General Assembly Resolutions

NO. 0716
(OPERATIONAL BUSINESS ITEM)
ANTI-RACISM/PRO-RECONCILIATION GOAL FOR PROPORTIONATE
REPRESENTATION OF PEOPLE OF COLOR
IN CHURCH-WIDE LEADERSHIP POSITIONS

WHEREAS, people of color - minorities including Blacks, African-Americans, Africans, Native Americans, Hispanics, and Pacific/Asian-Americans - have experienced legal exclusion, discrimination and bias during most of the United States' history; and

WHEREAS, people of color have experienced and continue to experience socio-cultural discrimination and bias throughout much of the United States; and

WHEREAS, the very foundation of the Gospel is a message of equality and caring for one another as evidenced in Jesus' 'Second Commandment' (Matthew 22:39; Mark 12:31); and

WHEREAS, we are charged with doing God's work and sharing the good news of the Gospel, without regard to race or ethnicity; and

WHEREAS, the secular and governmental entities of this country have outdistanced organized religious institutions in attempts to integrate and accommodate and recognize the rights of people of color, through legislation aimed at providing civil protections and affirmative action efforts in such areas as housing, employment, travel, education, finances, etc.;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) continues intentionally to create, provide and sustain an environment where people of color are encouraged to assume, and are given the opportunity to assume roles of ecclesial, liturgical and administrative leadership of the churches of our individual and corporate ministries; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the church continues intentionally to create, provide and sustain an environment where people of color can be appropriately represented in the ecclesial, liturgical and administrative leadership of the churches of our individual and corporate ministries; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) covenants to recognize, foster, encourage, embrace, support and utilize leaders, who are people of color, in local congregation leadership positions, regional leadership positions and general church leadership positions in a proportion that is consistent with the proportion of the specific numbers of the corresponding racial or ethnic minority in the constituent communities; and to encourage all of our affiliated ministries and expressions to do likewise; and

FINALLY, BE IT RESOLVED that the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) covenants to encourage those local, regional and general ministries which are predominantly White and/or Euro-American to recognize, foster, encourage, embrace, support and utilize leaders who are people of color, in local congregation leadership positions, regional leadership positions and general church leadership positions, with the hope that such encouragement will help provide leadership opportunities for persons of color in locations where local demographics and population statistics would not otherwise provide such opportunities.

Landover Christian Church, Landover, MD

The General Board recommends that the General Assembly
ADOPT Business Item No. 0716. (Debate time 12 minutes).

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