More than a fundraiser

More than a fundraiser

Pulling back the curtain on EGC’s content creation process for our annual fundraiser. 

At a historic church space in the heart of Cambridge, a diverse choir has gathered to worship God. But instead of a Sunday, it’s a rainy Saturday morning. In place of a congregation, a camera crew adjusts lights, angles shots, and tries to stay on schedule. But like any church gathering, there is coffee.  

It’s film day for the Emmanuel Gospel Center as we prepare for our annual fundraiser and virtual concert. 

This year, we’re filming at Central Square Church, a sacred space that’s hosted luminaries such as Fanny Crosby, who penned the lyrics to “Blessed Assurance,” and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who preached there to more than 2,000 people on a snowy Sunday evening in 1960.  

EGC film day in preparation for our annual fundraisers. Photography by Rosa Cabán at R9Foto.

Each year, we partner with different churches, which generously host us as we film content for our next fundraiser.   

“It’s yet another point of connection and relationship-building that happens, where these relationships are leveraged and strengthened in the process to create something that will be a blessing beyond that moment,” says Saranya Sathananthan, researcher in residence at EGC. “Every church we’ve filmed in is aesthetically unique, and I do think that being in God’s house contributes to the quality and essence of his presence with us in the moment and in the feel of the final piece.”

Central Square Church’s historic building underwent a renovation in 2020, much like EGC’s fundraisers were remade for the pandemic era. 

“Some sayin’ it’s the ending — I think it’s a new beginning.
”

— Caleb McCoy

Originally the brainchild of Jeff Bass, EGC’s executive director, our annual fundraisers began as dinners hosted by multiple partner churches around the region. 

It was important to Jeff that the fundraiser not just raise funds but also advance the Center’s mission in multiple ways. 

“I love that EGC’s fundraiser is missional for us,” he says. “It raises money for our work, yes, but it also invests in Christian creatives, provides a significant connecting opportunity for Christians throughout Greater Boston, and worships God by celebrating some of the ways we see Jesus at work in our city.”

(l-r) Hanna Garcia, Elijah Mickelson, Jalen Williams, Caleb McCoy. Photo credit: Rosa Cabán at R9Foto.

Over time, we consolidated the fundraiser to one location. For several years, we held the event at Florian Hall in Dorchester or Jubilee Christian Church in Mattapan. (EGC staff members still have flashbacks of cleaning the expansive sanctuary with a household vacuum cleaner before resetting all the chairs for the next Sunday’s worship services.)  

Then came the pandemic, and like everyone else, we had to pivot. Our 2020 fundraiser consisted of a single video, “Cry Out,” which included Caleb McCoy’s prophetic line, “Some sayin’ it’s the ending — I think it’s a new beginning.” 

That meant rethinking our approach to content and gathering as a community. 

“God has made us as individuals with different gifts that come to make up and culminate in the whole body. When we collab, we truly honor ourselves, we honor God, and we also bless others.
”

— Giovanni Acevedo

Even before the pandemic, we had been moving away from presentations to embrace the diverse gifts of our staff members and ministry partners, adopting more creative content expressions. 

But our next fundraiser marked a clear separation from the past. The pandemic was the first time we began working with local artists in a consistent, professional capacity, and we created a hybrid in-person and virtual concert event that resembled a drive-in movie theater experience.    

Caleb, EGC’s marketing manager who wrote and performed “Cry Out,” says it’s a beautiful thing to collaborate with talented artists, dancers, filmmakers, musicians, poets, photographers, and singers. 

A compilation of music videos produced and directed by the Emmanuel Gospel Center alongside some of New England's brightest musicians.

“This has strengthened relationships among the Christian creative community, and continues to be a blessing in the city,” he says. “And to think, this largely came out of the chaos of COVID, when many artists shared the same uncertainty with their vocation and expression. It just shows how God continues to make beauty from ashes.”

Jen Aldana, singer, songwriter, and worship leader. Photo credit: Rosa Cabán at R9Foto.

For EGC staff, friends, and ministry partners, it’s a deeply meaningful experience. 

“I am inspired by this unique space where filmmaking, art, and church community blend together to create something beautiful and sacred,” says Hanna Garcia, development manager at EGC.

“God has made us as individuals with different gifts that come to make up and culminate in the whole body,” says Giovanni Acevedo, poet, photographer, and filmmaker. “When we collab, we truly honor ourselves, we honor God, and we also bless others.”  

