Final form for Diocesan Convention's consideration, submitted September 30th, 2007
The Five-Year Strategic Plan for Ethnic and Multicultural Ministries in the Episcopal Diocese of California, 2008-2012
- Be it resolved, That this 158th Diocesan Convention adopt the Five-Year Ethnic and Multicultural Strategic Plan, concluding with the 163rd Convention, to grow vigorous ethnic-specific, multicultural, and multi-ethnic ministries by re-building vitality in our already existing ministries; planting at least two vital, new ministries; fostering reconciliation to help heal the history of marginalization of these ministries; nurturing leadership for these ministries at every level of the Diocese; and building advocacy and support for immigrant and indigenous communities and all in need in the Bay Area; and be it further
- Resolved, That we commend the diocese in the establishment of a position of Ethnic and Multicultural Missioner and call upon the office of the Bishop to appoint and install an incumbent by June, 2008, and make this position permanent, and be it further
- Resolved, That the Diocese of California further implement General Convention Resolution A-047 adopted in 2000, by requiring that all those studying for Holy Orders, Clergy in Training, and clergy in transition receive anti-racism training, and that those heading these programs be charged with ensuring such training is incorporated into their curricula; and be it further
- Resolved, That the Diocese of California strongly recommends that all clergy of the Diocese, lay professionals, and lay leadership of all committees throughout the Diocese attend at least two successive sessions of anti-racism training in the next 5 years and that the Diocese continue to discern ways to encourage adherence to this resolution; and be it further
- Resolved, That the Diocese explore developing intensive weeks of cultural and linguistic emersion in the Bay Area for lay and ordained leadership.
Explanation
The Development of a Strategic Plan for Ethnic and Multicultural Ministries
Implementing the relevant resolutions passed at the 156th Diocesan Convention in 2005, a Working Group assembled from the ethnic ministry commissions and leadership from across the diocese to begin developing a 5-year strategic plan for ethnic and multicultural ministries. Over the past 2 years, the Working Group has met regularly, engaged with our new bishop, and prepared a Visioning Day that brought together over 70 diocesan leaders last September.
From these conversations, meetings, and many hours of planning, the Strategic Plan Framework is here presented to Diocesan Convention for adoption. A more detailed version of the plan, complete with tasks and proposed timelines, is also assembled for use and adaptation by the Bishop and the Offices of Ethnic and Multicultural Mission and Congregational Development.
Given the ever-increasing cultural/ethnic diversity of the Bay Area; the needs and hopes of long-standing ethnic, multicultural, and multi-ethnic ministries which remain a key part of the life in Christ in this Diocese; and our call to reach out to all peoples with the Gospel, the Working Group offers the above resolutions with the hope they will help build the foundation for the effort towards vibrant and diverse ministries in the years to come.
The Working Group stresses that this strategic plan is offered as a starting point, and expects that over the ensuing 5-years, changes will become necessary as the plan is implemented at all levels of the Diocese and our contexts for ministry evolve.
The Working Group also recognizes that the implementation of the plan, if it is to be successful, will involve every department of the Diocese, as well as the active participation of lay and ordained leadership at every level.
Theological Background Synopsis
Rooted in the biblical tradition and arising out of our heritage as Christians, we believe that the mind of God is clear, and has been announced in Scripture and through the Gospel of Jesus Christ as we have received it: God has no favorites. The Biblical records, taken as a whole, and New Testament writings, in particular, depict a God who created all peoples, and loves all equally.
Josiah Royce, the California-born religious philosopher, coined the phrase “the Beloved Community.” He spoke of the establishment of an earthly unity which is based on universal reconciliation. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., adopted this phrase as a vehicle for describing the achievable goal of a human community in which race, color, and creed were irrelevant to living in peaceful relationships. Realizing the Beloved Community is a major element of the Christian tradition, a primary piece of our mission, and should be implemented within the congregations and structures of the Church.
A Vision Statement
In response to our shared call to become the Beloved Community, and arising out of the 156th and 157th Diocesan Conventions and the goals articulated at the Visioning Day held with leadership from across the Diocese in September, 2006, the Working Group for the Five-Year Strategic Plan for Ethnic and Multicultural Ministries developed the following vision statement for these ministries in the Diocese of California:
In the next five years, the Diocese of California will:
Grow into the Beloved Community by moving away from racism and all forms of discrimination, bigotry and prejudice, and towards an all-inclusive spirit of sisterhood and brotherhood, so that the Body of Christ in this Diocese more closely reflects the diversity of the population of the Bay Area.
Study our existing communities to discern their future and how diocesan resources may be best allocated to nurture the development and growth of ethnic, multi-ethnic, and multicultural ministries.
