A Bigger Fire: 2018 New England City Forum

A Bigger Fire: 2018 New England City Forum

By Kelly Steinhaus, Director of UniteBoston

New England has the reputation of lacking a Christian presence. But my experience shows otherwise—Christians in New England are some of the most faith-filled, gospel-driven people I’ve ever met.

At times, I get discouraged by what I think I should see of gospel impact in New England. But when I come together with other Christian leaders, my perspective changes. I get filled with faith and excited about how God is at work in our midst.

For this reason, I love working with UniteBoston and the New England City Forum. Within the walls of our churches and church networks, we can feel isolated. Coming together, we can see the larger story of God’s movement emerging.

 

Learning Together at the New England City Forum

This year’s City Forum brought together 96 leaders from 17 cities throughout New England. Many participants expressed to us how refreshing it is to be with people from different settings with similar visions and goals.

We heard city presentations in the morning from New Haven and Springfield. In the afternoon, we hosted a “world cafe” style discussion, where people chose topic tables to discuss and collaborate on how to advance the gospel in New England.

We then asked participants in the forum to share with us what they took from the day that would most impact their ministry. Here’s what we learned.

1. God is on the move across New England—but we don’t hear about it.

We asked participants why they came to the forum. The most frequent reason they shared was to discover what God is doing more broadly in New England.

“I felt led to get out of my comfort zone and engage with others,” said one, wanting to “know New England better and what God is doing here.” Another attended “to learn about what God is doing in New England and meet some of the people He’s doing it through.”

Looking back over the day, one participant responded with the observation, “God is doing much in terms of our cities/movements. Most Christians are unaware beyond their own church, much less in other New England cities.” Another came away with the conviction that “God is moving—stay the course.”

2. Collaboration is the next normal.

Both of the city reports from New Haven and Springfield stressed the need for collaboration. Collaboration is celebrating the uniqueness of each community while partnering across differences.

“God has given charisma to all the churches, so we need to ask for them and each other,” shared one, acknowledging our need, “to humble ourselves and stop saying to other parts of the body, ‘I don’t need you.’”

Another added that we need collaboration across denominational, racial and socio-economic lines for the Church to “fulfill her calling and fully grow into her potential,” so that “revival can become a reality.”  

Through Christ, we're all adopted into God’s family, and thus we are all on the same team—like it or not. So we have to be intentional about partnering across the beautiful diversity of Christ’s Church: across race, denomination, and generation, to name a few.

Rather than individually blowing on our own fires and hoping for success, it is time for us to take down the walls and come together to build a bigger bonfire. As we humbly open our hearts for greater partnership, a vision bigger than preserving our individual ministries will emerge.

I believe such unity is a tangible sign of the “revival” for which many have been longing and praying. To this end, the Luis Palau Association’s City Gospel Movement website was recently launched to help people to connect with gospel-oriented collaboration throughout the nation.

3. Building diverse leadership and sharing power are essential.

Building kingdom collaboration requires diverse leadership. To make this goal a reality, we must commit both to racial reconciliation and power-sharing.

After viewing a video of Christena Cleveland, which emphasizes Jesus’ way of the first to be last, many participants echoed the need to develop diverse leadership.

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“Racial reconciliation can be modeled by pastors becoming friends,” wrote one participant, “learning to trust one each other and serving together as individuals and churches.”

Another responded in the form of a prayer, “God, please give me the heart and mind that is curious to genuinely seek to hear the power and truth of the person in front of me.”

Working together across our differences isn’t easy. As Pastor Todd Foster of the New Haven multi-church collaboration Bridges of Hope observed, “Being in the same room doesn’t mean you’re on the same page.” In his experience, we need to deal with the issues intentionally if we are to tear down the necessary walls.

But a fuller movement of God will come when we take the next step beyond mutual understanding. Real momentum will come when, as one participant shared, we become “ruthless about developing diverse organizational/neighborhood leaders,” with a commitment to “share the airtime.”

I’m convinced that if there is one thing needed in New England, it's a humble willingness to lay down our power to serve one another. I believe now is a God-ordained season where we must recognize we need one another like never before.

When we asked how we could improve the forum, many people suggested taking steps towards greater diversity among forum participants on various dimensions—ethnicity, vocation, and cities represented.

Internally, we’ve also held multiple conversations about what it could look like to develop more diverse leadership within the forum and ways we have not yet hit our own marks.

Looking Forward

Each Christian—each church—is a part of something much bigger than we can see. A united vision emerges the more we come together. The Emmanuel Gospel Center, Vision New England, and UniteBoston are committed to supporting unity-focused collaborations and creating spaces to learn from one another.

We’re grateful to NECF hosts and participants for fruitful conversations over the past three years. We’ve been encouraged to hear what God is doing and privileged to connect leaders in a shared learning space.

At this point, we do not plan to reconvene the New England City Forum next year.  Instead, our team would like to take some time to reassess God's leading as we support more learning opportunities for Christians across ethnicity, vocation, denomination, and New England geography. We welcome your input.

Contact

We'd Love to Hear From You!

We are grateful for your participation in the New England City Forum and are eager to see how the Lord will bring us together again in the future.

Homelessness & Collaboration: Starlight Ministry [VIDEO]

Homelessness & Collaboration: Starlight Ministry [VIDEO]

We need each other. Churches need to work together to address the homelessness crisis in the Boston area. 

Starlight Ministries also sees that life-giving relationships with people affected by homelessness are mutually transforming. Christians can learn from our neighbors experiencing homelessness. Hear from those in Cambridge and Boston in regular relationship with unhoused friends and neighbors.

Leading By Letting Go: Skills in Courageous Leadership for Healthy Collaborations

Leading By Letting Go: Skills in Courageous Leadership for Healthy Collaborations

By the Woven Team

At Woven, Christian women leaders gather to encourage and consult one another. For this year’s consultation, we focused on igniting local collective-action movements. Morning plenary sessions gave practical tools and best practices for effective collaboration and movement building. In the afternoon, women participated in one of two workshops, where they advised local networks focused on social justice and church unity. This blog celebrates the leadership growth we observed from that gathering.

Godly leadership is not about taking control on behalf of God—it’s about taking the lead in making room for God. Knowing how to make space for the movement of God is especially true in collaborative situations.

When we work for a collaborative mission—without seeking individual accolades—Jesus moves freely. And when Jesus moves freely, God’s design for the Church comes alive.

As the women engaged at Woven, they showed courage and growth in collaborative leadership. Here we celebrate that growth and share it with you for your reflection and action in your spheres of influence.

