Knowing who we are, clearly and transparently

Mauricio Céullar/Unsplash

We said nothing to each other. 

There was no need. 

Each simply knew what to do. 

Two or three standing in front of the bombed out school walked down to the village entrance and stood.

A few others who had been talking joined the others.

In the meantime, four or five young children climbed on top of the retaining wall that delineated the edge of their village from the head-high jungle that had reclaimed their one dirt road, effectively isolating them from their distant neighbors.

I also knew what to do.

Though I didn’t speak their language and they didn’t speak mine, I knew to stand in front of the kids to make silly faces and distract them.

About ten of us, clergy and seminarians, had traveled from the US and UK to El Salvador during their Civil War in 1991 to deliver medical and school supplies—this village among our stops. 

Without warning, a battalion that had recently and repeatedly harassed the villagers, emerged from the jungle. 

Heavily armed, hundreds of soldiers filed past the bottom of the short hill that served as the village entrance.

We, the visitors, knew why we were there. 

We knew the lives at stake. 

So we stood, firmly but relaxed, between the soldiers and villagers.

We knew the souls at stake. 

So we smiled and said “Holà” and “Buenas Dias” to the stone-faced soldiers as they filed past. 

We knew the psyches that could be scarred.

So I kept the kids focused on me and laughing. 

When the soldiers suddenly arrived, there was nothing to decide. 

Nothing to discuss, no urgent prayers of discernment to be made. 

We had decided everything before we boarded our planes. 

We knew who we were and what we were called to do.

Knowing Who We Are and What We’re Called to Do

We’re entering an era of extreme uncertainty and unknowns.

A time when preachers have to make decisions about how we live our beliefs and values in an ever-shifting society of increasing misinformation, polarization, and dehumanization. 

It’s imperative that we as preachers are clear and transparent about who we are, our calls to ministry, and our congregation’s mission.

We will be faced repeatedly with moments when the choices of our family members, friends, and parishioners conflict with our beliefs and values. 

We cannot control what they choose, but we can control how we respond. 

Speak up.

Call out.

Stand in between.

Lay down our life.

In this way, when we know our values, have counted the cost, and are willing to make the sacrifice, we can remain in alignment with who we are called to be and what we are called to do.

Being transparent: Who Backstory Preaching Is and What We Do

Here is the reason Backstory Preaching exists, what we do, and who we do it for.

Backstory Preaching’s Mission

Backstory Preaching guides preachers in the process, craft, and spirituality of preaching so we thrive in and out of the pulpit for the sake of the gospel.

Backstory Preaching’s Values 

With God’s help, we:

• welcome all preachers, especially those who are overlooked or denigrated in society or their denominations, including members of BIPOC, disabled, and LGBTQUIA+ communities

• conduct ourselves as trustworthy, generative, gracious practitioners

• renounce the powers of this world that destroy the creatures of God, especially those who are dehumanized

• renounce any power that draw us from love of God and love of every neighbor

• persevere in resisting evil

• apologize and make amends when we err

• proclaim by word and example the Good News of Jesus Christ

• seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving them as we love ourselves

• strive for justice and peace among all people

• respect the dignity of every human being

And You?

I encourage all of us, individually as preachers and collectively as congregations, to engage the work of clarifying and being transparent about and held accountable to our mission and values. 

In doing so, we will decide ahead of time who we are and what we are called to do so that when the moments come, we are prepared to speak up, call out, stand in between, and if needed, lay down our lives for one another.

When we do, we witness to the love of Jesus Christ that encompasses all, forgives all, and redeems all.

Preachers Need a Haven. Join Us in Ours.

We are launching a new free, private community on Facebook (yes, Facebook) called The Preacher’s Haven to support and honor each other in the work of preaching the gospel. 

We’ve made the decision to create this group on Facebook intentionally. 

For good and for ill, Facebook is the current public square and crossroads. 

Now more than ever, the Church is called to be a voice in the public square, and we as preachers need a place of connection and respite—a haven—within it.

BsP’s Collective/+, Mentorship, and courses will continue on Mighty Networks, and you’re always encouraged to join us on that platform. (If you’d like to learn more about our decision to add a free community in Facebook, click here.)

In the Preacher’s Haven, you’ll find the same practical, spiritual content and conversation you’ve experienced elsewhere at Backstory Preaching.

Above, I outlined what the ministry of Backstory Preaching is about: what we do and for whom.

If this is a preaching community that aligns with your mission and values, I hope you’ll join us.