Develop training programs for all our leaders that cultivate multicultural awareness and competency and skills in languages that support ministries throughout the Diocese.
Plant two new ethnic, multi-ethnic, and/or multicultural ministries in viable locations of the Diocese for growth.
Engage in definitive and effective ways to heal our painful history around racism as a Diocese and its residual effects on our ministries.
Create resources for leadership across the diocese for the support and development of multicultural, multi-ethnic, and ethnic-specific ministries.
The Strategic Plan Framework
To meet this vision, the Working Group asks that the diocese adopt the following five objectives as a Strategic Plan for Ethnic and Multicultural Ministries for the next five years:
I. Re-build vitality in our existing ethnic, multi-ethnic, and multicultural ministries
a. Assemble a working group to enter conversation with these ministries to help identify their needs and external and internal resources to meet these needs
b. Plan for imminent leadership transitions in these ministries
c. Attend to leadership wellness and support, both lay and ordained
d. Proactively raise up and support lay leadership in these ministries
e. Support these ministries’ efforts in attaining self-sufficiency, self-guidance, and self-determination
II. Plant at least two vital ethnic, multi-ethnic, and/or multicultural ministries
a. Identify ideal demographic locations for these new ministries
b. Engage nearby and interested parishes and missions to discern the viability of their support
c. Raise up leadership and help seek funding for these new ministries
d. Monitor the development of these ministries and build a list of “best practices” from their experience for use in the wider Diocese and Church
III. Foster reconciliation to help heal the history of marginalization of our ethnic and multicultural ministries
a. Build cross-cultural engagement into regular Diocesan events
b. Provide opportunities for existing ministries to document their experiences of marginalization
c. Create forums for truth telling and reconciliation
IV. Nurture leadership at every level of the Diocese for multicultural, multiethnic, and ethnic ministries
a. Establish the permanent full-time position of Ethnic and Multicultural Missioner
b. Seek and support parishes and missions of the Diocese wanting to develop or already building ethnic, multicultural, and multi-ethnic ministries in their communities
c. Further anti-racism training for ordained and lay leadership and development of structures of accountability to ensure adherence.
d. Coordinate with existing educational and formation commissions and institutions in building new programs for training existing and new church leadership in cultural competency and essential language skills critical for ministry in the Bay Area
e. Identify and nurture gifts for ministry in the interface between cultural communities
f. Develop, in consultation with existing ministries, materials for the Diocese and wider Church about the unique ways Anglicanism and Christian discipleship may best be shared and lived in different cultural settings
V. Build advocacy and support for immigrant and indigenous communities and all in need of the people in the Bay Area and Diocese
a. Strengthen the public voice of the Diocese for marginalized ethnic communities
b. Collaborate with existing social service ministries, and develop new ministries as needed, to offer tangible assistance for these communities
c. Address environmental racism in the ministry contexts of the Bay Area
Accountability
We anticipate that the Ethnic and Multicultural Missioner would oversee, under the direction of the bishop, the adaptation and implementation of the Strategic Plan. The Missioner would report annually to the Bishop and governing bodies of the Diocese on the plan’s progress and adaptation, including Diocesan Council and Conventions.
The detailed plan offers suggestions for additional leadership resources who could be invited to implement its various aspects.
Working Definitions
In language of the strategic plan articulates three models of ministry that differ in significant ways from the majority of ministries presently found in the Episcopal Church. These definitions are arbitrary, and only offered to help illuminate the variety of ministries possible in cross-cultural and multicultural contexts. In the Working Group discussions, it is clear that a number of our existing ministries may be defined using more than one of these models, and that over time, these ministries have naturally evolved from one model to another as their context for ministry changed:
Ethnic Ministries are centered on building Christian community to address the needs and heritage of a self-identified people or ethnic group with a common history. These ministries are often, though not always, formed primarily for first-generation immigrant communities and may conduct worship and ministry in language(s) different from the dominant culture.
Multi-Ethnic Ministries form Christian community that intentionally brings together diverse traditions and customs into a shared ministry where differing heritages are in deep contact but retain a sense of integrity. A key aspect of the multi-ethnic ministry is that it is deliberately designed to build a single new community where different histories are honored, brought together, and a new common history begins. Worship in multi-ethnic ministries is often marked by a common language and tradition accentuated at times with customs from the various ethnic groups comprising the community. Multi-ethnic ministries often appear in and serve ethnically diverse and second- or subsequent-generation communities that have adopted the language and many of the customs of the dominant culture. They also frequently appear in educational contexts (i.e. university and college ministries).
