(Recommitting to) Five Things We Will Not Do
We don't want to make a name for ourselves, we want to show you Jesus!
Every time we treat someone with dignity rather than shame, respect rather than disregard, concern rather than exploitation, kindness rather than brutality, and careful attention rather than turning away, we are doing things that are the reverse of trauma and evil.
-Dr. Diane Langberg, Redeeming Power
Not self-justification, which means the use of domination and force, but justification by grace, and therefore service, should govern the Christian community.
-Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together
The cursing of the fig tree that bore no fruit is a sign that the structures, whether political, social, economic, or churchly, that do not live up to their responsibility of love and justice, and thus are unfruitful for God, are ripe for judgment.
-Johannes Verkuyl, Responsible Revolution
I first wrote down these five commitments over one year ago. Much has happened since then. Our ministry on the Near Westside of Indianapolis has grown in depth and breadth. Our core team is being established. People are meeting Jesus. Ministry programs are expanding. Beautiful worship services are being held for our neighbor’s good and God’s glory.
I have found these five convictions challenging to keep. In ministry, we face the relentless pull away from the service of others and toward the glory of self. Perhaps this is the most common way our Enemy attacks Christ’s church. Or the little narcissist in every ministry leader calls out for attention and praise. Maybe it is both. (Of course it is.) Whether through sinful comparison or the desire to draw attention to ourselves, it is challenging to keep these convictions, no matter how strong they may be.
This pull towards self-glorification is felt most in fundraising. I have been working with a fundraising coach (she is excellent) to train on a specific fundraising model with a history of success. The training has largely been good. However, their preferred design for a fundraising presentation goes against many of our convictions (which I have laid out below). They want us to tell personal stories about the people we serve, show their pictures, and boast about our numeric successes. In some cases, these tactics may be the right thing to do. We do not believe they are the right thing to do in our ministry. As a result, our fundraising journey has taken much more time and creativity.
I am thankful for those around us who hold us accountable to our convictions, such as Redeemer's oversight or our fellow core team members working to start this new church. Many of these individuals have themselves been wounded by abuse or injustice and are sensitive to the way people are exploited by or in churches. I am a better pastor – a better person – because I get to serve alongside them.
Any church that wants to draw attention to itself will face and often succumb to the temptation to exploit others for self-glorification. To protect our neighbors and hearts from this temptation, we strive to keep the following convictions in our lives and ministry practices.
We will not speak in ways that strip dignity away from our neighbors and community.
As I’ve listened to missionaries and church planters over the years, I have become well-acquainted with presentations that use guilt and the struggles of a community to motivate support for the ministry. Such messages might sound something like this:
“Look at all that is wrong in our community. Look at the violence. We have drugs. Here is everything wrong with our families. And where are the churches? They’re clearly not doing a good enough job. Our community needs Christians who are willing to make a difference. What are you willing to give to make this ministry possible?”
These messages have become normalized, even expected, in our White Christian subcultures. We don’t think they should be.
Of course, there is a place for discussing the curses of sin in a community. We need prayer for our people and places. Burdens must be shared. Common causes must be addressed. All of this is right and good.
However, when our motivations become tied to using guilt for giving, we are stealing dignity from our neighbors to make a name for ourselves. Our words give the impression that there is little beauty in our community, little to value, little to love. But if Jesus made our places and created our neighbors in his image, then there is always much to celebrate!
When you hear us speak of the Near Westside of Indianapolis, we want you to hear about the places and people Jesus loves. We want to tell you about our hidden art alley, the restoration of Belmont Beach, and the best sunrises you’ll find in the whole city. We want to tell you about the empanadas at Che Chori’s, the fresh produce at Carniceria Guanajuato, and the great meal you’ll have at Lete’s Injera and Café. We want you to know about Canela’s bakery, which opened on our new bike path. We want you to hear our neighborhood’s history. We want you to know the names of our community leaders and listen to their stories of strength and resilience.
In short, because we believe that Jesus created and treasures the Near Westside, we will use our words to speak life and beauty into our community, not death and woe. We cannot be ambassadors of reconciliation when we rob people of their God-given dignity and value.
We will not exploit other’s personal stories.
In 1855, the abolitionist John Fee estimated that ministers of the gospel and Protestant church members owned 660,563 slaves. In fact, it was not just individual Christians who owned slaves, but local churches as institutions owned slaves to pay the ministers’ salaries through their labors. This relieved congregants of the responsibility of paying tithes and offerings themselves (Kwon and Thompson, Reparations, 117). Christians could avoid getting involved in the ministry by unjustly exploiting the bodies of slaves to make church life comfortable.
A common expectation in fundraising is that stories of lives changed in the ministry will be shared as evidence of its fruitfulness. Such stories are intended to move hearts, as pictures of individuals are put on screens and intimate details of lives are shared.
We understand there is a place and time to testify to what Jesus is doing. However, we are uncomfortable when such intimate details are attached to giving asks and ministry branding. These stories belong to the individuals, not spectators and random audiences. Even when permission to share stories is sought, the undue pressure it can give, especially to new converts or those used to being exploited, isn’t worth it.