GROWTH AREAS FOR Christian LEADERSHIP IN COLLABORATIONS

Growth Area #1: Surrendering the Mission Back to God

Once you enter a collaborative situation, prepare to lay down what you think is “the mission” on the altar of trust in God’s wisdom. While God may call you to pick it back up, allow yourself time to hear from God—maybe through others—about God’s assignment and priorities.

Unity is not inviting or bringing people along towards your mission statement. Our own mission statement is not the whole of God’s mission within a collaboration.

“Unity is not inviting or bringing people along towards your mission statement.”

Instead, as we put ourselves into a broader array of work God is doing, we piece together all the missions, like a stained-glass window.  Our mission is just one broken piece of glass that God fits with others. If you’re in a leadership role within the collaboration, prepare to facilitate discovery and clarification of a shared mission.

In past years, we designed the Woven consultation day to invite women to discuss their own leadership challenges and supports. This year we decided to focus on building skills for collaboration. We designed a time that would challenge the women to apply the values described here.

Towards that end, we designed workshops that would require the women to lay aside their expectations and agendas to work together towards a concrete goal, in this case, building movements for social justice and Christian unity. We are grateful to the women for their flexibility.        

Growth Area #2: Letting Go of Control

As you step into a community of people who are thinking differently, prepare to experience a new level of trust in God.

Letting others change your perspective is uncomfortable. But as women who have let go of needing to be the one with all the answers know, this openness is critical to engaging in unity work.

In the social justice workshop, one Woven team member was taking whiteboard notes while a group of women was refining language for a discussion question. She noticed that women were using the word “difference” in unexpected ways. Seeking further clarity, she started asking clarifying questions about what the women meant by “difference” and advocated for a specific definition. In doing so, she confused some people and distracted the group from brainstorming ideas. On later reflection, she realized that she needed to set aside her need for precision in order just to listen and capture what the women were saying.

As you listen, try not to “correct” others' thoughts. Instead, focus on gaining perspective. This different focus sometimes requires laying aside how you think a conversation or activity should go.    

Growth Area #3: Sharing Resources

Sacrificial giving is critical to collaboration. If you offer your resources into God’s hands, you might receive them back from the woman next to you, who is giving up her stuff for you. Or you might be the one giving up things for her benefit.

Everyone in a collaboration needs to come into a sharing posture. One participant describes, “Coming in, I didn't realize I'd be engaged in consultancy.  So I had to shift from ‘What do I get out of this immediately?’ to a ‘How do I serve/give?’ mindset and trust that my purpose for being here will be revealed—maybe even after today.”

“Everyone in a collaboration needs to come into a sharing posture.”

By laying aside her agenda, this woman gave herself as a resource. She decided to share her focus, her listening ear, and her expertise as a gift to the workshop group.

Growth Area #4: Role Shifting

Be prepared that you may need to play a different role than the one you are accustomed to. When entering a collaboration, ask God to remind you what has served you in the past, and what has proved useful others. He’ll guide you to the best ways to lead and collaborate in the present situation.

All the Woven participants are experienced leaders, serving in leadership roles in their homes, churches, and organizations. But in the workshop times, many women saw the need to take a follower posture, playing a supportive role—sometimes even for a topic in which they are accomplished experts.

One woman notes, “I did need to continually remind myself of the different places that people were coming from to have this discussion.” In seeing this diversity, she was able to adjust her participation to what the larger group needed.

Growth Area #5: Admitting Failure & Celebrating Success

“Don’t wait for an “end” to celebrate!”

Collaboration doesn’t happen overnight without setbacks or missteps. Learning together requires honest evaluation and continual reflection. Admitting failure builds trust and transparency—prerequisites for genuine cooperation.

Conversely, celebrating successes as we realize them is foundational. Collaboration is a journey, not a destination. Don’t wait for an “end” to celebrate!

When you observe others sharing themselves generously or with bravery, call it out and praise it. When the group pushes through obstacles or engages in hard conversations, celebrate that dedication together.

Woven participants give day-end feedback surveys, and many also seek out team members to share their input in person. We’re grateful that women let us know what tools worked and which felt bulky or distracting. They shared how we could have fine-tuned our facilitation. We welcome and celebrate this feedback. How could any of us improve without honest evaluation?

We see Woven as successful, not because it is flawless, but because it’s an adaptive space that grows based on feedback. We’re honored to support a space where women can come and share as they are, learning and growing together.

One participant shared, “It is not easy for me to share my opinions/thoughts in other circles because of traditions, etc. I tend to be shy anyway. Woven is a place that I felt welcome to speak up. More than that, Boston needs women working towards transformation in all spheres, and Woven encourages me and others.”

The Woven Team 

(Left to Right) Liza Cagua-Koo, EGC Assistant Director, facilitated the social justice workshop. Jess Mason, EGC Supervising Editor, took notes. Nika Elugardo, EGC Leadership Systems Architect, led a plenary session and facilitated the unity workshop. Stacie Mickelson, EGC Director of Applied Research & Consulting, facilitated the consultation day.

Connecting Multi-Site Church Leaders [PhotoJournal]

On November 20, Vision New England brought together 38 current and aspiring multi-site leaders from across New England for a Multi-Site Forum at LifeSong Church in Sutton, MA. The full-day event provided a space for peers to build relationships with fellow multi-site leaders, exchange insights, and share successes and failures in their multi-site experience.

Bob Atherton, VNE Vice President of Member Services and the forum's organizer initially thought the event would draw a handful of leaders. As registration grew to include leadership teams from 17 churches across seven states, it became clear that current and aspiring multi-site leaders were eager for time to learn and connect.

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The plenary sessions, facilitated by veteran multi-site leader, Pastor Rex Keener, focused on seven critical questions for current and aspiring multi-site leaders.

7 Critical Questions

1. Why should our church go multi-site?

2. How do we determine which multi-site approach fits us best?

3. What constitutes success?

4. How do we get our church ready to launch its first site?

5. How do we manage the multi-site monster?

6. What are the persistent challenges of a multi-site church?

7. What is the multi-site movement’s “dirty little secret”?

Pastor Rex presented best-practices and personal experiences around each of the critical questions. He made it clear at the start of the day that he wasn't trying to talk anyone into multi-site leaderships.

"If you wanted a sales guy today, you got the wrong guy, but I'll tell you the truth about it as I see it.” His transparency and candor about both his success and failures set the tone for how participants would share in their small group discussion.

