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About the United Church of Christ
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How Can All the Churches in Minnesota, Working Together, Eliminate Poverty in Minnesota? Remarks by Rev. Dr. Karen Smith Sellers at A Conversation Among Christians January 24, 2008 Pax Christi Church, Eden Prairie At the beginning of the 21st century, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), a partner denomination with the United Church of Christ, committed itself to a 2020 vision: 1000 new congregations; 1000 transformed congregations; the leadership development necessary to realize these new and renewed congregations; all within a context of being an anti-racist/pro-reconciling church. When Rick Morse, Vice President for New Church Ministries and Mission Initiatives, is asked how this will take place he quips: “a thousand different ways.” His remark reminds us that there is no one way that all the churches in Minnesota, working together, will eliminate poverty in Minnesota. In this post-modern, post-Christendom context – the “how” of our work to change the world diverges substantially from that with which many of us became familiar and comfortable. It is no longer true, says Richard Hamm, former General Minister and President of the Disciples, “that if a denominational body takes a prophetic stance, that stance will have an important impact on the society at large. Society could care less about denominational pronouncements in and of themselves. … A more realistic assumption today is that a denomination has an impact on society primarily and to the degree to which its members individually (and I would add, collectively) embrace, advocate, and live a particular point of view. The chief task of leadership, then, becomes the education and transformation of the members (and congregations) themselves” (Recreating the Church: Leadership for the Postmodern Age, pp. 61-62). Accordingly, it seems to me, the first thing that the churches of Minnesota can do to eliminate poverty is to educate their members – about the need, about proposed policies and promising strategies, about how to analyze and how to advocate – yes, but also in order to transform these member through deep appreciation of the character of God and the call of the gospel. The harsh effects of material poverty must not be denied and ought never to be ignored, but an equally serious problem in our time is spiritual poverty. Several years ago, UCC theologian and Older Testament scholar, Walter Brueggemann wrote persuasively about what he termed “the myth of scarcity” – a myth that is alive and well throughout our individualistic, consumer society and in the members of our churches. He contrasted this with a “liturgy of abundance” (The Christian Century, March 1999). Part of the growing gap between the rich and the poor in this country derives, I believe, from this “myth of scarcity” and its concomitant poverty of spirit. The volatility of financial markets during this last week fueled further the twin evils already so prevalent in our society: fear and greed. Speaking to this matter in a Washington Post editorial, Rev. Dr. Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, President of Chicago Theological Seminary, reminded us of FDR’s statement, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” She reminds us, “Having faith in these times means living out the truth that human beings are not just the sum total of their net worth but are, in fact, called to a higher purpose of community and caring both in our own nation and around the world.” Note that her reference is to “human beings,” not just to Christians. We are told that these days on any given Sunday less than 20% of the US population is worshiping in a Christian church. That figure may be higher in “the pious Midwest” than in “the godless Northwest” (see The Atlantic Monthly), but the point is that ending poverty in Minnesota requires that we who are religious leaders preach the “gospel” of the common good more widely than in the congregations of our particular faith families, that we must partner with our sisters and brothers of other faiths– whether Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, or Hindu, and with those who have no current faith family but who share our vision and commitments and purposes. Preaching last week at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Senator Barack Obama, also a member of the United Church of Christ, referenced our country’s “deficit” – “not the budget deficit,” he said, “nor the trade deficit, but the moral deficit.” Christian leaders and congregations can best engage the moral deficits of greed and fear, I believe by becoming more fully who and what we are called to be – people and communities of extravagant welcome and evangelical courage – involved in rich worship and bold actions, which imagines and articulates a better world. These motivate and inspire and transform lives and make a real difference in eliminating poverty. For as scripture reminds us: “Where there is no vision, the people perish/cast off restraint.” (Proverbs 29:18)” But we are not either/or Christians; we are both/and Christians. Vision requires follow through. And while we know the dangers of “works righteousness,” we ought not to use that as an excuse for not getting down to work. We can “get down to work” in a thousand different ways – and the question we have been asked to address reveals one of the most promising: by working together. In this “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity,” we are reminded that we are members of one Body, and of the importance of playing our particular roles well, of partnerships, of working side by side and hand in hand, of recognizing our diverse gifts and styles and capabilities and linking in coalitions that maximize these. The work being done by the Minnesota Council of Churches to build on A Common Foundation: Shared Principles for Work on Overcoming Poverty, the newly-formed Legislative Commission to End Poverty, the work of the Joint Religious Legislative Coalition, whose theme for this year’s “Day on the Hill” is “No Poor Among You” (Deut. 15:4), and the Millennium Development Goals of Bread for the World. These are a few of the myriad ways –more than a thousand different ones – some of which we are hearing about today – in which the churches of Minnesota can work together to eliminate poverty – not only in this state but also throughout God’s entire world. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- to view a copy of the ecumenical document on ending poverty, A Common Foundation, click here
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