“Performing and participating in EGC’s fundraiser event was an incredible blessing!” says Jen Aldana. “As a Boston-based artist, it was special to see my work come to life in a new way by creating an acoustic version of my song ‘Trust in You’ — a song about trusting in God through every season, with EGC’s vision. They stand true to their mission by incorporating the arts and empowering and uplifting others. . . It was truly a blessing to take part in.”

“As a Boston-based artist, it was special to see my work come to life in a new way.”

— Jen Aldana

Each film day is a unique opportunity to connect with these artists. Saranya says she was blessed to catch up with them and hear about the latest in their lives. 

“It’s beautiful to see believers with different skills and active expressions of faith come together and contribute to something that uniquely demonstrates those talents and heartfelt stories while also reflecting a bigger picture of our amazing God and all he can do through those whose lives are surrendered to his purposes,” she says. “I left the time feeling full of joy.” 

That joy sees the team through what can sometimes be a messy process of making the sausage. 

“There’s a bit of chaos and feeling that spike of adrenaline, especially for those who are keeping track of the schedule, managing the equipment, and helping with all the logistics that are involved in making it happen,” Saranya says. “All these are things that you don’t really get a grasp of in seeing the final piece.” 

Saranya Sathananthan. Photo credit: Rosa Cabán at R9Foto.

Saranya says she’s wrestled with the filming process. It doesn’t always feel like a natural worship experience with all the bright lights and lidless, one-eyed cameras staring you down. 

“But I’ve been surprised at how the Spirit often moves even in the constrained settings we often film under,” she says. “There was definitely a moment when our EGC choir was singing the Doxology together, hearing our voices magnified through the acoustics in the room, with Pastor Larry [Kim] and Laura [Mitchell] watching and singing along, that I felt like this was my sincere thanksgiving and worship to the Lord. I was grateful to be there with everyone amidst the non-stop laughter and great energy that was created together.”

As Saranya says, we hope this joyful creation and artistic expression “speak truth and encouragement to people in our collective moment and are also often timeless for those moments of needed encouragement.”

You can watch the concert anytime by subscribing to our YouTube channel.

The EGC board, staff, and friends choir at our 2024 film-day shoot. Photo credit: Rosa Cabán at R9Foto.

Mutual learning is helping Black churches thrive

Pastor Jean Louis of Free Pentecostal Church of God and Pastor Bisi Asere of Apostolic Church LAWNA meet for the first time in person after participating in online meetings for half a year. Rosa Cabán with R9 Foto for The Emmanuel Gospel Center

Mutual learning is helping Black churches thrive

Black Church leaders reflect on God’s work in Boston.

By Hanno van der Bijl, Managing Editor, Applied Research & Consulting

“I see God bringing people together, having conversations that are important that we haven’t had. We’re being more open with one another and more transparent about ways that we can partner and collaborate.”

That sentiment expressed by Gina Benjamin was echoed by others reflecting on God’s work in Boston at a recent meeting for the Boston Black Church Vitality Project. 

Benjamin, social services director of the community center at Mount of Olives Evangelical Baptist Church in Hyde Park, is part of the project’s Thriving Initiative, a cohort of 10 ethnically and denominationally diverse Black churches that are located in four predominantly Black neighborhoods in the city.   

Members of these churches participating in the cohort said God is using the pandemic and other challenges not only to unify and strengthen the Church, but also to create opportunities for compassion and evangelism. 

The cohort meets together for two hours every other month for fellowship, peer learning, skills-based workshops and group training, and discussions about opportunities for collaborative ministry. During a meeting earlier this year, two church leaders shared their strategies for serving the community and keeping their congregants safe from COVID during worship services.  

Caring for the community

At the onset of the pandemic, Fania Alvarez, who heads up The Greater Boston Nazarene Compassion Center (GBNCC), said the leadership team decided they could not stop. But they knew they would have to do things differently.

The GBNCC runs a food pantry that distributes more than 7,000 pounds of food to families in need every week. When COVID hit, people started lining up hours earlier than usual with little social distancing. 

The GBNCC decided to open up a couple of hours earlier to accommodate the crowd.

“It was really challenging, but God was in the midst of it,” Alvarez said. 

Launched by the Haitian Church of the Nazarene — Friends of the Humble almost 30 years ago, the GBNCC serves low-income families and individuals who have limited access to services and resources in the community. 

In addition to the food pantry, the ministry runs a safety-net program, assisting people with government programs such as SNAP and WIC. The GBNCC also provides English language literacy and workforce development classes.