““What is needed it this—to share both success and shortcomings.”
-participant”

Participants were grateful that the small group discussions were both honest and practical. One participant noted that "learning about the realities of the challenges was very sobering and very helpful." Another said, "What is needed is this—to share both success and shortcomings."

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Based on small group report-backs and participant surveys, Vision New England and EGC’s Applied Research & Consulting team discovered four key insights multi-site leaders repeatedly shared.

We believe their insights clarify—both for leaders exploring the multi-site option and for current multi-site staff facing vexing challenges to sustainability—the need for four life-preserving team commitments:

Getting Ahead of Boston's Homelessness Crisis: Starlight's Collaborative Approach

Getting Ahead of Boston's Homelessness Crisis: Starlight’s Collaborative Approach

by Rev. Cynthia Hymes Bell, MPH

The face of homelessness on Melnea Cass Boulevard in Boston has changed. When we think about homelessness in America, we tend to think of single adult males living in a shelter, in a car or under a bridge. They may have a mental illness, or drug or alcohol addiction.

However, increasingly the single adult male is no longer the dominant face of homelessness in the Melnea Cass Boulevard area of the city. While traveling through this neighborhood on my way to work or to the airport, I have observed that the faces of the individuals congregating on the Boulevard are now younger, Caucasian and increasingly women.  

As the Director of Starlight Ministries, I am constantly asking, what can be done—what is being done—by Christian leaders in this city to eradicate the problem? What is the Church’s response to this crisis?

THE CURRENT CRISIS

Just in the past three years, the face of homelessness on Melnea Cass Boulevard has changed completely. The Woods-Mullen women's shelter on the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard in Boston’s South End serves women ages 18 years or older. Their 200 beds have not met the need of an increasing number of young women sleeping on the Boulevard and the streets of the city.  

Street involvement is becoming more prevalent and severe for both women and men. On any given night in the city of Boston, the first-come-first-served overnight shelter beds are usually full or beyond capacity, leaving those who cannot be served sleeping on the streets in bags, in makeshift houses or on corners of the city’s streets.

“Families have become the fastest growing segment of the homeless population.”

In January 2016, the annual City of Boston Homeless Census counted 7,549 men, women and children sleeping in shelters, treatment centers and on the streets of Boston. What is even more startling is a recent report published by the Boston Foundation which highlights that the number of individuals in families who are homeless in Massachusetts has more than doubled in nine years to 13,000, an increase that’s among the highest in the nation.

Historically, homelessness has meant individuals living on the streets. But families have become the fastest growing segment of the homeless population, comprising nearly 40 percent nationally, according to the National Center on Family Homelessness. Children make up 60% of those who are experiencing family homelessness on any given day in Massachusetts.  

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Chronic homelessness is a persistent and pervasive problem in the metro-Boston area, where limited shelter options, unemployment, and excessive rents are forcing more people onto the streets.  The housing crisis undermines the life and dignity of so many of our sisters and brothers who lack stable housing, employment and a permanent place to live.

“Christian leaders best address the homelessness crisis by building healthy community networks that relationally engage and support people affected by homelessness.”

Homelessness is a multifaceted problem—there is no one-size-fits-all solution.  I recognize that the current crisis in the city of Boston poses a particular challenge for church leaders who do not have the capacity, or do not feel well-equipped, to deal with the problem.

The “no loitering” signs that recently have been posted by the city of Boston along the fences on Melnea Cass Boulevard certainly are not the answer. These are our sisters and brothers—nameless faces of women and children and men sleeping on the city streets, outcast, turned down, closed out and invisible.

What is the church’s response to this crisis?  At Starlight, we believe Christian leaders best address the homelessness crisis by building healthy community networks that relationally engage and support people affected by homelessness. 

STARLIGHT’S COLLABORATIVE MODEL

“In a partnership, each church community can find their unique contribution, and no one church is overburdened. ”

This past year, we at EGC’s 27-year-old Starlight Ministries have honed our approach. We began a re-learning process, identifying 30 prospective church partners that currently have outreach ministries to people who are poor or marginalized.

We were disheartened to learn, after the first 12 meetings and interviews, that many of these ministries are using a model of service—the food pantry model—that is not effectively serving people dealing with homelessness. People without housing need ready-to-eat foods that do not require cooking or preparation.

We believe that better cooperation amongst churches and community organizations could better serve the current need. We are now developing church and community partnerships aimed at implementing holistic approaches, sharing resources, and coordinating services.

In a partnership, each church community can find their unique contribution, and no one church is overburdened. Partners will jointly address the physical, spiritual, and practical needs of people in their neighborhood to foster healthy community.

Our vision is that every church and Christian group in Greater Boston who wants to engage people affected by homelessness will be equipped to do so wisely. In turn, people affected by homelessness will have more opportunities to participate in “healthy, effective communities” that can support them in transitioning out of homelessness and achieving their full potential.

Rev. Cynthia Hymes Bell

Rev. Bell leads Starlight Ministries in its mission to build the capacity of Boston’s churches and leaders to create life-changing relationships with people affected by homelessness. She has a degree in mental health from Tufts University, a Master of Public Health from Yale, and a Master of Divinity from Harvard. From 2002 to 2008, Cynthia traveled to South Sudan with “My Sister’s Keeper,” where she participated in the redemption of more than 1,200 slaves. She is a licensed and ordained minister and serves on the ministry team of Morning Star Baptist Church in the Mattapan neighborhood of Boston.

10 Ways Churches Can Address Boston Homelessness Today

10 Ways Churches Can Address Boston Homelessness Today

By Rev. Cynthia Hymes Bell

Starlight Ministries builds the capacity of churches to minister to those experiencing homelessness. Our goal is to develop relationships amongst churches and ministry groups that desire to develop mutually transformative ministries with people affected by homelessness.

Ideal partners work collaboratively not only to address the physical, spiritual, and practical needs of homeless people—they also build a healthier community. Services are coordinated effectively so that each church can find their unique contribution and no one church is overburdened.

Our target groups are church partners with existing outreach ministries or that want to launch new ministries. We pursue partnerships with churches and ministry groups aimed at achieving sustainable, relational engagement of churches with people affected by homelessness.

Starlight Ministries offers trainings opportunities, where for churches and ministry groups:

• serve alongside our staff

• develop a basic awareness about homelessness

• nurture mutually life-changing relationships that help people affected by homelessness progress through stages of change and transition out of homelessness

How can you learn more, connect and become equipped to serve the homeless?  The following is a list of  opportunities that can help you get started.

