Wayne Gordon

Wayne Gordon, and John Perkins cofounded the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA). For decades they have been prophetic voices to the evangelical community, helping us tackle the problems of racism and economic injustice. In their new book, Gordon and Perkins answer the question Do All Lives Matter? SPOILER ALERT: their answer is yes; however they also showcase why the slogan All Lives Matter is a tone deaf response to the Black Lives Matter movement. "Simply Stated: All lives can't matter until black lives matter. . .True, all lives matter, but we have to wake up to the reality that our country remains divided over issues related to race. We have to own up to the fact that African Americans and other ethnic minorities in our country are mistreated far more often than most of us care to admit" (22).

Gordon & Perkins discuss the Black Lives matter movement and their protest of the recent rash of African Americans killed at the hands of police (Chapter one) They advocate 'listening to the stories of others and our own(chapter two).' Perkins shares his own journey and struggle against racism and injustice in the deep South. They review America's troublesome history of racism (chapter three) and the ways the struggles and experience of minorities is invisible to mainstream, white America (chapter four). In chapter five Gordon relates how he and his church community (Lawndale Community Church) in inner-city Chicago entered into the pain of the African Community after the police officer was acquitted in the Eric Gardner case. Chapter six discusses a Christian response to the Black Lives Matter movement and chapter seven gives a snap shot of how Lawndale has responded the problem of violence in their community. In chapter eight Gordon and Perkins provide practical suggestions for learning about injustice and working for social change. Chapter nine discusses the importance of hope in the face of structural evil and the problems that beset at-risk communities like Lawndale. Senator Dick Durbin wrote the forward and Richard Mouw writes the afterword.

Gordon and Perkins are trusted voices for me and I appreciate the way they take an honest look at the issues facing minorities in our country, particularly the Black community.They are unafraid to speak to the way public policy and the justice system (i.e. police departments, stop-and-frisk policies and the court system) have been detrimental and harmful to African Americans. That isn't to say they don't have a category for personal responsibility (racism isn't to blame for every problem) and they are quick to point out that many police officers are good and responsive to urban communities. This book isn't out to demonize anyone but to help those of us who are white and privileged make space in our hearts for empathy towards minorities in our country for the things they are made to suffer.

It is often the progressives and the political left that is most responsive to issues of race. White evangelicals value diversity but we don't always do the hard work required for real reconciliation with the Black community. Gordon and Perkins have been doing this work for decades, investing in lives and communities, creating community partnerships and providing opportunities for economic development and systemic change. They are not armchair liberals. They are believers in the gospel of Jesus Christ who believe that it calls them to uphold the dignity of all people and to stand against injustice. This book makes vivid our troublesome historic and current national racial tension and challenges Christians to stand up for our African American neighbors. All lives matter, because Black lives matter. I give this four stars.

Note: I received this book from Baker Books in exchange for my honest review.… (plus d'informations)

I was privileged to meet John Perkins in the fall of 2004. My wife were part of a year long urban mission in Atlanta(creatively called Mission Year). Perkins was in town for a meeting regarding the upcoming CCDA conference when his flight out was canceled due to poor weather conditions. Bob Lupton arranged for us Mission Year folks to spend an evening with Perkins. Before that evening, I knew of Perkins and was vaguely aware of CCDA (Christian Community Development Association). But that night he left an indelible mark on me. This was a man who had been the victim of abject racism during the Civil Rights era, but he exuded grace and humility and love. A month later I attended the CCDA conference and was similarly impressed by Wayne “Coach” Gordon. And I began to devour many of the CCDA materials.

Gordon and Perkins new book, Making Neighborhoods Whole: A Handbook for Christian Community Development delineates CCDA’s approach to ministry and mission. The first three chapters summarize Gordon and Perkins call to ministry and early experiences in ministry, the development and early years of CCDA and its recent history. Chapters four through eleven describe the eight key components of Christian Community Development which CCDA is committed to. These include:

1.Relocation (Relocaters, Returners and Remainers intentionally investing in a neighborhood).

2. Reconciliation (bringing people together across racial and socio-economic divides).

3. Redistribution ( through micro finance and economic development).

4.Leadership development( raising up indigenous leaders from the community).

5. Commitment to listening to the community (not assuming you have all the answers and resources).

6. Being church based (becoming a supportive spiritual community in the neighborhood).

7. Holistic ministry (ministering to the whole person-spiritually, physically, emotionally, etc.).

8. Empowerment (Not fostering dependence but allowing people to flourish from our humility and generosity).
These eight key components have served as the guiding principles of CCDA. Gordon and Perkins punctuate these chapters with testimonies of other activists in the CCDA world. What should be apparent from this list, Perkins and Gordon do not prescribe a universal, detailed plan for reviving at-risk communities. Instead they share the wisdom of doing ministry ‘in place’ in a way that is empowering, communal and non-paternalistic. The goal of CCDA is to raise up revive whole communities spiritually, socially and materially. They do not achieve this kind of transformation without empowering and working with a neighborhood’s residents.

