Every city has a neighborhood you were told to avoid.

You know the one. 

At some malleable age, you were warned about those places, ideas, or even people that were off-limits.

This is Tim, a pastor in one of the wealthiest, most segregated counties in the United States. 

Like a lot of White American Christians, Tim was taught what is and isn’t off-limits. Certain questions, beliefs, behaviors, places, and people are simply off limits.

The rules of whiteness in the USA are subtly, often unconsciously embedded into us early on, but every now and then something happens that shakes that. When George Floyd was murdered, Tim’s mental dam burst. Many of those ‘off-limits’ questions and thoughts on racism just couldn’t be held back any more. So Tim took action.

“We cannot stay silent,” he told his congregation.

He began by forming uncommon friendships with lifelong justice advocates of color in his community. “It’s amazing what can happen when you just pick up the phone and give people a call,” Tim recalls. “I just shared my admiration for their work and asked what it might look like for us to learn from them. So that really became a big part of my focus: building friendship between our church and leaders of color in our community who’ve already been hard at work.” 

It’s easy to feel discouraged about the state of church in the United States, and that’s ok. We lament the choices of country over Kingdom and ideology over neighbor love…but we don’t stop with lament. Rather, it is in lament that we find our fuel for merciful action.

We’re so encouraged by Tim and so many other White American faith leaders out there who are practicing this peacemaking Way of Jesus every day. We’re inspired by those who are doing the hard work to become the kinds of leaders who can guide their congregations into those ‘off limits’ places, relationships, and questions even as it costs them dearly. 

Tim sees the shift happening in his mostly white and wealthy congregation as they awaken to the historic racism around them and their complicity to it. Their transformation is deepening because a young white pastor refused to stay still and silent.

Author: Matt Willingham

Matt Willingham is a writer, photographer, and content creator with over ten years experience living and working in some of the hardest-hit conflict zones in the world. He and his wife, Cayla, are now based in San Diego where they’re raising three little peacemakers and working to promote empathy and understanding in their community.

@matt.willingham