'Stations of the Cross' Wed - Fri @ LFC

A below-the-waterline value of ours at Lake Forest Church is to be an ancient-future church. This week we'll attempt to live it out by opening the worship center Wed-Fri for people  to 'Pray the Stations of the Cross.'

What do we mean by ancient-future church?  'Future' as in modern worship style & music, and worship elements like spoken word and illustrative short films. These practices are an attempt to speak timeless truth and sacred experience in the heart/head language of our current cultural sensibilities. 

'Ancient' as in we regularly seek to lean into some of the most effective ancient worship and discipleship practices from 2,000+ years of Christian experience. For example, in our worship planning room, we have a cork board with cards pinned to it, each labeled with a different historical church worship practice. We generally choose one of them to use or reinterpret for each sermon series.  Some recent examples have been singing The Doxology to end worship weekly in one series, reciting the Apostle's Creed weekly during another series, and more.

This Easter week we once again invite folks to the ancient practice of 'Praying the Stations of the Cross,' as a way to meditate slowly on Jesus' journey to the cross, prepare our spirit for Easter worship, and identify with him more fully in our union with Him by faith.  We are doing this instead of a Good Friday worship service this year.  There are 14 traditional stations that will progress around the walls of our worship center, and out into the Prayer Garden (when weather is nice Thurs/Fri).  Each station has original art work commissioned by us, a brief passage of scripture, and a poetic prayer for each of us to pray or make into our own.  The artwork is by a former staff member of ours, the prayers by an Irish poet. Both are detailed below, along with a bit of history on this practice, copied from the handout that will be available to all.

The LFCH worship center will be open, with contemplative music playing softly, for this prayer journey this Wednesday through Friday 9am-5pm.  Communion will be offered on Good Friday from 11am-1pm, and from 3-5m, at the end of the stations.  All this while observing distancing and masking carefully. I invite you to try it with an open mind, if you've never prayed the stations before.

"Jesus is Beaten and Scourged" by Melody Hogan

We want to be sure we are never a modern only, happy slappy clappy church (though we are certainly happy and clappy often!), but that we also lean into tried and true ways of experiencing the awe, mystery, truth and wonder of our faith in Christ. Particularly when we gather for weekly worship together.  'Ancient-Future' is how we talk about that in a 'both/and' sort of way.  Our long-time staff member Tracy Grubbs is our liturgist in chief, who always lovingly and artfully puts together events like Ash Wednesday and Stations of the Cross - thank you Tracy for serving us all so well.

As promised, here's a bit more about the origin of Stations of the Cross, and the artwork and poetic prayers in this year's edition:

The Way of the Cross:
During the Turkish occupation of the Holy Land in the late
Middle Ages, when pilgrims were prevented from visiting its
sacred sites, the custom arose of making replicas of those
holy places, where the faithful might come to pray. One of the most popular of these
devotions was the “Stations of the Way of the Cross,” which were imitations of the
“stations,” or stopping places of prayer on the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem. By the late
sixteenth century the fourteen stations, as we know them today, were erected in
almost all Catholic churches.

At each of the fourteen stations:
-Read the Scripture, view the image, pray the accompanying written prayer aloud
or silently.
-Then meditate on the prayer and image, making the prayer your own. Either gently
repeat the written prayer or pray your own life into the subject of that prayer

A Preparatory Prayer-- St. Francis
Most merciful Lord,
With a contrite heart and penitent spirit I bow down before Thy divine Majesty.
I adore Thee as my supreme Lord and Master. I believe in Thee, I hope in Thee,
I love Thee above all things. I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, my only
and supreme God.
I firmly resolve to amend my life; and although I am unworthy to obtain mercy, yet
looking upon Thy holy Cross, I am filled with peace and consolation. I will, therefore,
meditate on Thy sufferings, and visit the Stations. O Loving Jesus, inflame my cold
heart with Thy love, that I may live and die in union with Thee.
Amen.

About the artist:
Melody Hogan’s series of artwork for the “Stations of the Cross” reflects her love
of graphic design and simplified shapes and forms. Her abstractions serve as
connection points that invite hearts to earnestly engage in the sacred and
solemn observance of Holy Week as if they were hazy memories experienced
personally by the viewer.
The materials of reclaimed cardboard, rusted metal and pastel chalk were
chosen to represent the earthly, deteriorating nature of our lives as human
beings. These mundane materials also highlight the mystery of the incarnation
of God: Fully God in all His glory choosing to be Fully Man, subjected to the
constraints of a broken and fallen world.
This body of work is intended to offer us a unique opportunity to not only
witness but share in the Passions (pain and suffering) of the Christ (the Anointed
One).
It also serves as a fitting reminder of this verse in Matthew:
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy
and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in
heaven. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Matthew 6:19-2

Learn more about Melody's art and work here https://melodyhogan.com/

About the poet:

Pádraig Ó Tuama is a poet and theologian based in Belfast. ... He is the leader of the Corrymeela
Community, a Christian witness to peace in Northern Ireland, and is the author of two books of poetry,
Readings from the Book of Exile and Sorry for Your Troubles
the Prayers in this piece are from Daily Prayer with the Corrymeela Community

An Early Fall Note to LFC Parents of Teens

Hey parents of teens – pastor Mike here.  I’ve been in your shoes recently (they are good shoes, but demanding).

God has appointed you the primary shepherd of your teen’s heart, even today.  You are the only parent(s) they have.  Psychologists consistently combat the primary lie at this phase of parenting – that your job is done and their peers are now the primary reference point. NO.  Studies show conclusively they peg who they ARE and ARE NOT becoming primarily to you, all the way through age 21.  So don’t check out, mail it in, or retire prematurely from taking leadership in their life.  However, it does look different the older they get.