Once the vaccines became available, the ministry served as a vaccination clinic. The shots were a godsend, but some people were hesitant, Alvarez said.

“We had to find strategies to work with them. We had to go out and convince and educate them on the vaccine,” she said. “It wasn’t an easy time, but we made it. We can say we made it.” 

Churches that want to develop a social ministry of their own need a dedicated leader who is able to manage programs and secure resources from donors and charitable organizations. 

“Pray to the Lord so you can find somebody that has the heart for it,” Alvarez said.  

In a meeting earlier this year cohort participants were asked: “What do you see God doing in the city?” Here’s what they said.

Managing churcH through pandemic

In 2017, the Rev. Kenneth Sims at New Hope Baptist Church started bringing bank machines into the church services. 

“Some of our real spiritual-deep folk thought that I lost my mind bringing a machine to receive tithes and offerings,” Rev. Sims said. “But that was the biggest aspect of our giving.” 

He also felt compelled Sunday after Sunday to tell his congregants to get a smartphone.

“It didn’t really seem spiritual at the time,” he said. “The church eventually caught on. Every Sunday — especially the seniors — would flash their smartphones and say, ‘Reverend Sims, I have a smartphone. I don’t know how to use it but I have one.’” 

Then the pandemic hit. No collection plates were passed around to receive contributions. All in-person services stopped. 

“I just thank God … because we weren’t scrambling,” Rev. Sims said. “That taught me one thing: to really listen to the voice of God even when it’s in opposition to what many people are thinking. Listen to God because he knows the future.”

Rev. Sims met with nurses in the church to chart a way forward. An executive committee made up of four teams was formed to oversee the church’s response to COVID.

“We knew we were coming back to church,” he said. “We didn’t know when, so we started planning so that we’d be prepared.” 

A security team oversees registration, traffic, and parking. A health-and-hygiene team handles pre-screening, including handwashing, mask-wearing, and seating. A social distancing and redesign team handles seat spacing and equipment. A cleaning and disinfecting team cleans the bathrooms after each use. 

Rev. Sims said members of the congregation took ownership of the various teams and made a difference. 

“It got the people involved, and it wasn’t all about me. I’ve been trying for the last few years to get away from that — to stay in my role, of course, overseeing — but not having to do it directly,” he said. “People have been empowered, and they have taken off. I don’t get in their way.” 

After a five-month hiatus, the church resumed in-person worship services in August 2020. Rev. Sims said the church continues to practice the safety measures it put in place.

“Our main concern was that our people remained safe,” he said.

The executive team spent many hours meeting, praying, discussing, and researching their options to balance out the physical and spiritual needs of the congregation.

“I did not believe that New Hope could survive spiritually being away from the church gathering from March 2020 to now,” Rev. Sims said. “I could not see that.” 

While some members have come down with the virus, Rev. Sims said it was not due to their worship services as far as they know. 

“We have not had any kind of super-spreader situations going on at New Hope since we’ve returned,” he said. “That’s been a tremendous blessing for us.” 

With even more tools at their disposal than they had at the beginning of the pandemic, Rev. Sims is confident the church can keep moving forward.

“I’m just of the impression that, yes, let’s do all that we can to be safe: let’s do everything that we can, and then we’re leaving the rest up to the Lord,” he said. “What I can’t control, what I can’t power over, I leave that to the Lord.”

TAKE ACTION

The Thriving Initiative is a three-year process rooted in learning, discerning, and doing ministry. Participating churches are examining their mission and values in light of shifting social and cultural landscapes in Boston. 

By deploying tools such as interview guides, congregant surveys, and ministry inventories that BBCVP designed to support churches in understanding the needs and perspectives of congregant and community stakeholders, the cohort leads in a learning endeavor that seeks to model the work of reflection that is essential in order for the Church to remain relevant and vital. 

Through online articles, reports on what is being learned, videos, and data visualization, the Boston Black Church Vitality Project project will share these stories of innovation, successful strategies, and effective use of leverage points that exemplify models of prophetic leadership, community care, spiritual formation, and the pursuit of justice. 

The Thriving Initiative is generously funded by the Lilly Endowment with additional support from Boston Baptist Social Union and others. For more information, visit blackchurchvitality.com.

Nurturing Black Church vitality

Nurturing Black Church vitality

Black churches in Boston embark on long-term learning initiative   

by Hanno van der Bijl, Managing Editor, Applied Research & Consulting

The Boston Black Church Vitality Project (BBCVP) at the Emmanuel Gospel Center is kicking off its Thriving Initiative with a cohort of ethnically and denominationally diverse Black churches that are located in four predominantly Black neighborhoods in the city. 

