What’s Important Is That We Start Somewhere

Drawing on the foundation of previous speakers at the 2018 Theology Conference, Dr. Peter Cha, professor of church, culture and society at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, delivered his lecture “A Holistic Ministry of Compassion and Justice: Biblical Foundation, Sociological Analysis, and Pastoral Leadership.”

Specifically, Dr. Cha asked how church leaders in the Evangelical Free Church of America could faithfully carry out God’s mandate for mercy and reconciliation. He explored explicit versus implicit theology and the far-reaching effects of a ministry of compassion and justice.

“Start small, but intentional, because the ministry of mercy and justice, the ministry of racial reconciliation, is not a program. It’s a journey. What’s important is that we start somewhere. As we engage in this ministry of compassion and justice, it's not just what we do, but how we become. Our mission and the culture of our church, our district and our denomination: Is it being also shaped by that? Then, in the final phases, as you've gone through this ministry of compassion and justice, have an evaluation: What have we learned? What have we learned about our God? What have we learned about the ministry of the gospel, about us? And do we continue what we have been doing, or is it time to change and do something else? Is God opening another door for us? How do we enlarge our kingdom partnership both within the church and beyond? What new questions and insights do we bring to our biblical reflections on compassion and justice so that it becomes an ongoing cycle of a journey?” — Dr. Peter Cha

Listen to the full lecture in the EFCA Theology Podcast episode, and stay tuned for the final podcast from the conference. If you missed other episodes from the conference, find them in the EFCA Theology Podcast archives.