Frequently Asked Questions

So what exactly IS the Center for Jubilee Practice?

Great question! Here are a few things it is (and a few things it is not).

  • What it is:

    • A shared exploration of possibilities for the church of the future

    • An effort to do the work of repentance, healing, repair, and that encourages our churches to do everything in their power to stop systems of oppression and assure they will not be recreated nor their harm repeated

    • An effort to create opportunities to grow in love and equity

    • An attempt to heal hidden trauma and create open and vibrant communities of faithful followers of Jesus who are prepared to take risks together for the sake of the gospel

    • A process of accompaniment for churches that would like to consider bold, concrete and visible actions that redistribute resources to those who have been de-centered in the broader culture, for the land and environment, and for those who have been harmed by historical actions of the Christian church

  • What it isn’t:

    • A Church growth strategy - it might be more helpful to think of this as a “Church health or a church relevance strategy”

    • A way to get people who are de-centered in the broader culture to come to our churches - think of this instead as an opportunity for our communities of faith to become practiced at entering into spaces or shared work with folks who have been de-centered as good allies who know how to read cultural cues and respond to feedback appropriately when it is offered to them

    • An achievable goal - think of this instead more as an ongoing discipline or practice that helps our congregations and members to bring our actions into congruence with our beliefs

What will the activities of the Center for Jubilee Practice be, and how are they likely to help my congregation and the members of our church?

The primary work of the Center for Jubilee Practice is consultation with worshiping communities, working alongside local congregations, their regional governing bodies, and faith-based organizations to create brave space that will nurture daring action. As different communities will have different needs, there is no one specific answer to “what will this look like”; things will change depending on the needs of the situation. However, all of our work will start with learning about each community that desires to work with us, including but not limited to:

  • Meeting with leaders and members of local congregations or faith communities

  • Learning about the history of each congregation or community, its enduring values, and the assets it brings to the table

  • Exploring the local area and exploring the possibility of building relationships with those who are marginalized or pushed to the edges

  • Offering resources to help faith communities think creatively about the ways in which they might transform themselves to live into what it means to be the church in our time

In terms of programming, some possibilities include but are not limited to:

  • Book Studies

  • Teaching/Bible Studies

  • Preaching/Liturgy Creation

  • Terminology Education

  • Small Group Consultation

  • Curriculum Preparation

  • Workshops and Webinars

  • Panels and Speaking Engagements

What do you mean when you say “reparations”?

Excellent question! The word “reparations” means different things to different people and has also become a buzzword for some and vilified by others. The Center for Jubilee Practice recognizes the history of harm from the enslavement of Black people in the U.S. and the effects of this on their descendants. In our work, reparations refers to something-be it money, land, or property-given to make amends for this legacy of slavery and racial harm to Black Americans. It is NOT merely a charitable handout, nor is it a solution to systemic racism. It is one form of action, out of many, that aims to address the harm done throughout the ages and seeks to bring long overdue equity.

Reparations is also not to be mixed up with “land back”, which involves returning land to the Indigenous people who originally resided on it. We also are in support of this.

For Presbyterian churches, how might this initiative enhance our churches’ commitment to the Matthew 25 Vision?

Rick was one of the initial crafters of the overture to the General Assembly in 2016 that became the Matthew 25 Vision for the PC(USA). The work that the Center for Jubilee Practice will be encouraging is tightly aligned with the values and goals of the Matthew 25 vision.

In addition, Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary, a historically African-American Seminary based in Atlanta, is another significant partner with the Center for Jubilee Practice. Their “Justice Foundations Series” curriculum for local congregations grew directly out of the Matthew 25 Pilot courses they developed in partnership with the Presbyterian Mission Agency in 2020.

What is a “brave space”?

By “brave space”, we mean an intentional space created that participants may feel free to be their honest, vulnerable selves. Often, these spaces are created for a specific group of people with specific preparations taken. In our context, spaces will be both for groups traditionally marginalized by the greater Church and for those needing to have challenging conversations in order to grow. We’ll let Micky ScottBey Jones and the folks at The People’s Supper explain further.

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How can we better support the folks who need to be offered brave space that is not white-centered?

This is exactly one of the questions at the heart of our work! The Center for Jubilee Practice seeks to both help white-centered spaces open themselves up in new ways and for marginalized folk to find places where they can breathe and have a voice.

When it comes to white-centered spaces, please note that this is about congregational vitality not just about growth. It is about considering the ways current church culture might not only be limiting who comes in the doors but also may limit what happens inside those doors. It is about looking at your community from a different perspective and being open to the energy of the Holy Spirit, knowing that the resulting change can not only make a space more welcoming for others but also for the traditional members of our congregations as well.

When it comes to fostering brave spaces for those who have typically been de-centered in the broader culture, our hope is to create a ministry of nurture and care so that people may actually feel vulnerable enough to be brave. This includes things like making sure groups are free of dominant presence, checking in with the community to establish covenant, and having a designated care person/team available during and after any meetings.