When surprise questions appear on an apostolic social test--and it makes you feel a little sheepish--it is nice to be surrounded by 3,000 friends who care.
That is about how I felt at the Christian Community Development Association Conference in Cincinnati last month. While in a crowd of Christ followers dedicated to restoring under-resourced communities, John Perkins spoke to our souls from 1 John, an epistle that forced me to consider which kingdom priorities I have de-prioritized in my fledgling work as a minister.
The apostle wrote, "And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother" (1 John 4:21).
Love God and love others. I know. This is a hand-me-down maxim among those who serve in under-resourced areas. Ministers of mercy are the first to point out that it is a seriously confused Christian who tries to pull apart the commandments that Jesus joined together (Matthew 22:37-40). Since I passionately affirmed this notion long before the conference, the CCDA gathering caught me off guard by teaching me how I needed to be reconfigured by it.
God's lesson for me began when I started to see patterns in the testimonies of seasoned urban ministers. Many recounted how their callings led them into relationships with the disenfranchised. These relationships launched them into spiritually exhausting battles against injustice. Some admitted that the intensity of these battles whittled them down until they felt dangerously disconnected from God, co-laborers, or even those they were serving. Then they learned to establish relational laws that cleared up their perspective on loving God and loving others well.
God used their perspectives to confront me with three simple Great Commandment questions.
1) Do you really believe that prayer is an indispensable aspect of compassion ministry?
In a leadership workshop, one pastor who started a homeless ministry said his spiritual gift was "taking new beachheads for the kingdom." Many CCDA people have similar gifts. They had huge visions, few resources, and amazing energy for God, but they also had the wisdom to remain on their knees. They thought it was laughable to abstract the ministry of mercy from steadfast prayer. As I reflect on past attempts to do something for the Lord without praying, I wonder how I ever hoped to accomplish anything for him without loving him enough to remain in communion with him. Deep intimacy with God is the wellspring of compassion ministry that glorifies him.
2) How much do you cherish your co-laborers?
Not only was there an entire session devoted to synergy, but the communal CCDA atmosphere itself was a refreshing contrast to conferences where people are treated as mere depositories of new information. There was general embodiment of the notion that the ministry to the poor is truly a "team sport" as veteran urban minister Bart Campolo said. The emphasis on a communal approach to urban ministry reminded me how misguided it is for me to prioritize projects over people, especially in an exhausting vocation that so clearly requires team members who are committed to one another.
3) How are you working to deepen relationships with the people you are serving?
Some showed how too many programs to serve the poor can strain relationships between ministers and impoverished residents. Although some boundaries are important, relationships flounder when contained exclusively within the boundaries of programs. In a workshop, Steve Corbett, a professor at Covenant College, revealed how a correct definition of poverty can prevent this phenomenon. Instead of thinking poverty as a lack of resources, he suggested viewing poverty as fractured relationships, relationships that Jesus Christ came to redeem. This challenged me to view development not as something done to people or for people but with people.
These questions have me rethinking whether or not my perspective on urban ministry truly reflects kingdom priorities.
by Luke McFadden
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