I have a suggestion for you:  make a deal with your teen(s) that they give LFC’s RE:MIX youth group a try for ONE MONTH on Sunday evenings, starting tonight.

I have three reasons: 1. loving adult mentors will thus be in your kids life, who love Jesus and love them - WHAT A MASSIVE ASSET. It made all the difference in the world in my two sons lives.  2. they'll hear the Bible taught to their life-stage skillfully.  3. they will know they BELONG to a caring, fun group of people who love them and identify as followers of Jesus Christ.

I get it – when our children hit their teen years, ‘making’ them do something is still possible, yet often counter-productive. That’s why I recommend making a deal, offering an incentive.  Here’s how it sounded for me as a dad of high schoolers:

“Hey bud, spiritual growth and following Jesus is important in our family, and as long as you live in our home, you’re asked to share that priority, primarily by attending church worship with us.  But the best way for you to grow spiritually is to be part of our church’s youth group RE:MIX on Sunday evenings.  I’d like to make a deal – you attend RE:MIX for the first 4-6 weeks of the fall (starting this Sunday night).  And I will hook you up with XYZ (what is something they like?  Dinner out at a nice restaurant?  Movie tickets? Pay for a pizza party with friends at your house? Make it valuable to them IF you value their spiritual health).  After those weeks, we will have a conversation and decide together if RE:MIX is something you’ll participate in the rest of the semester.”

The fall kickoff is this Sunday.  Check the website like a modern human for times and details.

Oh and by the way, we have crazy renewed energy in our RE:MIX youth ministry this year.  This is the result of stable years’ long leadership under Mike Hall, Cammie Howard, and their dedicated team of leaders. They are fun, they’re intentional, they care about each teenager and their spiritual life. 

The results of Lake Forest Church-Huntersville’s RE:MIX ministry thriving  is not just that more teens are showing up for ‘events,’ but its weekly discipleship, seeing tons of teens serving throughout every ministry of our church and on mission trips, and a bunch of kids whose families don’t even attend LFC wanting to belong at RE:MIX. 

2 Good Questions About 'Racial Disharmony' Content in My Sermon

Dear Friends:

I get feedback following every sermon I preach. Some messages illicit more responses. Most notes are kind and fill my “warm and fuzzy” bucket, others are critical or questioning. That’s the deal with being Lead Pastor and I embrace it as part of living in dialogue, not monologue, with the precious people of Lake Forest Church.

I don’t have a strong need to defend myself or change someone’s mind when the feedback is critical or questioning, but there are times where I go, “Huh, maybe I should unpack this a bit more for our entire tribe.” And this week, following my sermon “Writing a Better Story – Pt. 2” is one of those times.

Here are two good honest questions I received from more than one person regarding the racial understanding portion of my message:

1. “Mike, it seems like when you touch on matters of race in your sermons, you only talk about what white people are doing wrong and how white people need to change – do you have a problem with whiteness? 

That’s a good question. Thank you for helping me understand an area in which I haven't been clear, evidently.  God has appointed me to shepherd a particular group of people in one particular church.  Those people are, by far, mostly white folks in suburban Lake Norman and N Charlotte.  My charge is to teach the Bible, with its comforts and challenges, to the people in the congregation.  There have been and will be moments when I stop and apply a Bible verse to people of color in the room. But when I feel called, by God's Word, to speak prophetically or challengingly about matters of race, I very specifically choose to do so to the majority of our congregation (of which I am a part) - anglos.

Also, no I don't have a problem with whiteness and I’m not ashamed of mine – I like it (except for the frequent sunburns).  In fact, I don’t want to be guilty of so focusing on bad things “we” have done that it leads to shame and guilt.  Because of the gospel, we are not a shame and guilt church!  However, I will continue to call us to the important task of owning the power the Bible says each of us has to do helpful, healing, even great things in our world on behalf of more vulnerable communities.  Because God’s Word says God “has committed to us the message of reconciliation” (II Cor. 5:19).  Therefore that is the primary role God has given to us Christians in today's turmoil over race - people with a message of reconciliation through our words and deeds, rooted in the good news of Jesus Christ.

2. “Why don’t you point out what other races are doing wrong too? Does our partner church The L speak frankly and prophetically about matters of race to its congregation? How about Pastor Victor?”

As I said above, my calling and style is to almost exclusively talk to the people in the room, not about people outside the room. You'll notice that I don't normally bash or exhort people of other nations or religious faiths in my sermons, for example.  But on the other hand, I’m not shy about encouraging LFC folks to be carriers of the message of reconciliation, and not-so-secret agents of Revelation 7:9 (the picture of heaven with every tongue, tribe and language present in harmony).  We Christians are to put God’s future kingdom on display through our present actions and words. Here's God's good future:

"After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb."  - Revelation 7:9

When we pray "thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven" from the Lord's prayer, THIS is one of the things we are praying for! And its what we are called to put on display in our interactions about race and with people of other ethnicities, privately and publicly today, as kingdom people. Living out Revelation 7:9 is a priority for our family of churches.

And yes, Pastor Byron Davis of our partner church, Liberation Ministries, which is a predominantly African-American congregation, speaks the same scriptures to his congregation and applies them very specifically. I’ve been present when he’s given comfort and challenge to them regarding racial understanding and reconciliation.

Oh, and what’s good for my LFC friends to know is that Victor and Rosmi Leal came up with the idea of naming our new Spanish-speaking church ‘The Good Samaritan’ (El Buen Samaritano) precisely as biblical challenge to their Latino members.  Rather than only focusing on how they may feel overlooked or underestimated as a community, Pastor Victor wants them to live with the dignity that Jesus calls them to BE the Good Samaritan to others, in the name of Christ.  I think that’s fantastic.