ELCA Metropolitan Chicago Synod Antiracism Team

Called and compelled by the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Metropolitan Chicago Synod of the ELCA publicly commits to intentionally transforming into a synod actively engaged in dismantling racism in its institution, governing documents, congregations and wider community through shared anti-racist power and accountability, transparency in all decision making, and delight in the diversity of language and culture as we carry on a faith of light, justice, hope and joy.

(Mission Statement of the MCS Antiracism Team)

The Antiracism Team of the ELCA Metropolitan Chicago Synod, ELCA, is the ministry body of the synod working to fulfill the vision and commitments set forth in the team’s mission statement. Since being commissioned at the 2004 Synod Assembly, the team has accomplished much and continues to work faithfully to carry out its mission. In October of 2004, team members completed a ten-day training series led by Crossroads Ministry that spanned almost a year of weekend retreat sessions and single-day meetings. While this training was an essential component of this important ministry of the synod, it only marked the beginning of the Antiracism Team’s intentionally long-term and strategic work. On the final day of formal training, a twenty-year plan of action was given preliminary structure and set into motion. Since that time, the team has held monthly planning and organizing meetings that are scheduled to continue.

In order to support specific tasks and assign areas of responsibility, the team has divided itself into three working groups focusing on: 1) Stakeholders, 2) Congregations, and 3) Team Life. The role of each working group is not to serve as a separate section of the whole group that organizes and implements activities in these focus areas on behalf of the Antiracism Team. Rather, each working group is charged to lead and plan the activities in these focus areas in ways that enable and empower the whole team to be informed about and engaged in these essential areas. The working groups already have developed goals and action plans for the first few years of the team’s active ministry activities, and these goals and action plans can be summarized as follows:

1. Stakeholders

In order to ensure that the work of the Antiracism Team is well supported within the overall organizational structure and ministry efforts of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod, ELCA, deliberate contacts and interactions must be made with key stakeholders of the synod. The team’s Stakeholders working group has developed a plan to make personal visits with key leaders that have influence and authority within the synod. These stakeholders have the power to determine if the team’s work can even continue, and their support is paramount to fulfilling the team’s mission. The outreach and information-sharing process with stakeholders already has begun, and this process will encompass the following specific action steps:

1. Identify key stakeholders for strategic contacts;
2. Share the team’s vision and plans with these key stakeholders;
3. Enlist the support and assistance of these key stakeholders;
4. Encourage and recruit key stakeholders to complete a formal session of antiracism training.
 

Through these efforts, the team intends to build a base of support for its work from among the most recognized and influential leaders of the synod.

2. Congregations

The team fully understands that its most important and challenging work must focus on congregations throughout the synod. Since congregations serve as the “front-line” for all ministry efforts of the synod (and the greater Church), the team’s work to dismantle racism and create a new antiracist identity for the synod must necessarily engage congregations in these important efforts. The congregations working group will focus its activities over the next year on several key areas, including:

• Enhanced communications and publicity efforts to ensure that the team is given visibility and its work shared through the synod’s already established information resources.

• Preliminary identification and strategic contacts with targeted congregations that appear to have current interests and/or needs related to antiracism ministries within the synod.

• The development of an introductory workshop for congregations aimed at introducing the basic principles and practices of the team’s antiracism ministry and soliciting greater participation from congregants who attend. An important component of this action step will be the selection and training of facilitators from among the team’s current members to conduct these workshops.

• Selecting and engaging a smaller number of initial partner congregations for more extensive involvement in the team’s antiracism ministry.
   

3. Team Life

Since the synod has unsuccessfully attempted to establish and maintain an antiracism team several times in the past, intentional work must be done that focuses on supporting and strengthening the current team for the difficult, taxing, and long-term work to which it has been called. Toward these ends, the Team Life working group is focusing its efforts on several areas over the next year, including:

• Ongoing team-building through organizing/assigning devotions and/or worship for each team meeting, keeping members apprised of prayer concerns, and encouraging all members to take deliberate care of their spiritual lives—individually and collectively—throughout the challenging work of the team.

• Encouraging and expecting individual members of the team to meet one-on-one with each other in order to build stronger and more personal bonds between individual members.

• Ongoing training in antiracism principles and practices to strengthen the understanding and capabilities of all team members for this work.

• Developing and implementing strategies to expand the team’s membership in order to ensure the long-term sustainability and growth of the synod’s 20-year antiracism plan.
  
  As the Antiracism Team continues to move forward with its plan of action for the upcoming year and beyond, the team members will continue to update the synod on the progress being made. If there ever are any questions or needs for additional information, the team stands ready to share all plans and accomplishments with any leader or member of the ELCA Metropolitan Chicago Synod. Please contact the Antiracism Team’s by clicking here.