Why are we doing this now?

Addressing racism has been a key initiative of the Presbyterian Church (USA) for many generations. For our presbytery, this work began in earnest as the murder of Philando Castille confirmed what many people of color already knew: that the racial history of Minnesota and Wisconsin is not well-understood, and as a result, we have work to do as faithful Christians. 

We say more about this in our report, but our presbytery has directly benefited from funding, property, and practices in the wider Minnesota area that enriched majority-white organizations, and has adopted practices that are actively doing harm to our siblings in Christ who are people of color in this presbytery. This effort toward self-honesty, healing, and transformation is critical spiritual practice at this moment in history and in our church. 

LEARN MORE about the launch and progress of the self-assessment and transformation work on the OUR STORY page.

Is this related to the Matthew 25 initiative or other General Assembly anti-racism efforts?

Yes and no. The PTCA's antiracism efforts pre-date the Matthew 25 initiative of the national church by several years, but that's part of why our vote to join the Matthew 25 effort made so much sense. 

We believe that spiritually grounded antiracism efforts empower us to be more effective at eradicating poverty, more energetic in supporting the vitality of our congregations, and more clear and connected in the ways we equip our leaders. We believe it will nourish us as we address all the intersecting ways we are called to be Church in our communities and world.

Does this require my congregation to do anything?

How congregations choose to engage with this report is up to their session, their social justice team, or other individuals or leaders within the church who choose to engage - or not. 

There are no recommendations in our report that require churches to change their practices. That said, we hope that as we move forward, healthier practices of the presbytery will be witness to their own worth. 

What's my role as a teaching elder/minister member of the PTCA?

As a Teaching Elder/Minister of Word & Sacrament in the PTCA, we hope you will read the report and get excited about the vision it sets out of how we could embrace transformation going forward. We hope it will begin to impact the ways you experience relationship and care in the PTCA going forward. 

We also know that some may not be in agreement with the report or recommendations. We hope to continue to engage in conversation along the way, and let the fruits of this work be their own testimony.

What's my role as a volunteer on a committee of the PTCA?

As a volunteer with the PTCA, first of all, thank you for all that you are doing! We know from our own experiences of trying to talk through such complex and painful issues during these last few years that volunteer work takes heart, grit, and care.

We hope you will see the report recommendations come alive in your committee's work in three ways: 

• Greater clarity about how your particular committee or effort relates to the Gospel, justice, and peacemaking

• Greater flexibility for the types of volunteer roles, terms, and time commitments you experience

• Greater connection and community (without asking much more of your time) 

We don't want to make it sound like all this will happen automatically - these are conversations and changes that will happen, at least in part, within your own teams and projects and from your own brainstorming - but we are committed to doing so with flexibility, guidance, creativity, and care. The goal is to make things better for all of us. 

As noted above, however, some may not be in agreement with the report or recommendations. We hope to continue to engage in conversation along the way, and let the fruits of this work be their own testimony.

What if I disagree with something in the report?

Part of the beauty of communal life in Presbyterian spaces is that we make room for dissent and disagreement. There will be open conversations about this report, and time for discernment about the PTCA structure’s next steps. 

For congregations and for individuals, next steps are up to each congregation and individual. We know that for differing or similar reasons, there will be people of various racial backgrounds and other identities who disagree with the report or its recommendations. We are describing trends, data, and specific stories that reveal patterns of harm pervasive enough that all of us should reflect upon them. 

No matter what, going into our conversations with a framework of curiosity and courage will allow us all to have spiritually stretching and growing engagement. 

We hope that we will all be moved - and moved forward - together. 

Where are we going from here? 

If the presbytery receives the report and approves its recommendations, a Race & Equity Implementation Team will be called by fall 2023 to begin engaging the bodies of the PTCA toward implementation of the recommendations. 

It will take many hands and imaginations to bring this work to its full fruition, however. If you're interested in learning more, receiving notifications of educational opportunities, or engaging to encourage conversations in your own congregation about the report, let us know below!