Black & Reformed Conference Discusses Discipleship

Rousing worship music filled the sanctuary of Angel Community Church on the first morning of the Christian Reformed Church’s Black & Reformed Conference.

Participants swayed in the pews and some waved their arms as music leaders Rev. Melvin Jackson and his wife, April, led them through three opening songs.

When the music finished, Melvin Jackson spoke and touched on a theme running through the conference — the challenges of doing evangelism in today’s world.

“There is no greater work we are called to do than evangelism and discipleship. We meet here for the purpose of winning souls,” said Jackson, pastor of Grace Unlimited in Los Angeles, Calif.

“The Black & Reformed conference is being held for the purpose of building walls for generations and generations. I’m not talking about walls of disagreement, but walls of strength. I want you to leave here knowing you are building walls of strength to support your people.”

Drawing black CRC leaders from all over North America to the church in Muskegon, Mich., the conference began April 30 and ended on May 2.

Titled “Disciples of All Nations,” the conference provided breakout sessions and a series of keynote speakers, all of whom spoke on topics related to evangelism — and especially reaching out to young black men and women in today’s society.

In addition, conference organizers set aside time to honor several black pastors who have been ordained and served in the CRC over the years.

One of them was Rev. Denise Posie, a consultant for the CRC’s Pastor/Church Relations. Before coming to the CRC office in Grand Rapids, Mich., she was pastor for several years of an urban church in Kalamazoo.

As she stood with the other pastors, she said, she thought of the song “We Have Come This Far by Faith.”

“We’ve persevered, been steadfast, immovable and held each other up at times,” she said. “Being honored was good for the young people in the audience to see us. The dream is that one day they will be in leadership in the CRC.”

The conference also formally introduced and prayed for Colin Watson Sr., the CRC’s new director of ministries and administration.

The first keynote speaker was Rev. Robert Price, the urban ministries leader for Christian Reformed Home Missions.

He set the tone of the conference by talking about how “the Spirit is prompting us, and we are on call to come alongside people in the streets.”

While this has always been important, it is even more crucial to do this today.

Racial tensions are rising, said Price, as seen in the recent turmoil in Baltimore, where a riot broke out following the funeral of a black man who had been killed while in police custody

“We have to take what we learn here at the conference and put it into the context of our black brothers,” he said. “We have to understand what is going on in our culture, especially in the cities, and use that to talk about our Christian faith.”

Especially important, said Price, is helping young black people see that they have worth, contrary to what the mainstream culture tells them.

“We have to have to help people get their sense of identity in Christ,” he said. “People need to turn their lives over to Christ and not turn to crime or some other means to get what they think is important for them.”

Glen McCarthy, pastor of Restore All Ministries in Chicago, said he appreciated the chance to attend the conference. But he is especially hopeful that topics discussed by Price and others can help CRC leadership in its work.

Such topics included “Kingdom Economics,” “Leadership Development,” and “Generations, Cultures and Genders: The Role of Diversity in Discipleship.”

“I see the conference as a call to people in power to better understand the forces at work in the inner city,” said McCarthy.

As for the significance of the conference itself, he said, “it is an opportunity for African American leaders to come together in unity, and to worship and to discuss ways in which we can grow in ministry together.”