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The Hole in Our Discipleship: How Racism Hinders our Ministry and Leadership

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Join two key voices at Missio Alliance in a compelling conversation on the impact of racism in our personal and ministerial journeys. Natasha Sistrunk Robinson (author of A Sojourner’s Truth) and David Swanson (author of Rediscipling the White Church) address how our discipleship has failed to adequately account for and address these forces in our lives and our churches, and what it might look like to name and dismantle racist and white-centered attitudes and perspectives more intentionally. You will also hear about the ways in which discipleship in and through us has been malformed or underformed and gain practical ideas to move forward as lifelong learners of a holistic Gospel.

In this conversation, you will…

  • Hear from two respected and experienced leaders who have written and spoken extensively on this topic
  • Learn about the truths that the church still needs to face regarding the racial inequities that exist in our congregations
  • Understand the biblical grounding for why these kinds of conversations are not anti-gospel, but in fact a reflection of the gospel
  • Discover the ways in which our discipleship journeys have been under- or malformed leading to gaps in the churches where we lead and serve

Check it out here

Special Guests: 

Natasha Robinson is an international speaker, leadership consultant, diversity and mentoring coach with nearly 20 years of leadership experience in the military, federal government, church, seminary, and nonprofit sectors. She is the author of “A Sojourner’s Truth: Choosing Freedom and Courage in a Divided World,” “Mentor for Life” and its accompanying leader’s training manual, and “The Hope for Us: Knowing God through the Nicene Creed Bible study.” She is the visionary Founder and Chairperson of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Leadership LINKS, Inc. Natasha is a doctoral student at North Park Theological Seminary and a graduate of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary Charlotte (M.A. Christian Leadership) and the U.S. Naval Academy. She has served as a Marine Corps officer and employee at the Department of Homeland Security. Natasha is also the host of “A Sojourner’s Truth: Conversations for a Changing Culture” podcast. You can follow her personal blog at www.asistasjourney.com.

David Swanson is the founding pastor of New Community Covenant Church, an intentionally multiracial congregation in Chicago’s Bronzeville community, and serves as CEO of New Community Outreach, a nonprofit working to reduce causes of trauma in the neighborhood. He is a former Director of Church Planting for the Evangelical Covenant Church and the author of a forthcoming book with InterVarsity Press, Rediscipling the White Church: From Cheap Diversity to True Solidarity. He and Maggie have been married for 20 years and they have two sons. You can connect with David online at dwswanson.com, twitter.com/davidswanson, or facebook.com/david.w.swanson.

Your Host: Helen Lee Beyond her role with Missio Alliance, Helen Lee is the Associate Director of Strategic Partnerships and Initiatives for InterVarsity Press. She is the author of The Missional Mom and co-founder of the Best Christian Workplaces. Helen is also an award-winner writer and former editor at Christianity Today. She is married to pianist and professor Brian Lee; they have three fast-growing sons and live in the Chicago area.