THE WAY FORWARD: RECONCILING DISCIPLE - EFREM SMITH

efrem smith

the Way forward: reconciling disciple

“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.”

DIVERSE AND DIVIDED

We are living in an ever-increasing multiethnic, multicultural, and metropolitan mission field. This is true within the United States when seeing the further expansion of Diverse Metro Areas such as Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Houston, and Phoenix. It’s also true globally in cities such as London, Sydney, Johannesburg, Toronto, Paris, and Rome. Urbanization and diversity are all around us. This social reality cannot be stopped or even paused for a brief moment. And yet, with all of this diversity and urban expansion, there are also deep divisions and multiple dimensions of social unrest. 2020 provided a clear picture of the ways in which we are divided by race, place, and politics. Not even a global pandemic could slow down the lack of civility and our inability to find common ground for the greater good. But these great challenges are a great opportunity for the church of Jesus Christ. They open the doors for the church to equip and release cross cultural, reconciling, and disciple making followers of Christ. In this season, we sure could use more Christ-centered, multiethnic, and missional churches. No question about it. But we need more than just ethnically diverse churches. The development of the multiethnic church alone is not enough to bring transformation to a diverse, divided, and polarizing mission field. We need churches that can serve as bridges over the troubled waters of racial division and unrest. We need churches that aren’t held captive to the political parties of the nation they are in so that they can serve as outposts of the Kingdom of God. We need churches that are centers of hope, health, and healing in places where there is brokenness, trauma, and dysfunction. Simply stated, we need churches that are both multiethnic and reconciling. And these multiethnic and reconciling churches must equip, empower, and release cross-cultural and reconciling disciple-makers into a diverse and deeply divided mission field.

MULTIETHNIC AND RECONCILING

It is important here to define a reconciling church. In her book, Roadmap to Reconciliation, Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil defines the term reconciliation as “an ongoing spiritual process involving forgiveness, repentance, and justice that restores broken relationships and systems to reflect God’s original intention for all creation to flourish.” With this definition in mind, a reconciling church is one which embraces the ongoing spiritual process that involves forgiveness, repentance, and justice which restores broken relationships and systems and weaves it into its discipleship strategies. The reconciling church is justice oriented and equips Christians to be disciple-makers in mission field that encompasses disparities within the social areas that are necessary for all to have access to flourishing. For this ecclesiastical practice of reconciliation to take place externally, it must first show up internally among an ethnically diverse staff and volunteer leadership within the church. Leaders of a reconciling church commit themselves to an ongoing process of spiritual maturity, intercultural development, and soul care. These are crucial elements for faithfulness and fruitfulness in disciple making The reconciling church also focuses externally on its surrounding mission field. The late Reverend Samuel Hines, expert multiethnic church leader and reconciliation theologian, described reconciliation as both a spiritual discipline and the primary agenda of the church. Understanding the reconciling church in this way shows a dynamic relevancy for greater participation in the Great Commission in the missional reality we find ourselves in. Being that the Great Commission is about making disciples of all nations, it is clear that in America as well this is a cross-cultural, justice-oriented, and

So how does this happen? I first I have to acknowledge that we are actually seeing an increase in multiethnic and reconciling churches. There are many churches that have gone beyond making statements after a racialized tragedy or in the midst of being bombarded by political dysfunction through cable news. They have gone beyond simply seeking to diversify their staff and key volunteer leadership teams, though that should not be seen as unimportant. In some cases there are churches and para church ministries losing donors, board members, staff, and congregational members over attempts to stay deeply biblical and practically missional in this moment. So, with that stated, here are some practical steps to creating and sustaining a multiethnic and reconciling church-

BECOME A CROSS CULTURAL AND RECONCILING LEADER

It starts with leaders. Senior Pastors as well as Executive Leaders of Para Church organizations must embrace a calling to multiethnic and reconciling ministry. Don’t move this direction out of social pressure primarily. Get on the road of reconciliation and cross cultural disciple making because of divine calling. Allow the Creator of a diverse world, Who has also made reconciliation possible through His only begotten Son, to invade your soul like never before. Seek out or grow your multiethnic and reconciling circle of friends, mentors, and collaborators. Allow the stories, celebrations, trauma, and struggles of others to bless you, challenge you, change you, and mature you. Make cultural intelligence and intercultural development part of your personal and professional development. Develop a Cross Cultural and Reconciling Team Diversity and Inclusion is a big topic in just about every sector of our society. And it should be. In a diverse world, why would you not desire to experience the blessing of a diverse team that is deeply aligned around the same vision, mission, and purpose? Revelation 7 in Scripture informs us that heaven will include a multiethnic and multilingual multitude. As followers of Christ we should work together to present a sneak preview of heaven now. Prayerfully and strategically engage your surrounding community in order to develop teams that reflect the diversity of the community for greater transformation within it. Create multiethnic collaborative networks and associations with other churches that have a different ethnic make-up than yours. ENGAGE THE CULTURES AND CHALLENGES OF YOUR COMMUNITY.

Engaging the cultures of our mission fields provides opportunities for strengthening our commitment in becoming a multiethnic and reconciling church. There are some segments of the Body of Christ who make enemies out of the cultures around them. Other segments fully embrace the cultures around them in such a way that it threatens to compromise the vision and mission God has given them. By engaging culture, we become listeners, learners, and bring a posture of humility that garners greater credibility for the transformation of lives and communities. Become more aware of the disparities by race, class, and place that impact your surrounding community. Compare and contrast those issues with the gifts, passions, and experiences of those within your congregation or Para church ministry. Build bridges of reconciliation in order to bring empowerment to the most vulnerable and healing to the brokenness that exists. Don’t try to solve all the issues in your community. Find one to three challenges that you can take on and see change within over the long haul.

CONCLUSION

When Christ returns, there will be a new heaven and a new earth. There will be no dysfunction, division, disease, or dehumanizing. We will live in the eternal multiethnic and reconciling Kingdom of God. Until then, we are called to serve as ambassadors of reconciliation and cross cultural disciple makers. This work should be done out of the overflow of intimacy with God, identity in Christ, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Collectively, we must strive to provide a sneak preview of heaven now.

Dr. Efrem Smith is an internationally recognized leader who uses motivational speaking and preaching to equip people for a life of transformation. He consults on issues of multi-ethnicity, leadership and community development. Dr. Smith is the former- president and CEO of World Impact, an urban mission, church planting and leadership-development organization. He is the current co-lead Pastor of Bayside Church, Midtown. He’s the author of several books and is a graduate of Saint John’s University, Luther Theological Seminary and received his DMin from Fuller Theological Seminary.