Partnership from the Urban Perspective

I wrote the suggestions for suburban Christians in my last post (please read it for context). So... here are the suggestions for urban Christians when partering with suburbanites:

1. Do Be Motivated by the Larger Gospel Truths of Reconciliation and Mission / Don't Let Financial Needs Define the Partnership

2. Do Be Honest about Your Struggle / Don't Sabatoge the Partnership with Unforgiveness

3. Do Have Confidence in What You Bring to the Partnership / Don't Play the Victim

4. Do Provide Key Leadership in the Partnership / Don't Acquiesce to the Default Posture of Subservience

5. Do Listen to the Insights of Suburban Partners / Don't Let the Opressed in You Become the Opressor

6. Do Be Open to New Ways to Understand Time / Don't Dismiss the Virtues of Timeliness

7. Do See Enriching Suburban Culture as Part of the Task / Don't Ignore Suburban Culture

Although the lists from the last two blog posts are just suggestions, I personally believe that the church should be leaders in the areas of racial and cultural reconciliation. Unfortunately, we are often very bad at it and we do much harm to one another by accepting division in the body of Christ as "normal" or just a reflection of society at large. We can do better than that! We all have a responsibility, as Christians, to be uniters and reconcilers in the body of Christ.