Statement on Racial Equity

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Published June 19, 2020
Geoff Rinehart, President/CEO

Communitas stands with our sisters and brothers worldwide who seek to identify and eradicate racism and injustice wherever it exists. While current events have reawakened public awareness regarding racism and injustice, we know that these are not new battles—just the latest ones in a long war that has plagued the US for centuries and the world for millennia. It is our great hope that this recent global demand for change would be the beginning of the long-overdue victory over these evils that, Scriptures assure us, grieve the heart of God. We stand with BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) as they lead the way in bringing change that tangibly and systemically exemplifies the Good News of Jesus for all.

Being that:

  • The Scriptures instruct us to confront hatred, division, disunity, and lies with love and the fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5:16-26)
  • Jesus has sent us to sow this freedom-giving shalom (John 20:21)
  • God establishes justice in the world by eliminating inequalities (Psalm 113:4-9; Deut. 16:20, Isaiah 1:17)
  • The mission and vision of Communitas speak of the transformation and love that Jesus offers, which is antithetical to racism and injustice (Mission: Starting and shaping communities of faith that love like Jesus in their neighborhood. Vision: Transformed lives, transformed neighborhoods, transformed world.)

We commit to:

  1. Repent of the sin of racism – to see it and reject it wherever we find it.
  2. Confess that we have much learning and work to do to become an organization that exemplifies racial diversity and equity in praxis, not just in philosophy.
  3. Listen to and elevate BIPOC voices as we call all Communitas staff to actively engage a holistic understanding of justice AND act as we follow BIPOC leaders in the endeavor of equity and the eradication of racism.
  4. Launch a task force which, alongside the Senior Leadership Team, will seek and implement resources and trainings, and develop intentional courses of action that will keep us all engaged and learning in the long-term, to the end that we might be true and lasting allies in the pursuit of equity.

We seek a deep, Gospel-centered, and Kingdom-focused transformation of human hearts and societal structures. This cannot be rushed. It will take time, commitment, and persistence. We have a long way to go as an organization. We will inevitably make missteps. Inaction is not an option—agape (the sacrificial love we read of in Scripture) is a verb, not a feeling, and so the Body of Christ must act in order to love every person like Jesus does. We are convinced that this truth is at the core of the Gospel and is essential, not only to our church planting mission, but God’s vision for His Kingdom on earth.

BELIEFS AND VALUES