How To Get Involved

Learning Events

1. Attend a Starlight Information & Recruitment Session

We facilitate a one-hour session on the complexity of the system of homelessness and an introduction to Starlight. Following the session, leaders are invited to sign up for in-depth training and consider how their church can engage more effectively.

For in-depth training, we ask that you commit to:

• bring several lay leaders and/or clergy from your church to three subsequent training sessions

• embrace and engage in a transformational style of relationship with people affected by homelessness

• prayerfully and thoughtfully consider moving toward a long-term commitment of your church’s people and resources to launch or strengthen one or more forms of effective ministry to people affected by homelessness, customized for your church and your community

Learning Resources

2. Study Homelessness  Check out these resources that can help you understand the complexities of homelessness today:

3. Explore the Local Ministry Landscape  See what’s happening across Boston to address homelessness:

Starlight Custom Consulting

Every church community and neighborhood has unique assets and needs. Starlight offers customized training for your church or ministry group, including:

4. Site Visits  We visit your site to observe your church outreach program, and meet key leaders and ministry volunteers.

5. Listening Sessions  We listen to you to learn about your church’s specific needs and your community issues.

6. Custom Classroom and Experiential Trainings customized training for church partners are provided by request.  For committed, partnering churches, Starlight provides:

• customized classroom training on homelessness, effective engagement, and intervention principles and practices

• opportunities for your group to gain hands-on experience in effective outreach while being coached and mentored by our team of experienced staff

Giving and Fundraising

7. Donate to Starlight  Be a matching donor, lead donor, or give to the annual Starlight Ministries fundraiser.

8. Join the 2018 Walkathon  Be a sponsor, lead donor, build a team to walk and raise funds or volunteer for Starlight Ministries Spring 2018 Walkathon.

9. Hold a Fundraiser  Organize a fundraising event in your church, neighborhood or community.

10. Donate Goods  Contribute clothing, coats, shoes and other personal care items to our Resource/Drop-in center.

Cynthia Hymes Bell

Cynthia is leading Starlight Ministries in its mission to build the capacity of Boston’s churches and leaders to create life-changing relationships with people affected by homelessness. She has a degree in mental health from Tufts University, a Master of Public Health from Yale, and a Master of Divinity from Harvard. From 2002 to 2008, Cynthia traveled to South Sudan with “My Sister’s Keeper,” where she participated in the redemption of more than 1,200 slaves. She is a licensed and ordained minister and serves on the ministry team of Morning Star Baptist Church in the Mattapan neighborhood of Boston.

Boston Climate Dialogues: 3 Fall Events

Boston Climate Dialogues: 3 Fall Events

By Ruth Wong

EGC is excited to partner with Northeastern University and Vibrant Boston to promote practical dialogue on climate change and resilience in Boston communities.  We are opening three of our fall sessions to the public, to broaden community knowledge and collaboration with Christian leaders engaged in climate resilience work.

ABOUT OUR COLLABORATION

EGC is one of Northeastern University’s Service Learning Opportunity sites, and this fall we are learning alongside students in a Climate Change & Society class, taught by Sociology Professor Sharon Harlan. We are exploring together the possible impacts of climate change in a Boston neighborhood and how the community can become more resilient to environmental change.  

Northeastern also has interest in engaging youth and residents from a Boston neighborhood. With our existing collaboration with Vibrant Boston, EGC helped facilitate a three-way partnership for this class.

Vibrant Boston is a free drop-in program based in Boston’s Lenox-Camden neighborhood of the South End /Lower Roxbury area. They provide the youth and their families living in this well-documented high crime community with support, enrichment, and opportunities based in a Social and Emotional Learning approach. Vibrant Boston programming covers a broad spectrum of services, including homework help, sports activities, career exploration, job opportunities for both teens and adults, and therapeutic classes in the arts.

OUR GOALS

Our three-way collaboration seeks to:

• empower Vibrant Boston, and the residents of housing developments surrounding it, to learn about the potential impacts of climate change on urban communities, including their own

• become more informed about climate change and how we can support Christian leaders’ involvement with the city of Boston’s climate change initiatives

• promote a constructive dialogue about resilience within the community, with other communities, and with city government

• provide opportunities for Vibrant Boston youth to interact with Northeastern students for mutual learning and relationship-building that are beneficial to both groups.

• encourage Vibrant Boston youth’s aspirations for a university education

EGC staff and Vibrant Boston youth will attend eight sessions of the Northeastern Climate Change & Society class to learn and dialogue about climate change and its impact on urban communities.

“Decisions are being made now about climate mitigation and adaptation that affect how people will live in the future climate. There are significant social justice problems involving human capabilities and adaptive responses to climate change that must be addressed at local, national, and global scales. We will examine how communities are striving to adapt and prepare for the climate of the future. - excerpt from the Climate Change & Society course syllabus, Northeastern University

You're Invited!

Three guest speaker sessions are open to the public. We welcome residents from Boston and area churches to participate with us as we hear from key Boston leaders addressing this issue.

Learn with us! Join us in becoming more informed and ready to support local leaders doing important climate resilience work in our neighborhoods and city. Please mark your calendars for these fall events!

1. Is Boston’s Climate Changing?  Are We Prepared?

Mia Mansfield

City of Boston Office of Environment, Energy and Open Space

Reading Assignment: Climate Ready Boston Report

Monday, October 23 @ 3:15PM

2. Connections: Race and Climate Justice

Rev. Mariama White-Hammond

Bethel AME Church

Reading Assignment: Bridging Boston’s Racial Divide by Blanding

Monday, October 30 @ 3:15PM

3. Resilient Communities: East Boston Sets an Example

Gabriela Boscio & Melinda Vega

Neighborhood of Affordable Housing, East Boston

Wednesday, November 8 @ 3:15PM

Take Action

Contact

Climate Dialogues Contact Form

RUTH WONG

Ruth is passionate about creating learning communities for churches and leaders across racial, socio-economic, and denominational lines. Director of the Boston Education Collaborative, Ruth collaborates with the Boston Public Schools to foster partnerships between schools and faith-based institutions. Every summer, Ruth also teaches at an engineering program at MIT for high school students. 

How Are We Doing?

Avoiding Babel: 5 Tips for Spiritually Healthy Collaborations

Avoiding Babel: 5 Tips for Spiritually Healthy Collaborations

By Jess Mason

Does Christian collaboration move us towards God’s ideal of healthy urban life? If we're working together to accomplish a justice-oriented goal, does that mean we’re honoring God’s will and reflecting Christ’s love together? It depends. We may just be building another Tower of Babel.

