thoughts to get started...

some thoughts from the "new forms of leadership for new forms of churches" critical concerns course at emergent. we were discussing the question "how does race/ethnicity impact our issues of power/control?"

• we as church leaders need to remember that whenever we stand in front of people, we have the ability to silence people.
• we need to talk from our own experience...and to listen to others talk from theirs...instead of assuming that we can speak from where we have not been.
• we need to go beyond simply asking people to participate, but to learn how to stand in God's power and recognize the ways in which we use control to keep some people out and to let other people in. denial is a part of what we do to keep people out.
• we need to be mindful of the power structures that often exist within different cultures.
• there is a challenge not to be naive...but also not to be frightened.
• we must continually wrestle with how to break down barriers, how to build bridges.
• we need to "out" many of the poisonous secrets that we've been harboring for a long time.
• we need to prepare ourselves for the uncomfortable and allow ourselves to go there.
• sometimes race issues aren't really race issues. we just don't know how to form relationships.
• we must continually find ways to bring issues of race, gender, power, and control to the table in order to keep these a part of our ongoing conversation.