Racial Justice - Mill City Church

JUSTICE

Resources to Understand Racism and Engage Justice

We are Heartbroken

To the people of color in our house and beyond, we see you and we love you. Mill City Church stands heartbroken and angry at racism, injustice, and evil as they continue in our nation and our world. We recognize the senseless violence, discrimination, and inequality in our history, and today. We grieve, we lament, and we take responsibility to contribute to healing, to reconciliation, and to becoming the change for God’s glory and the good of all people.

What does the Bible say?

The Bible is clear – every human being is created in the image of God. So how we treat each other really matters. Here are some important biblical themes that inform what we believe and how we respond to inequality.

We are all made in God’s image: Every person bears the divine signature of God, is therefore inherently valuable, and deserving of respect. (Genesis 1:27-27)
God’s heart is for justice: God asks us to speak and stand up on behalf of those who are oppressed. (Isaiah 61:8, Proverbs 31:8-9)
The cross changes everything: Jesus Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross put to death hostility between people groups and made us family. Therefore, we are all equal before God and required to treat each other with dignity, honor and respect. (Ephesians 2:14-18)
We must prioritize unity: Diversity is important, but second to oneness in Christ. (Galatians 3:28)
Heaven is here and coming: The Apostle John’s vision in Revelation shows us that when God reigns, every tribe, nation, and people group worship God together. Therefore, as a community, we seek to be a sign that both points toward our future reality and also lives into it now. (Revelation 7:9)

So what’s next?

Join a Be the Bridge Group Now

Here’s what we are doing

Building diverse leadership, staff, and executive teams.
Ensuring diversity in our communicators and theological influence.
Providing ongoing educational resources and diversity training for our staff.
Continuing to engage this conversation and incorporate curriculum and resources into City Groups.
More regularly addressing the subject of injustice in our weekend messages.
Committing to pray for and support local authorities and law enforcement.
Providing financial support for select organizations that work toward racial reconciliation, such as Be The Bridge, and the Equal Justice Initiative.
Praying specifically for racial reconciliation and healing in days and weeks of prayer throughout the year.
Speaking up against racist comments or actions.

Here’s what you can do

Commit to a posture of humility, seeking to learn and grow in your own understanding of this topic and awareness of personal blind spots.
Seek to understand others’ experience, so that you can learn to bear another’s burdens. (Galatians 6:2)
Be quick to listen to the people of color in your neighborhood, at your workplace, and in your community.
Broaden your circle of friends to include someone of a different ethnicity.
Be brave and ask questions and engage in conversation with your family, friends, acquaintances, and co-workers around racism.
Be willing to honestly explore your own history and bias. (Psalm 139:23-24)
Be empathetic to the needs of those around you. (I Peter 3:8-9)
Pray diligently against the forces of darkness that promote racism in any form, and for justice and healing to prevail.

Letter from our Lead Pastor

“Dear Mill City,

Racism breaks my heart, and the heart of God. It is evil and real today.
This is an issue we have not adequately addressed or engaged in fighting. I am sorry for not leading us better, and repent for my inaction. We must do better, we will do better…”

Read the rest of Pastor Aaron’s letter from June 6, 2020