For Christian leaders, collaboration minus discernment can add up to idolatry.

Babel as Cautionary Tale

The story of the Tower of Babel is the classic Biblical warning against ill-conceived collaborations. A group of people with a common language work together to build a city with a high tower. This endeavor displeases God, who then confuses their language to hinder their cooperation. Why?

While scholars diverge on the exact sin in the Tower of Babel story, the people appeared to be taking collaborative action without openness or obedience to God. Christian leaders have a part to play in the Church avoiding Babel in Boston.

5 Disciplines for Avoiding a Babel Scenario

1. Beware empowerment for empowerment’s sake.

You have to hand it to the people building Babel—at least they weren’t at war with each other. They were in complete harmony, with plans for a shared urban prosperity. What’s wrong with that? Isn’t that what Boston Christian leaders are working for?

“Collaboration minus discernment can add up to idolatry.”

The problem is that humans alone can't fully envision ultimate urban prosperity.

The people of Babel thought they should build a tower to reach God (Babel means "gate of God"). How could they have predicted God’s solution to the distance between God and humankind? They couldn’t know about the coming of Jesus, the cross, or the indwelling Holy Spirit. But God knew.

I attended the third Woven Consultation on Christian Women in Leadership in June. There the Woven team warned us, the would-be ministry collaborators, against shared empowerment for empowerment’s sake.

Setting a tone of spiritual openness for the day, wise leaders warned us against judging the success of the day merely by the creation of action steps. Instead, the Woven team offered us permission NOT to take action if that’s how the Spirit was leading. Alicia Fenton-Greenaway, the founder of Esther Generation, further shared that real progress for Christians means that real progress for Christians means being comfortable with not knowing the outcome of what the Spirit is accomplishing, yet still committing to the process of advancing the work of the Spirit in our souls, groups, or communities.

If we want the highest vision of human thriving for Boston, we'll want to listen together for God’s guidance on what is needed next.

2. Beware action from anger or fear — favor action inspired by love.

What was the motive for building Babel? Partly, the people didn't want to "be scattered over the earth.” The people may have feared a second flood and wanted to fortify themselves against God’s judgment. Or they may have been putting down roots in rebellion against God's command to multiply and fill the earth.

Whether from fear or anger, the people decided together that Babel was their vision of human thriving. 

“Fear, as well as anger, when we look at them in solitude and quiet, reveal to us how deeply our sense of worth is dependent either on our success in the world or on the opinions of others. We suddenly realize we have become what we do or what others think of us.” - Henri Nouwen”

Anger is powerful—it can energize us away from the status quo. But anger alone isn’t a wise guide to strategic action and can lead to counterproductive reactions. We need Christ’s love—for us and for others—to sustain us through the bumpy journey towards lasting change.

Similarly, fear can be useful—to make us aware of risks. But we need Jesus’ love to balance risk with appropriate courage.

Anger and fear can make us, for example, condemn human trafficking. But Christ’s love and guidance are what sustains the exploitation aftercare program Amirah House through their years of steady trauma care and strategic advocacy to bring about systemic change.

3. Beware obsession with branding.

“Come, let’s build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens so that we may make a name for ourselves.”

“We can trust God to grow our group’s reputation as far as His purposes require.”

In today's culture, churches and Christian organizations create their brand to be clear with the public about what they stand for. But God has not laid on those teams the responsibility to control how prominent their brand becomes, and at what pace.

I ran a non-profit organization for five years under a tremendous weight of needing to build brand recognition. I can attest to how merciless—and distracting—that burden can be. 

We don’t need to be anxious to "make a name" for our ministry. As we’re clear about what we stand for and diligent in what God has led us to do, we can trust God to grow our group’s reputation as far as His purposes require.

4. Beware celebrating new skills and accomplishments without celebrating growth in Christian character.

The people building Babel were innovators. They developed the technology for bricks, an advancement over stone construction. They had design thinkers with big visions, who could oversee the building of the largest edifice ever conceived.

God didn’t deny their skill or potential—in fact, God declared that nothing would be impossible for them once they set their mind to it.

But nowhere in this story do the people mention developing in character or wisdom. They wanted to grow in size, in prominence, in technology, but not in human maturity or godliness.

My friend Smita Donthamsetty worked for 20 years in Christian microfinance around the world. Her training materials are translated and contextualized into the local cultures of Peru, the Philippines, the Dominican Republic, India, Togo, Mali, and other countries.  

A key factor to the success of her trainings was balancing skill training and character development. Those who participated in her micro-savings groups learned about financial accountability and discipleship simultaneously. They discussed their broken relationship with God and others, and their new hope through Christ, as they explored treating money differently.

Smita admits that progress in those groups happens more slowly than organizations just teaching financial tools. But the balanced groups continue to this day to self-replicate and sustainably transform lives and communities through Christ-centered stewardship and microfinance.

As Christian leaders, we need to affirm that every shared endeavor is an opportunity for spiritual deepening. Foster and celebrate both the spiritual—as well as the concrete—impacts of your work together in the city.

5. Beware brainstorming and decision-making with no discernment practices.

Even when our teams are made entirely of Christians, our brainstorming and decision-making don’t automatically represent God’s priorities. Perfunctory opening prayers to “cover” the process are not enough.

How quickly our hearts can forget, as we develop momentum and build partner agreement, what it means to be a Christian leader. God isn’t calling us to merely guide others in soldiering on for Jesus, reaching out to God in occasional moments of uncertainty or need. Christian leadership nudges others to walk with Jesus continually.

One of the jobs of a Christian leader in a group setting is to create opportunities to listen to the Spirit. Then we can all, as God gives grace, take part in what the Spirit is accomplishing in the city. For example:

• prepare a tone-setting devotional to address your group's human need for a transition into a sacred space

• normalize pausing for prayer, especially when anyone senses the group might be forcing a false clarity before its time.

• foster active stillness—that inner state of self-control that allows us to deliberately listen and honor God instead of just riding group momentum.

• model a group culture of surrender to the Spirit, submitting any assumptions or plans to His greater wisdom.

“As Christians, God is forever our First Stakeholder.”

My supervisor, Stacie, will shamelessly call on Jesus in the middle of a team meeting. In mid-thought, eyes open, she’ll say something like: “So team, here are ten things we could accomplish in the coming month... (Sigh) Dear Jesus. We need your help! Guide us, help us get out of your way, help us hear what’s important to you. We love you, Amen.”  

She makes it normal for us to do that. So she makes it natural for our team to need Jesus—and to include Jesus—in everything.