These past few years, churches have faced a compounded crisis without the most essential part of their legacy — the ability to gather, fellowship, pray and worship together. Many Black churches are still grappling with the challenges extended by prolonged closure. 

The convening of a cohort committed to learning, growth, and collaboration during times when Christian community has become increasingly siloed due to the isolating effects of the pandemic is a testament to the resilience and dedication of Black pastors in the city.

The initiative is a three-year process rooted in learning, discerning, and doing ministry. Participating churches will examine their mission and values in light of shifting social and cultural landscapes in Boston. 

“We’re not here to save anybody. We’re not here to fix anybody. We’re not here to tell anybody what to do, how to do it, and when to do it. That’s not the goal,” said Dr. Emmett G. Price III, CEO of the Black Christian Experience Resource Center and Dean of Africana Studies at Berklee College of Music. “The goal is to bring folks together, who are already doing the work in powerful and meaningful ways, so that you can share best practices with each other.”

“The goal is to bring folks together, who are already doing the work in powerful and meaningful ways, so that you can share best practices with each other.”

— Dr. Emmett G. Price III

By deploying tools such as interview guides, congregant surveys, and ministry inventories that BBCVP designed to support churches in understanding the needs and perspectives of congregant and community stakeholders, the cohort will lead in a learning endeavor that seeks to model the work of reflection that is essential in order for the Church to remain relevant and vital. 

“Nobody really wants to talk about what happens on the ground in Boston, because Boston doesn’t fit into the phenotype of the quote-unquote Black Church in the nation — you know that better than anybody else,” Dr. Price said, addressing cohort participants. “So, here’s our opportunity to come together and talk about what vitality and thriving looks like, and not to wait for other people to come tell us about ourselves.” 

Through online articles, reports on what is being learned, videos, and data visualization, the BBCVP project will share these stories of innovation, successful strategies, and effective use of leverage points that exemplify models of prophetic leadership, community care, spiritual formation, and the pursuit of justice. 

“For us to prepare as the Black Church — broadly defined, narrowly defined — we need data. We can’t just keep doing things on a wing and a prayer,” said Rev. David Wright, executive director of BMA Tenpoint. “We want to gather hard data so that we can assess what’s happening and then begin to prayerfully make plans so that we can prepare for the future.”

“We want to gather hard data so that we can assess what’s happening and then begin to prayerfully make plans so that we can prepare for the future.”

— Rev. David Wright

The cohort is made up of a diverse group of church leaders that includes Black Americans, Haitians, Nigerians, and St. Lucians. And the diverse list of churches represents historic neighborhoods in the city, including Dorchester, Hyde Park, Mattapan, and Roxbury.

“We understand that the Black Church is not monolithic,” said Jaronzie Harris, program manager at the BBCVP. “So, I’m excited to hear what kinds of conversations are coming out of that exchange, what we have to learn from each other, what we have to share with each other.”

“I’m excited to hear what kinds of conversations are coming out of that exchange, what we have to learn from each other, what we have to share with each other.”

— Jaronzie Harris

During the first cohort meeting, pastors and church leaders shared their excitement about the project as well as the places they’re already witnessing vitality.

Mount of Olives Evangelical Baptist Church is addressing food insecurity and digital literacy as well as providing community education on COVID-19 and distribution of personal protective equipment, said Rev. Dr. Joel Piton, senior pastor of the Hyde Park church.

Twelfth Baptist Church in Roxbury is also focused on communal care with peace walks, a preschool and after-school program, as well as a food pantry and vaccination center. In addition, the church provided financial resources for families negatively impacted by the lengthy U.S. federal government shutdown in late 2018 and early 2019.

“What’s deep in my heart is the proactivity of the gospel,” said Rev. Willie Bodrick II, senior pastor at Twelfth Baptist Church. “I think it is the framework in which Jesus presents to us how we should manifest our words and the words of ministry into the actions of people’s lives.” 

“What’s deep in my heart is the proactivity of the gospel. I think it is the framework in which Jesus presents to us how we should manifest our words and the words of ministry into the actions of people’s lives.”

— Rev. Willie Bodrick II

TAKE ACTION

The Thriving Initiative is generously funded by the Lilly Endowment. For more information, visit blackchurchvitality.com.

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.

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.