Mission America City/Community Ministries Conference Call
January 15, 2009
Topic: "A sterling example of a Cityreaching partnership"
(Influenced by the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement)
Hosts: Rev. Jarvis Ward & Dr. Glenn Barth
Guest: Dr. Charles Gilmer, Founder & President, The Impact Movement
Jarvis welcomed callers as they joined the call. Roger Johnson, Chicago, opened the call with prayer.
Announcements:
► 2009 Regional City Impact Roundtables: Several cities are planning Regional City Impact Roundtables. May 4-5 Upstate NY cityreachers will meet in Syracuse. Dr. John Perkins is coming to speak Leaders from Buffalo, Syracuse, Rochester, Watertown, have met together to plan. If you are interested, send email to info@cityreaching.com .
Others prayerfully exploring regionals include Fresno, San Diego, Cedar Rapids IA, Charleston WV, Ohio, Birmingham/Tuscaloosa, AL.
► Did you notice something new at www.cityreaching.com ? The newly redesigned site is now LIVE. Please take a look. One of the features is the opportunity to highlight city story videos. If you have a video describing what God is doing in your city through collaborative churches, preferably in FLV format, please send it to us.
► Our next monthly call is Feb 19, 2009
► The Mission America Coalition is offering cityreachers FREE MEMBERSHIP…. Visit www.missionamerica.org
► Jarvis mentioned receiving an email re: a coming event, March to End Hunger, in Washington D.C. Dr. John Perkins, CCDA, World Vision, and others are participating.
Jarvis: Today is Martin Luther King’s birthday. God has used his life and ministry in some incredible ways, of course including the Civil Rights Movement. Probably all of us can cite an example of how God used Martin Luther King and Christians to impact cityreaching as we know it today. I’ve asked a good friend, Pastor Matthew Watts from Charleston, WV to introduce his friend and our guest.
Pastor Matthew Watts: As a native of West Virginia, I know Charles Gilmer as a good friend. I see the spirit of his father, Paul, on his son. Charles and his lovely wife responded to God’s call to work on college campuses for 26 years.
Interview:
Jarvis: First, would you tell us what exactly is the Impact Movement. What are its vision, mission and goals?
Gilmer: It grew out of a conference sponsored by Campus Crusade for Christ, going back to 1991. Over the years we recognized it neded to be more than a conference but a movement. In 2002 we incorporated separately, remaining amicable covenant partners with Campus Crusade.
We want to see each community be a reflection of the redemptive power of Christ, particularly African Americans. We see in the black community an example of the restorative power of the gospel. Our mission is to take the gospel to the campus, the community and the world through leaders who are focused. We are currently on 100 campuses. Our goal is 200 locations. We want to see God grow the ministry to have 20,000 financially responsible and morally fit students proclaim the good news on their campus and community on a weekly basis, including community service, tutoring students, and mobilize college students to go back to the community as tutors.
Glenn asked for the Impact Movement website: www.impactmovement.com
Glenn: In light of Dr. King's vision and the many positive advancements of the Civil Rights Movement, why did the Impact founders believe it was necessary to start a separate campus-based evangelical initiative to target students of African descent?
Gilmer: That’s a question I often get. There are two ways to describe it. Missiology, in the concept of conceptualization, to most effectively penetrate that community. The other way is experiential. African American students often find themselves in an awkward place. While getting their higher education, there is a tendency to be drawn away from the communities that most desperately need their leadership. They often find better housing opportunities in the suburbs. When you talk about ministry, they go on campus and see Campus Crusade, Navigators and InterVarsity doing good work, but don’t feel they really belong there. They feel like people without a home, Those are realities they contend with. So this was raised up to help them understand relevancy. Many grew up in Christian homes, but are now finding faith beyond Mama's faith, not just proclaiming but demonstrating the gospel in the community. It makes us a little different from other ministries, but flows out of our desire to help them live in a pattern so when they leave college they are in practice of serving the community. Often college grads want to give back, but think they have to get their career started, so the opportunity to give back is limited. But these college students have time, energy and cultural proximity to affect those who are often being left behind the African American middle class.
Jarvis: Why not stay as African American leaders engaged in predominantly white movements to change those movements' expressions of ministry?
Gilmer: Two years ago when Promise Keepers was in their heyday, there was talk about reconciliation. What we do is not a contradiction. I find it difficult to reconcile to those who are not present. Black students are not being attracted to them in meaningful numbers. Statistical reflection is lacking. The reality is, those students don’t feel connected or that those ministries are speaking to issues prominent in their minds. Anopther way to say that, the Apostle Paul talked about becoming all things to all men … I contend you can;t be all things to all men at all times. In the case of African American students, I think sometimes we recognize that we speak English, study in American higher education, but we see the reality that people don’t feel included. Back with Campus Crusade. we had 1100 people show up at an Impact conference. They suggested that the next year we take it close to the African American community – we’ll help you craft a program to attract black students. We did a national poll, had six different regional conferences, with a grand total of 105 black students who came. It illustrates that in trying to speak to the broader audience we aren’t engaging black students, speaking to their hearts.