Shared cooperation with the Spirit is at the very heart of building God’s Kingdom on earth. In nonprofit work, we learn ways to gather input from stakeholders. As Christians, God is forever our First Stakeholder.

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JESS MASON

As a Ministry Innovation Strategist at EGC, Jess enjoys contributing to EGC's effectiveness in serving the Church in Boston. A former licensed minister, Jess is a spiritual director and Christian Formation Chair at her church. She loves to see God’s goodness revealed to and through Christians.

HOW ARE WE DOING?

Emotional Intelligence for Ministry Collaboration

Emotional Intelligence for Ministry Collaboration

By Jess Mason

I sometimes find collaborative work agitating. My temperament enjoys the satisfaction of extended focus, of flowing through tasks in solitude.

But I also find collaboration exciting and hopeful. As a results-focused person, I have to face facts—healthy collaboration yields better outcomes. For me, collaboration means taking part in a greater story, rather than being the hero of a small one.

I don’t mean to imply that all work needs to be done in groups. Focused, solo work has value. In fact, without the depth of individual thought, groupthink can yield outcomes that are driven by personality dynamics instead of shared insight.

But extended solo work can sometimes give a false sense of progress. As well-meaning leaders, we can unknowingly hinder our own goals if we’re not in conversation with other players in the larger system in which we’re working.

Collaboration Requires New Skills

David Stroh reminds us that good systems thinkers engage in "continuous communication" with partners. Communication with partners is usually full of unpredictable challenges, so it can feel surprisingly messy and slow. But the fruits of that communication can yield multiplied benefits.

Connecting well with partners also requires our willingness to be humble. In shared learning, we open ourselves up to ways we’ve been blind—where our efforts might have been ineffective, or even counterproductive. Healthy collaborators foster a gracious environment and celebrate shared learning—from failure and success alike.

Not surprisingly, healthy collaboration requires more emotional effort and social skill than solo work. Fortunately, these skills can be learned. I’d like to share what I’m learning at EGC. Here I explore six social skills relevant to any ministry collaboration.

6 Social Skills for Healthy Ministry Collaboration

1. Prepare to be more gracious than you think you’ll need to be.

At times partners may seem inconsiderate or disrespectful. Assume first that they’re well-intentioned, but unaware, and share your concerns accordingly. Similarly, whenever partners appear hostile, assume first that they are afraid or feeling insecure, and respond with solidarity.

Prepare yourself mentally to be ready to respond to human needs as they surface. While you may capture participant ideas on shared spaces, you may also want to have a private space, paper or electronic, for noting the dynamics you observe, so you can plan to respond when the moment is right.

When someone sounds insistent or repetitive even after their thoughts are captured, use brief, affirming statements, such as “I hear that”. When emotions get more intense, you can say , “I can tell this is important to you”, and reflect back what you’re hearing them say.  

You don’t need to co-opt the entire meeting every time someone expresses an emotion. But making people feel seen, heard, and empowered within the purpose of the meeting is, in fact, the main purpose of meetings.  

When significant issues arise that are beyond the scope of the meeting, make shared plans to follow up at another time.

2. Communicate to learn together, not to perform.

Don’t wonder whether you’re still in a learning phase together—you are. Instead, ask yourself what kind of learning is important now. As David Stroh said, “Learning is a better stance than knowing.”

You may be engaged in learning about the wider system and collaborators’ current efforts. You may have advanced to what strategies are having positive impact, or about the unintended negative consequences of past efforts. Throughout your work you’ll keep learning the quirks of various collaborators and organizations you are working with—what tends to activate vs. shut down certain people in your network.

Don’t be surprised—there’s always more to learn from your partners, and others can expect to continue to learn from you. Mentally prepare yourself before partner meetings with the attitude of a learner.

3. Prepare FOR listening well.

We build trust when others feel heard; we build motivation when people feel empowered. Logistically prepare, both to hear people, and to foster doable actions.

Prepare logistical tools to capture insights, value diverse voices, and display agreed-upon points for action.

If you are not an auditory learner, plan to jot down notes so you can listen well. If you’re the planner for a group time, some version of a mutually visible workspace like a board, a giant post-it (or their electronic analogues) with a designated note-taker is key. If you’re the note taker, try to capture the essence of what you’re hearing, and discipline yourself not to “correct” it in that moment. Follow meetings up with a "What We Learned Together” communication.

A concrete plan for quality listening can transform chaotic time-wasting into sensible empowerment.

4. Practice strategies to calm down.

Interpersonal communication can be powerful, subtle, and complex. If we rush it or force it, we may miss what’s really being shared. If we charge forward in an unchecked adrenaline mode, we may even foster pathological communication by triggering fight, flight, or freeze behavior in others or ourselves.

Some strategies to calm down in shared learning settings include:

• Slow down your words and body.

• Take several long, deep breaths, until you feel a tension release in your body.

• Lower the volume or tone of your voice to invite calm in others.

• If you feel yourself in knee-jerk reaction mode, pause to make a note.

• If you find yourself ruminating on past events, take a moment to focus your mind and senses back in the present moment. Notice the sounds, smells, sights, and sensations in the present moment.

• Acknowledge strong emotions respectfully and appropriately, according to the culture.

• Ask for a group break with a tone of respect for group well-being.

• Thank the group for their time and courage, acknowledging they are taking part in difficult but worthy work.

• Reset your shared goal for the day. Tensions can run high under time pressure. If the group agrees to adjust their expectations, you can finish together with a sense of empowerment.

5. Accept that people wear different hats.

Collaborators are not interchangeable—we each bring a different temperament, set of skills, and scope of concern. See if you recognize any of the following characters in your community:

• She brings information but doesn’t suggest action; he does the reverse.

• He’s a systems thinker and big vision strategist. She holds the group accountable to brass tacks for realistic action in realtime.

• He’s a relational bridge builder, who keeps the entire collaboration sustainable, but doesn't give concrete input.

• She processes information quickly, and may sometimes jump ahead to conclusions; he processes what he’s learning over time and comes back with solid buy-in.

• He contributes by asking thoughtful questions, she by suggesting solutions.

• She’s primarily thinking of the needs of stakeholders in the community, while he’s focused on the needs of the team in the room.

• These two people can put on whatever hat you ask them to, for the purpose of the meeting.

Not everyone needs to weigh in on every part of the conversation. Certainly if there are objections, those need to be heard. But don’t feel the need to get everyone to the same level of understanding and buy-in at every turn. If there are no objections, feel free to move forward as a group.

