When new people show up to our church on a Sunday morning, we regularly invite them to check out some of the other churches in our city. In fact, our “Visit Us” page on our website lists nine other churches nearby. So we’d like to do the same thing here.
(Just want to jump to the list of recommendations?)
If you’re looking for good conversation around deconstruction, decolonizing, anti-racism, rethinking church, LGBTQ inclusion, power-sharing, and Jesus-centered justice work, we may not be the right partners for you.
Not because we don’t care or have those conversations. We do, all the time.
But there are so many wise voices in these spaces, and we’re not interested in competing – we want to bless and amplify those voices. Regardless of your background and identity, it’s hard for us to imagine that it wouldn’t do your soul great good to learn directly from those in the LGBTQ and BIPOC communities. That’s not us.
And even if we are a good starting point for you, it might be best to think of us as just that – a starting point. There have been any number of LGBTQ folks and BIPOC who have come through our church over the years because of a relational connection and found in us a safe haven, a place to drop anchor through an initial storm. Then after they repaired and re-provisioned, they were ready to move on from our shallow harbor into a far deeper, wider sea. We’re grateful for our time together and for the new paths that opened for them to explore.
All that said, here’s a by-no-means-complete list of suggestions for other people and places you may want to check out:
Coaches We’re Honored to Call Friends
- Jaci Anderson, Leadership Life Coaching for Women of Color
- Barak Bomani, Anti-Racism/Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Trainer + Non-profit Consultant
- Justin Campbell, Diversity Consultant + Executive Coach
- Kristy Hinds, Life Coach + Writer + Beginner Entrepreneur Coach
- Launchpad Partners, Launch Coaching for Inclusive Church Plants + Other Organizations + Projects
Authors
- Austin Channing Brown, I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness
- Kaitlin B. Curtice, Native: Identity, Belonging and Rediscovering God
- Wilda Gafney, Womanist Midrash
- Ada María Isasi-Díaz, Mujerista Theology
- Mihee Kim-Kort, Outside the Lines: How Embracing Queerness Will Transform Your Faith
Podcasters & Influencers
- Cindy Wang Brandt, Parenting Forward
- Erna Kim Hackett, Liberated Together
- Andre Henry, Hope and Hard Pills
- Brandi Miller, Reclaiming My Theology
- Cole Arthur Riley, Black Liturgies
- Carlos A. Rodríguez, founder of The Happy Givers
Organizations
- Be the Bridge
- Equal Justice Initiative
- Freedom Road
- Progressive Asian American Christians
- Q Christian Fellowship
Blessings on your journey. May you experience deep goodness along the way.
To Share the BIG TABLE Love:
Great resources, thank you.