Dear Dr. Ashley:
We share your joy
in learning that Lilly Endowment has awarded a two million
dollar grant to New York Theological Seminary to establish an
AUrban
Ministry Research Program.@
We hope this program will develop strategies to help our
religious leaders effectively meet the challenge of the urban
church and community. You are quoted in the Spring 2005 edition
of the NYTS Bulletin as saying, AThe
project is at the center of our mission...working together as
pastors, congregations, faculty and students to learn how to do
ministry that serves the community.@
We applaud your goal to develop this mission.
We believe this
project is a great challenge to your institution because thus
far the Black pastor and church have woefully failed to address
the constellation of destructive issues corroding urban
communities. We do not mean solve every issue, we mean we
should at least take a public stand against the ever growing
beasts devouring our urban communities day by day. Our
religious leadership works hard to avoid noticing the Aunmentionable@
monsters roaming our village it takes to raise our children.
Our present
urban/pastor-church dynamic is aptly described in Isaiah 56:9-11
(CEV) AGod=s
Promises To Punish Israel=s
Leaders,@ ACome
from the forest, you wild animals! Attack and gobble down your
victims. You leaders of Israel should be watch dogs, protecting
my people. But you can=t
see a thing, and you never warn them. Dozing and daydreaming
are all you ever do...You are shepherds who mistreat your own
sheep for selfish gain.@
The devil and his beasts have read this scripture over and over
and are devouring our communities as Aadvised@ because our alleged pastor/church watchmen fail to see, fail to
bark and fail to bite.
Chapter 58:1 (NIV) of
the same book urges us to AShout
it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Declare to my people their rebellion and to the house of Jacob their
sins. Rarely however, do we hear any of our pastors raise
their voice in alarm as watchmen, take a public stand against money
driven urban afflictions as leaders, nor organize Asoldiers@ to fight the devouring beasts as generals in the Aarmy
of the Lord.@
Are we not worse off
with alleged Awatchmen@ who profess to watch and don=t
than with no watchmen at all? Of course! We believe pastors and
religious leaders have a high calling, responsibility, challenge and
change to bear in urban service. Their training should gear them to
look beyond management of their individual churches or advancing the
comfort of their membership. Organizing their churches
individually and collectively as instruments of change for the
benefit and service of the community at large is a mission we
believe Jesus would adore.
The present condition
of church mission paralysis simply helps perpetuate and advance the
devil=s
work. Doubling or tripling the number of great preachers who are
pulpit courageous but are public cowards who refuse to see, bark or
bite will only make bad matters worse.
In His Service,
Bert Irons, Coordinator
c. Rev. Dr. Hillary Gaston, Sr. President
Dr. Craig Dykstra, Lilly Endowment Vice President for Religion