Jarvis; As a follow up, when that is happening, black students are being called out into the community to serve, but they can’t do that alone. They have to have relationships with other Christians. How is that being worked out?
Gilmer: Our practice is to partner with local chuches. As an illustration, we just had national conference in Atlanta, 1200 students (lowest # in recent years, affected by economy) did a day of outreach. We sent students out into the city, partipating with seventeen loocal churches and three compassion ministries. We were able to connect with food distribution, taking blankets to the homeless, giving back to local churches that are in a position to do follow up. We try to connect students to local communities. Students are there three or four years, but needs continue.
Glenn: When you think of reaching out in the community, how does the Impact Movement have a kingdom perspective? Tell us how they might collaborate in a kingdom way with believers and ministries in a city they might go to after college.
Gilmer: We are keen on the Great Commission and taking the gospel to the nations. A number of people who get involved in our ministry are called to other ministries we are not called to, i.e. China and other countries. Our primary focus has been Africa. As we move into communities, partnering with Teach for America, sponsored by the government, serving the community of need, whether white, black or Latino. We send out these students with the message that we can minister to people who look different from the missionaries. We were involved in hurricane relief. The media paid attention to white students who went to rebuild New Orleans, We were able to direct a lot of our friends in Campus Crusade to where they could help. Because of our relationship with the broader community we were able to mobilize resources to places they wouldn’t otherwise go. We were able to take 500 students to do hurricane relief. We had the largest number of black folk go into New Orleans, but didn’t get the media attention others did. In that process, you should have heard the testimonies of pastors in the city. They said, "It means a lot to us to see our people respolnding to the challenges." It has a powerful impact on people in those cities when they see the involvement where the pattern has been that they leave and never come back. So we are beginning to provide leadership in those communities. That encourages us.
Jarvis: I’ve known your work and ministry thru Pastor Watts. How has God used the life and ministry of Dr. Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement? Share with us any area of opposition and successes of Impact.
Gilmer: We’ve touched on a couple of those already. One is a concern whether what we are doing is perpetuating segregation. I would say no. A number of leaders in our ministry are not black. We welcome any who have a passion for our communities to participate in that process. Segregation is when people are excluded. Even if it ends up being one that is more culturally characteristic of one culture than another – that isn’t necessarily segregation. I’ve discussed a bit of what we did with Hurricane Katrina. Also in 2002 we were involved in a campaign with Campus Crusade in Africa, called Operation Sunrise Africa. An Ethiopian had the vision of reaching 15 million people in 15 cities. He invited many to join. We were able to mobilize 300 people to be part of that. I didn’t realize at the time, but it was the largest mobilization of Africans for ministry in history. It was interesting to see what the Lord did. 67 million were exposed to the gospel, 1.5 million responded. In the emerging generation of leaders of African descent, it was significant. To get them to show up and be a part, be it in Africa or Katrina.
Jarvis: It is interesting to see how God used a predominantly white ministry like Campus Crusade to mobilize a black ministry.
Gilmer: We continue to have a close relaationship with the leadership of Campus Crusade. My wife and I attend staff conferences every other year, so we are very much engaged with them. As occasions permit, we work together on various projects.
Q & A
Dixie,: Focus on the Family, Colorado Springs: When you talked about goals and projections, you mentioned in 1you are on 00 campuses, and desire 200 campuses. What is your method to do that? As an African American student, you get so busy. How are you able to engage those students and keep them focused on impact and not go off on other things?
Gilmer: God has blessed us with students who have a passionate heart to be involved on campus and community. We rely entirely on student leadership at the local level. Our staff is located here in Orlando, resourcing student leaders in the local setting. We’ve grown organically. People bring students to conferences from other campuses who see what we are doing and want it on their campus. We grow other chapters. We have an initial Bible study series called The Journey, use the 4 Spiritual Laws, develop other resources so students provide leadership for ministry.
Harold Hendrick, St, Louis: Urbana 2009 will be here in St. Louis. Will you be here for some leadership session?
Gilmer: I haven’t been invited, but would be willing to do so.
Harold: I’ll try to advance that.
Jarvis commented on that kind of collaboration and networking Howard modeled.
Mark Johnson, City First, Chicago: My question relates to the bigger picture of evangelicalism. Have you heard or were you a participant in the National Black Evanbelical Association?
Gilmer: No, I've heard a lot about it, know a lot of people involved in it, but have not happened to find my way there.
Mark: Dr. Allen, Bishop McKinney, Dr. McCray are involved. There will be a national convention in Chicago in May. Do you feel there is strong dialog to let blacks lead in a predominatly white network in church planiting?