6. Set achievable expectations for what success looks like.

Prepare the group for this “messier” vision of what healthy consensus on a diverse team looks like. At the beginning of partner meetings, verbally set everyone free from any unhelpful expectations you think they might bring.

Make it a practice to retrain the team’s source of satisfaction. Instead of hoping for everything to go swimmingly, invite people to notice solid, forward momentum amidst real challenges.

With shared expectations, together you’ll be able to recognize and celebrate successful collaboration when it’s happening.

TAKE ACTION

observe a healthy collaboration in action.

Take any opportunity you have to be a participant-observer in a healthy collaboration environment. During and after the experience, make note of how key partners contributed to healthy collaboration.

Disclaimer: We all go astray at times—we all have bad days. So as you observe, don’t focus on judging “troublemakers”. Instead, focus on how healthy collaborators respond to bring the group forward together.

If you have the opportunity for professional development conversation, discuss what you’re learning with your coach or mentor.

FEEL FREE TO Connect with me with questions or comments!

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Jess Mason is a former licensed minister and spiritual director. She is currently a ministry innovation strategist in Applied Research & Consulting at EGC, and the chair of Christian Formation at a church in Jamaica Plain. Her passion is to see God’s goodness revealed to and through Christian leaders and pillars in the Boston area.

Examples of Collaboration in the Greater Boston Church Community

Compiled by the Emmanuel Gospel Center for Greater Things for Greater Boston Retreat October 8 – 10, 2017

There has been a rich history of ministry collaboration in the Greater Boston Christian community. This document gives a brief description of some of the significant ministry initiatives in urban Boston that involved a broad coalition of ministry partners, and/or involved significant partnering across sectors. Much more could be said about each of the ones listed, and many more initiatives, projects and ministries could be added to this list. Please send additions or other feedback to Jeff Bass (jbass@egc.org).

The 1857-1858 Prayer Revival spread to Boston when the Boston "Businessmen's Noon Prayer Meeting" started on March 8, 1858, at Old South Church (downtown). There was considerable doubt about whether it would succeed, but so many turned out that a great number could not get in. The daily prayer meetings were expanded to a number of other churches in Boston and other area cities. Wherever a prayer meeting was opened, the church would be full, even if it was as large as Park Street Church. While the revival was noted for drawing together businessmen, it also involved large numbers of women. For example, the prayer meetings of women at Park Street Church were full to overflowing with women standing everywhere they could to hear.

When Dwight L. Moody came to Boston in 1877, he led a cooperative evangelism effort among many churches. This three-month effort drew up to 7,000 people at a time to the South End auditorium for three services a day, five days a week. Moody encouraged a well-organized, interdenominational effort by 90 churches to do house-to-house religious visitation, especially among people who were poor. Two thousand people were spending a large part of their time in visitation, covering 65,000 of Boston’s 70,000 families. The home visitations served the practical needs of mothers and children as well as their spiritual needs. The Moody outreach also related to workers in their workplaces. Meetings were established for men in the dry-goods business, for men in the furniture trade, for men in the market, for men in the fish trade, for newspaper men, for all classes in the city.[1]

[1] These first two are from History of Revivalism in Boston by Rudy Mitchell; 50 pages of fascinating and inspiring reading. Use hyperlink or search at egc.org/blog.

One of the most important organizations in Boston for the healthy growth of the church has been Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary’s Boston Campus, commonly known as CUME (the Center for Urban Ministerial Education). A short version of its interesting history is that it came about because of the joint hard work of leaders in the city (particularly Eldin Villafañe and Doug Hall) and leaders at the Seminary (particularly Trustee Michael Haynes, pastor of Twelfth Baptist Church in Roxbury). CUME officially opened with 30 students in September 1976 at Twelfth Baptist Church in Roxbury. CUME currently serves more than 500 students representing 39 denominations, 21 distinct nationalities, and 170 churches in Greater Boston. Classes are taught in English, Spanish, French Creole and Portuguese, with occasional classes in American Sign Language. (from GCTS website).

The Boston TenPoint Coalition was formed in 1992 when a diverse group of urban pastors was galvanized into action by violence erupting at a funeral for a murdered teen at Morning Star Baptist Church. Reaching beyond their differences, these clergy talked with youth, listened to them and learned about the social, economic, moral and ethical dilemmas trapping them and thousands of other high-risk youth in a cycle of violence and self-destructive behavior. In the process of listening and learning, the Ten-Point Plan was developed and the Boston TenPoint Coalition was born.

The “Boston Miracle” was a period in the late 1990s when Boston saw an unprecedented decline in youth violence, including a period of more than two years where there were zero teenage homicide victims in the city. Much has been written about The Boston Miracle (and a movie starring Matt Damon is in the works), but there are competing narratives about what caused the violence to decline. Certainly the work of Boston police, the Boston TenPoint Coalition, Operation Ceasefire, and supporting prayer all played major roles.

In response to the first Bush administration’s faith-based initiative in the early 1990s, a group of funders (led by the Barr and Hyams foundations) brought together leaders from the Black Ministerial Alliance (BMA), Emmanuel Gospel Center (EGC), Boston TenPoint Coalition, and the United Way to respond to a Federal request for proposals. Out of this conversation, the Boston Capacity Tank was formed, and we were able to successfully secure a Federal grant ($2 million per year for three years, then funding from federal, state, local, private sources afterwards). The Tank was led with input from the founding partners, and built the capacity of more than 350 youth serving organizations over 10 years.

Victory Generation Out-of-School Time Program (VG) was created by the Black Ministerial Alliance in 1992 in response to the educational disparities documented between youth of color and their suburban counterparts. The BMA partnered with 10 churches to provide academic enrichment to students in the Boston Public Schools in order to improve their grades and test scores. Ninety-four percent (94%) of students consistently participating in VG were found to increase one full letter grade in achievement and, for those not at grade level, achieve grade level. Most remarkable is that although this is a church-centered program, upwards of 80% of the students attending VG are not members of any church.

In the 1990s, Vision New England hosted three-day prayer summits for male pastors that was attended by as many as 90 leaders. The goal was to focus purely on seeking God through prayer, worship and reading Scriptures with no speakers, only facilitators keeping things on track. They were not only well attended but powerful times that were blessed by the Holy Spirit. In 2000, leaders in Boston met to discuss holding a similar prayer summit that also would include female leaders in the Boston area. Thus began the Greater Boston Prayer Summit, which ran two-day prayer retreats for up to 75 pastors and ministry leaders in the spring, with a smaller one-day prayer gathering in the fall. The Summits were effective in connecting leaders around Greater Boston, and promoting unity in the church across various church streams. Energy for the Summit faded in recent years, and the planning team disbanded in 2016.

