We need to rediscover the fullness of the gospel that addresses the full range of human problems. If we only do cultural discipleship between dominant culture, we end up worsening the marginalization of sub-dominant culture. This would be an affront to the biblical gospel of Christ.
—Carl Ellis, Jr.
I think it's time we get serious about a more holistic vision for our city.
An interesting scene occurs immediately after Jesus is tempted in the desert. He enters the synagogue of his city, opens and reads the portion of the scroll in Isaiah.
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He anointed Me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to captives, And recovery of sight to the blind, To set free those who are oppressed, To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”
Luke 4:18-19
The significance of this moment is huge. In doing so, Jesus is saying that He is the good news for the marginalized—the poor, captive, blind, oppressed.
I do not think it is a coincidence that Jesus placed this emphasis at the beginning of his ministry. After 17 years of pastoring among immigrants, I am convinced that the centrality of the margins is what marks the mission of the church that Jesus founded through his death and resurrection.
The Margins of Our City
Houston is a city of forests and deserts, of affluence and margins. It’s a place where the suburbs have the best schools, the greatest concentration of finances, and the highest level of education. Meanwhile, the center of the city, where most of the subdominant culture lives or rather where the marginalized of the city lives, is the opposite. There, we see more pollution, poverty, and a lack of access to education.
Unfortunately, this division is also evident in the way the church functions. For example, the greatest number of new churches are being planted in the forests (dominant culture) while at the same time we allow churches in deserts (subdominant culture) to close.
I think it's time we get serious about a more holistic vision for our city. It's time to centralize the margins and collaboration to see the dignity not only in the dominant culture, but also in the subdominant culture—the poor, captive, blind, oppressed. Only then can we saturate Houston with the gospel of Jesus.
Prayer
Father, I ask that you make us sensitive to the call and mission of all the churches in Houston to the centrality of the margins (Poor, captive, blind, oppressed) May our differences be the catalyst for our collaboration, that with integrity and sincerity of heart we seek together to centralize the margins and thus be able to proclaim with you “today this has been accomplished in our city”
Victor Marte is a UBA Church Consultant. He primarily serves Hispanic congregations and congregations that wish to reach the Spanish-speaking community. Victor is currently leading Lideres Transformadores and has served in leadership in the city for some years.
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La fuerza para continuar el camino no proviene de nuestros propios esfuerzos, sino del descanso que encontramos en Él.