There are no shortage of churches striving to reach out ‘missionally’ to their communities. Perkins and Gordon have been reaching out ‘incarnationally’ to communities since the 1970s. I find their perspective invaluable for seeing our cities and communities transformed. If CCDA is new to you, this book will orient you on how to engage in holistic mission. That being said, if you have read Perkins Beyond Charity, or Restoring At-Risk Communities (Perkins, ed.) or Gordon’s Real Hope in Chicago, I am not sure that this book will impart many new ideas. This book has great stuff to say and says it well. These older books aremore in-depth, and still relevant. But anything by Gordon and Perkins is worth reading. They are ministry practitioners with a wealth of wisdom and experience. Get this book, and then get the others and read them all. And then do something.

I give this book 4 stars.

Thank you to InterVarsity Press for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.… (plus d'informations)

Summary: Two of the founders of the Christian Community Development Association recount the history of this movement, weaving a narrative of their own and others stories into a summary of the eight key principles that have defined this movement.

Wayne Gordon, at Lawndale Community Church in Chicago, and John Perkins, at Voice of Calvary in Jackson, Mississippi, and later Harambee Ministries in Pasadena, were two of the key founders of the movement that became known as Christian Community Development and were founding members, along with other key early leaders like Glen Kehrein and Bob Lupton, of the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA).

This book, self-described as a "handbook" actually does two things. One is that it tells the story of Christian Community Development from its early beginnings. It is honest, celebrating both the growth of a work of God and human failings from poor planning to burnout to the deaths of key figures like Lem Tucker, who in conversation with Wayne Gordon in his kitchen, conceived the idea of CCDA. Gordon and Perkins share the narrative but also include in chapters enunciating the eight principles of Christian Community Development, the narratives of many other leaders in this movement around the country.

As mentioned in the last sentence, the book also lays out the eight key components of Christian community development and what these leaders have learned about their practice. These include:

1.Relocation. Perhaps even more important than those who relocate are those who remain, and those who return.
2.Reconciliation. This chapter emphasizes how this is indeed the only cure for our racial and ethic divides, depends upon Christ, and involves the hard work of listening to things we'd rather not hear.
3.Redistribution. The recommendation is not a handout but the opportunity and resources to work--education, micro-finance, and a justice system that doesn't create a permanent underclass of those who make bad judgments and break laws.
4.Leadership development. This invariably means a long-term commitment in the lives of young people from childhood through college and back into the community.
5.Listening to the community. Sometimes ministry leaders have ideas of what a community needs that are not what the community thinks it needs. Gordon narrates a situation where he wanted to build athletic facilities when community members were telling him they needed a washer and dryer and a safe place to wash clothes. He asked them to pray--God provided the washer and dryer and transport to move it to Lawndale!
6.Being Church Based. It is easy to operate independently of churches or for churches to relinquish responsibility for communities but the church is central in God's redeeming purposes and the best situation is churches doing this ministry with a strong sense of "parish" ministry.
7.A Wholistic Approach. The authors believe it can never be an either/or approach of gospel or community work but both must work hand in hand.
8.Empowerment. I appreciated two questions in this chapter concerning avoiding dependency: "What will it take for you not to need anything from us in one year's time?" and "What has to happen over the next year for you to get to a place where you can help others instead of needing help?"

As you can see, this short book was full of practical help, perhaps more of a "primer" than a "handbook" yet immensely instructive. I also appreciated the stories. That of Sami DiPasquale, an Anglo talking about reconciliation particularly struck me. Here is an excerpt:

"For people of privilege, reconciliation begins with sinking to our knees before God. We can choose to build relationships with those outside traditional power structures, with people who are 'other.' We can listen to their stories, paying careful attention especially when we hear a pattern emerging. We can put ourselves under the authority of someone from a different cultural heritage. We can choose to live in a setting where we are the minority. We can study history and theology from the perspectives of those who were not invited into the process of creating the standard textbooks--history can sound so different based on who is telling the story. We can grieve the tragedies that our forebears were a part of and try to figure out how they factor in to how we live today. We must ask God and others for forgiveness, and we must forgive ourselves. Finally, we must move forward, always listening, always striving to embrace voices from the outside with a resolve to confront the sin of injustice at every opportunity" (pp. 73-74).

It seems that this is a book that could be helpful to any church seeking to take its community seriously and to see it as their parish. Poverty is not just about money and development isn't just about economics. And poverty is often hidden. I live in what may be considered a suburban community, yet at one of our nearby elementary schools, nearly half the children are eligible for subsidized lunches. Our church's food pantry served 200 families this past weekend. While some of us may indeed be called to re-locate, it strikes me that some of us do need to remain, and open our eyes. This is a book that helps us to begin to understand how we as a church might live and act in light of what we see.… (plus d'informations)