Furthermore, in a diverse context like ours, such sharing of intimate stories cannot be separated from the legacy of White Christians who have used black and brown bodies for their own comforts. As much as we are able, we will put an end to this legacy. Our neighbors are not for sale.
We will be very slow to publicly share the personal details of those we minister to in our communities. We will not showcase pictures of our neighbors online or in presentations. We will not post the number of people we serve, who attend our events, or who profess faith. We know this will make funding more challenging, but so be it.
As one of my mentors recently told me, “You don’t need to pimp people on a screen for money.” We won’t do it.
We will not put down other churches.
As much as we are able, we caution our members and supporters that we can never adopt a prideful, egotistic attitude about our ministry. Jesus doesn’t need us on the Near Westside but has graciously invited us in. Even as we pray for our ministry, we should expect that Jesus will answer our prayers through other churches instead of us. When he does, he will be just as worthy of praise and celebration. We must never begin to think that we are better or more important than any other ministry.
We’re tired of churches and pastors who make a living by putting other churches down. Too often, churches make a name for themselves by telling people how they will do things differently and better than the existing churches in their community. What a bunch of godless nonsense!
In the context of predominantly White churches speaking ill of ethnic minority churches, such attitudes are laced with a kind of White supremacy that dismisses the faith and contributions of those who we have sinfully disregarded for far too long.
This conviction is difficult to hold in a ministry setting where many other churches could not affirm the Apostles’ or Nicene Creeds. Still, there is a way to speak about differences without disrespect. Given that these other churches have been in this neighborhood for decades, and our Reformed tradition has been absent for over a century, these other churches are due respect even if we have significant disagreements.
We know that putting down other churches is an easy sell, but we won’t do it. We will strive for humility, seeking to learn from those who have been here long before us. We will pray earnestly for the other churches in our community and celebrate their ministries as much as our own. We want our presence to bring life to the different churches in our neighborhood. True revival and renewal on the Near Westside of Indianapolis will at least be marked by greater unity and love among our churches.
We’ll never get there when we’re using put-downs for profit.
We will not use people as both a means and an end.
As we develop our core values for the ministry, one value you might expect to see is something related to being a diverse, multi-ethnic, or cross-cultural church. We have intentionally decided not to use such language to describe our ministry values.
We’ve found that while many predominantly White churches have the best of intentions in being multi-ethnic/intercultural, these desires are often stated without a clear vision of how to get there. As such, the fact of being multi-ethnic becomes both a means and an end, as if we can achieve diversity simply by saying we’re diverse. At worst, this can create a culture where BIPOC church members are used to present a particular image of a church that is different from reality.
Consider my denomination, whose legacy of racism remains an idol to be torn down and rectified. While many in previous decades used the language of “racial reconciliation,” few were willing to go the distance of racial justice and equity. As a result, in the tumultuous events of the previous five+ years, many ethnic minorities in our denomination have felt duped by a faux reconciliation. Reconciliation without justice is a fraud that cannot deliver on its promise.
In addition, we recognize that this language would be incredibly offensive to many of our neighbors. We would be arrogant to think we could not only be new residents in the neighborhood trying to start a church but also quickly bring everyone together under some new cross-cultural umbrella without earning trust, building relationships, and investing in our community for the long haul.
We believe that a genuinely multi-ethnic/inter-cultural church results from a just, patient, loving ministry that seeks the good of all those who live in the community. Undoubtedly, this is one of our deepest desires for our church. However, if God should choose to bless the ministry in this way, it will be the slow, patient fruit of a just people loving their community.
Anything less is a counterfeit.
We will not make it all about our brand.
I’ll be the first to admit that Redeemer for the Near Westside is not the best ministry name. It’s a mouthful that I don’t even enjoy saying! More significantly, people often confuse us for Redeemer Near Westside, a mere satellite campus of Redeemer downtown. This usually gives the impression that we will be nothing more than an extension that copies our sending church (Redeemer Presbyterian in Indianapolis).
There is no doubt that we did not make the best marketing decision. This, too, was intentional! Our current ministry name, mouthful aside, communicates precisely who we are: a ministry sent by Redeemer downtown for the Near Westside. This is not a church name, and we have no plans to select a name for our church soon.
We hope a new church will naturally grow from our ministry efforts in our community. As neighborhood members join this ministry, they will take ownership of the church’s values, philosophy, and name. We intend for the future members of our church to name the church. After all, it will belong to them.
A name may seem small, but this has been just one way for us to communicate – and remind ourselves – that this ministry isn’t about us. It’s all about Jesus and what he is doing for the Near Westside!
We don’t want a brand and snazzy marketing. We won’t pay for a marketing team. Our social media won’t be flashy. My Canva skills may be mediocre, but they get the job done.
We believe that before anything else, Christians in a community must first be known for their service. This necessitates a patient, long-term ministry model emphasizing trust and mutual care – not a brand.
We’re not here to make a name for ourselves; we want to show you Jesus!
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These convictions are based on beliefs about what it means to love our neighbor in our particular context. They are not perfect, and we will not hold them perfectly. We hope that by them, we might make a love known that flows out of Jesus's heart for our community.