Multicultural Ministries intentionally form Christian community for more than one distinct cultural group. These ministries, while gathering in a single parish or congregational unit, can be marked by a set of sub-ministries characterized by different cultural traditions and histories, often meeting at different times in shared space and utilizing other shared resources. These sub-ministries remain at least somewhat distinct in their worship, use of language, ministry trajectory, and leadership. Multicultural ministries often arise, for example, in contexts where a new ministry for an emerging immigrant community begins in an already established congregation.
Anti-racism Training
· Anti-Racism Training was the mandates of the 1991 General Convention (Resolution D113) and of the 2000 General Convention (A047 and B049) as well as Resolution A010 from the 2003 General Convention. The resolutions
calls all members of church leadership, that is, all members of the clergy, Diocesan Council, Standing Committee, Commission on Ministry, Board of Directors, Regional Conveners, members of Vestries and Bishop’s Committees, all members of diocesan commissions and committees, liturgy and music committees, lay leaders of church ministries, and all church school teachers to commit themselves to ending institutional and other forms of racism and to participating in ongoing anti-racism dialogues.
· In January 2006 the Diocese of California established the Anti-Racism Commission. As a commission our Statement of Purpose:
We envision a transformed church and world, striving for justice and peace among all people and respecting the dignity of every human being, as the Baptismal Covenant calls us to do, so that human potential is no longer limited by racism or any other oppression and where organizations fully manifest shared power with all communities.
Our mission is to engage the Diocese of California at every level - individuals, congregations, diocesan organizations and staff - in the work of dismantling racism in our hearts, our congregations, our wider communities, our decision making and our institutions.
The Anti-racism Commission established regional training events, and established the following Standards for compliance with General Convention resolutions; attendees of the trainings will have:
· An understanding of cultural differences and an appreciation for those differences
· An understanding of their own ethnocentrism
· An understanding that they can shape and have an impact on culture, nature, and history and an awareness of self and church as agents of change
· An understanding that it is more comfortable for most people to deny cultural. Ethnic, and racial differences
· Comfort with presenting their own opinions about race, culture, prejudice and racism within groups with opposing opinions
· An understanding of the nature of discrimination and prejudices, and that racism is prejudice plus power
· An understanding of the necessity and a willingness to participate in a visioning process, including setting goals and devising implementation strategies
· An understanding of the necessity of shifting the power balance, and a willingness to support that shift in power
· An understanding of the history of racism and institutional racism within the Diocese of California
· An understanding of the interrelationship between racism and other forms of oppression that nevertheless recognizes the primacy of focusing on the racism in the context of the Diocese of California.
With these thoughts in mind, The Anti-racism Commission joins in the development of the Strategic Plan. We believe that it is imperative that a coherent network be established to address the problem of racism within the Diocese of California. This network needs the to be effective in communication what has already been done at the various levels of the dioceses, as well as what is currently being done or needs to be done.
Within the 5 years of this strategic plan the Anti-racism Commission will expand the trainings and on going dialogues which leads to actions that make this a Church without racism and inclusive of all people.
Fiscal Impact
A line item for the full-time Missioner for Ethnic and Multicultural Ministries is already provided in the 2008 budget.
For 2008, additional fiscal impact should be minimal.
Additional expenses for the provisions for the Strategic Plan will need to be determined and allocated in subsequent years, and will be subject to discussion beginning with the 2009 budget planning process, as well as allocated for implementation by the Missioner for Ethnic and Multicultural Ministries in consultation with the Bishop, other departments, and Diocesan Council.
Sponsors for this Resolution
Afro-Anglican Commission
Anti-Racism Commission
Asian Commission
Clergy of Color
Latino Commission
The Working Group for the Strategic Plan for Ethnic and Multicultural Ministries
The Rt. Rev. Marc Handley Andrus, Bishop
The Rev. Canon Michael Barlowe, Congregation Development and Deployment
The Rev. Barbara Bender Breck, St. Anne’s, Fremont
The Rev. Gloria del Castillo, Iglesia Episcopal del Buen Samaritano
Liz Graves, St. Mark’s, Palo Alto
The Rev. Richard Helmer, Our Saviour, Mill Valley - Working Group Coordinator
The Rev. Vince Jang, True Sunshine, San Francisco
The Rev. David Lui, Incarnation, San Francisco
Canon Holly McAlpen, Interim Missioner for Ethnic and Multicultural Ministries
The Rev. John Rawlinson, St. John’s, Oakland
Earl Clinton Williams, St. John’s, Oakland
In consultation with
The Rev. Canon Michael Hansen, Executive Officer through the 157th Convention
The Rev. David Ota, St. Ambrose, Foster City
The Rev. Dr. Dennis Tierney, St. Bede’s, Menlo Park
The Rev. Salying Wong, St. Clement’s, Berkeley