In the mid-1990s, there was a group of pastors and business leaders who met several times to talk about issues in the city and potential partnering. The business leaders challenged the city leaders to agree on an issue to address. “If the city leaders agree, resources will flow!” Partly in response to this challenge, EGC worked with a broad coalition of churches and youth leaders to start the Youth Ministry Development Project (YMDP). The goal, set by the coalition, was to see the Boston churches grow from only one full-time church-based youth worker to twenty over ten years, and to provide much better support for church-based youth work. Funding was provided primarily by secular foundations, and the YMDP project was well-funded and met its 10-year goals.

Boston Capacity Tank’s Oversight Committee (including funders and faith leaders) challenged itself to look at the systemic issues of youth violence in Boston. The Committee asked EGC to take the lead in forming the Youth Violence Systems Project (YVSP) that partnered with Barr, youth leaders in several key Boston neighborhoods, local organizations such as the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI), the Boston TenPoint Coalition (to interview gang members), and a nationally known Systems Dynamics expert (Steve Peterson). The work influenced many leaders to take a more systemic view of their activities, and the project approach was published in a peer review journal.

In 1997, United Way of Massachusetts Bay (UWMB) collaborated with local faith leaders to initiate the Faith and Action (FAA) Initiative. UWMB had traditionally only worked with secular organizations. The Faith and Action Initiative was envisioned as funding faith-based programs for youth precisely because of their spiritual impact on participants. Churches—especially Black churches—in some hard-to-reach Boston neighborhoods were serving youth in a way that more traditional agencies were not. FAA would direct small grants to these religious organizations on a trial basis. No grant recipient would be allowed to proselytize. But each would be required to include spiritual transformation in its program as a condition of winning a grant (from Duke case study on FAA).

The Greater Boston Interfaith Organization (GBIO) is an organization of 50 religious congregations and other local institutions that joined together in 1998 in order to more powerfully pursue justice in Massachusetts. Since its founding, GBIO has played a critical role in securing Massachusetts health care reform; helping to roll over $300 million into the construction of affordable housing in the state; and supporting local leadership in efforts to attain worker protections, school renovations, adequate access to school textbooks, as well as other major victories (from GBIO.org).

The Institute for Pastoral Excellence (IEP) was planned and implemented in 2002 as an initiative of the Fellowship of Hispanic Pastors of New England (COPAHNI). COPAHNI is a regional fellowship of Hispanic churches and ministries. The purpose of IEP was to help Hispanic pastors and lay leaders in New England build their foundation for effective and resilient ministry. IEP was funded with two multi-year grants from the Lilly Endowment ($660,000 and $330,000, respectively). IEP maintained strong partnerships with Emmanuel Gospel Center (fiscal agent, consulting, and administrative support) and the Center for Urban Ministerial Education and Vision New England (consulting, speakers, and materials).

In 2004, a group of suburban leaders met with urban leaders to see if we could provide resources so connecting would be easier. “The answer can’t be that you have to talk with Ray Hammond to get connected.” Out of those conversations, CityServe was born. The goal was to create online resources for connecting, coupled with staff support for the process. Harry Howell, president of Leadership Foundations, offered to donate a couple days a week to get this off the ground, and EGC raised some funds and hired a staff person to get things started. Harry, however, had a heart attack and was not able to follow through on his commitment, the project never found its footing in the community or with donors, and the experiment ended in 2007.

In 2004 and 2005 there was a growing sense among many believers that God was about to move powerfully in the New England region. Covenant for New England was formed to promote the functional unity, spiritual vitality, and corporate mindset that would prepare the way for a fresh movement of God’s Spirit. In 2006, Roberto Miranda, Jeff Marks, and others involved inCovenant for New England met with British prayer leader Brian Mills to discuss how to broaden the Covenant network to include all of New England. In February of 2007, the New England Alliance was formed consisting of representatives from all 6 New England states. This group began meeting monthly in various places around the region. One unique aspect of Alliance gatherings was they always began with an hour or two of prayer before any other business was brought up for discussion.

From 2008 to 2010, a multi-ethnic group of urban and suburban church leaders worked together to plan and prepare for the national Ethnic America Network Summit, “A City Without Walls.” The conference was jointly hosted in April 2010 by Jubilee Christian Church International and Morning Star Baptist Church. The Summit featured local speakers (including Dr. Alvin Padilla of CUME and Pastor Jeanette Yep of Grace Chapel) and national speakers with deep Boston roots (including Rev. Dr. Soong-Chan Rah). The Summit brought together many diverse partners and established relationships that last today.

In 2010, Boston Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Carol Johnson created a community liaison position to foster more school partnerships with faith-based and community-based organizations. The opportunity for church/school partnerships led to some significant urban/suburban church partnerships, such as Peoples Baptist/North River, and Global Ministries/Grace Chapel. EGC’s Boston Education Collaborative currently supports about 40 church/school partnerships in Boston.

Greater Things for Greater Boston grew out of the initial desire of several key urban and suburban pastors to see broader connections between pastors and churches in Greater Boston. Central to developing the vision were biennial “Conversations on the Work of God in New England” which highlighted local and national pastors and networks joining with God to do innovative work to reach their city. The first conversation was held in May 2010. Topics have included “Why Cities Matter?”, church/school partnerships, community trauma, and much more. The identity and mission of GTGB is: “We are a diverse network of missional leaders stubbornly committed to one another and to accelerating Christ’s work in Greater Boston.”

There were at least two precursors to Greater Things for Greater Boston. The Boston Vision Group formed in 2001 “to see in the next 5 – 10 years, Boston will be a place where there is infectious Christian Community wherever you turn.” The Greater Boston Social Justice Network, formed in 2004, was “committed to eradicating social injustices that impede the advancement of God’s kingdom on earth.” Both groups included a variety of urban and suburban leaders, and both were active over several years.

In January 2017, EGC and the BMA worked with Jamie Bush and Drake Richey to convene a group of mostly professional under-40s, in the financial district, to consider what God has been doing in Boston over the last 30 years. This led to another meeting of the same group in March to hear from Pastors Ray Hammond and Bryan Wilkerson about what the Bible says about engaging your talents and the needs of society, with small-group discussion, pizza and wine. In May, the group met again at the Dorchester Brewing Company for a discussion of seeking God's purpose for your life and prayer. Again with food (and, of course, beer). Next steps, including hopefully meeting for prayer, are being considered.