Gilmer: I'm not sure I fully understand the question. The reality is God is leading a number of individuals to lead in a variety of ways. Dr. Crawfod Loritz, good friend of mine, spoke at the first eight Impact conferences. He was recently asked to become Senior Pastor in a northern suburb of Atlanta, a predominantly white congregation. I’m going to publish a book describing history and philosophy. Some are critical of the way we are pursuing. I believe God is raising u p a variety of manifestastions of ministry as people find a model that fits them . I know several places where people are trying to plant a multi-ethnic congregation. I applaud that kind of ministry model. But others are more comfortable and grow best in an environment that doesn’t force them to deal with multi-ethnic cultures. We need to embrace those models at well. We are all part of the body of Christ. I think we would all admit that we haven’t gotten as far as we would like in developing understanding between various Christian traditions in America. In some of the discourse around the election, unfortunately, we find ourselves on opposite sides of a public issue. We need to get past that and understand our inkage as one body in Christ and respect the leadership God has raised up from various traditions. We find ourselves being allied on opposite sides, whether political or something else, we believe the same things. The development of models where we connect different Christian cultural traditions is a healthy thing.
Someone from Campus Crusade: Charles, how would you answer the question, the aspect of how we do mission, that needs a paradigm breakthrough?
Gilmer: My take is really being manifested in the ministry I lead. There is so much put out there on proclaiming the word of God, but I think people are looking for lives that demonstrate the gospel. The demonstration speaks to living out what Jesus said about caring for the least of these. We are a Mattnew 28 ministry operating with Matthew 25 sensibility. We understand that for people to hear it well they need to see it lived out. For us that means tutoring ministry, but there are a whole host of ministries where the church can reach out to prisoners, widows and orphans, including single mothers. As we embrace those things more aggressively, our verbal witness will be received more readily.
Mike Hawrison, Palm Springs, CA: I lived for 38 years in Alabama. Going back to what I heard you say about reaching a specific culture: how in a city movement (we’re working inCoachalle valley, Palm Springs) how do you continue to operate with the distinction? We’ve had tremendous success in crossing the bridge with the Hispanic community, and are almost half and half in working together here, but the African American community has not connected. So I guess my question is, how can I help bridge that and reach across the lines? Am I supposed to reach across the lines?
Gilmer: Yes, you are supposed to reach across. But I think one of the challenges the white community has struggled with is what to do, how to relate to the existing black church. The black church in this country is big. If you look at some of the research, like Barna, I would argue the black church in this country is less post-Christian than the white community. There is a great deal of intense spiritual vitality and biblical commitment in many black churches. In many cases, those who get the attention are the controversial or involved in scandal. I would look for those in that community who have a good reputation. You may recognize there is a whole lot more in common than you think. In reality there is probably a vibrant Christian community that is struggling to minister to that community. There is more “peer-ness” already, leaders there that we need to find and connect with to model unity and working together. In most cases I’ve found, that’s where we stumble. They may pray a little differently, speak a little differently, but we don’t always recognize the role they are playing.
Gary Schwerin, Rockford, IL: Could you give from your experience what works best. How do you establish those relationships?
Gilmer: I target my advice to my white brothers and sisters on the phone. I think that the biggest resistance we encounter in the black community Is the sense that there is a great premium on dignity and respect in our community. Those issues become very important. What I observe my white brothers and sisters do – like "what do I prefer to be called?" I don’t mind Charles. But in the black community, if you begin by addressing him by his first name, you disrespected him. You honor adults by Mr.This, or as in my family, my children refer to adults as Aunt, Mr., etc. In our evangelical world we like to be informal, but have created a stumbling block in the first part of conversation. The history is, there have been a lot of people who show up for a campaign or season, say a lot and do a lot, and then next week, month or year they are gone, and in some cases, it was a photo opportunity. But the problems that local pastor is committed to engaging still exist. There is a need to show respect, maintain a learning posture. A final word, one thing people don’t always realize is, we’re dealing with a spiritual stronghold that has existed for many years. Martin Luther King's birthday is a good reminder of that history. In Leveticus 26, when God’s people found themselves dealing with consequences of previous generational sin, they confessed the sins of their faithers. I have found that in many instances people don’t want to deal with the history. But that history affects what happens in the present day. Blacks are very aware of that history. History gets passed down. The idea of moving past that to do something together, we don’t always do the spiritual work of going to the Lord and dealing with those sins of the past, like Daniel, confessing sins he had not committed, taking seriously those things, doing that spiritual work.
Jarvis: This has been a very good call. Please mention your book and website again.
Gilmer: The book "A Cry Of Hope, Call To Action" should be out around March 1/ That is, it will be available on www.impactmovement.com and on the street in June. A better way to reach me is email: Charles.Gilmer@impactmovement.com
Jarvis; In one minute, how can a local city movement work with Impact to start a chapter on their campus, i.e. Jackson State University?
Gilmer: We don’t have one there at the moment. The best way would be to go to the website and let one of our coaches know there is some interest. If an individual or small group reach out to a Freshman class, identify a handful of leaders, we can resource them well to see a chapter develop onthat campus.
Reminders:
Next call February 19, 2009
Visit www.cityreaching.com
Send us a video (FLV format)
Glenn Barth: It’s been our pleasure to have Dr. Gilmer with us today, and we thank all of you who called in today and made this a lively call.
Dr. Gilmer was asked to close the call in prayer.
