29 October 2020

How can we respond to injustice?

Elim has launched a justice forum to provide intentional responses to issues of social responsibility and justice.

The broad issues of justice and social responsibility are acutely felt across our church communities. So the Elim Justice Forum seeks to deepen and develop our biblical understanding concerning the current challenges and issues we face in society such as poverty, climate change, race and ethnicity, homelessness and consumerism.

We hope that this new forum will help inspire, support and resource Elim's leaders and churches as they respond to the wide range of prevailing issues and needs within local communities and the wider world.

“Around the Elim Movement, local churches are increasingly engaged in reaching and caring for their communities through a variety of compassionate initiatives and creative programmes,” commented Chris Cartright, Elim's General Superintendent.

“We recognise that this comes out of a deep passion to follow Christ’s commission to love our neighbour and to minister to the neediest and vulnerable.

“Our Elim churches are already responding to the reality of family breakdown, child poverty, crippling debt, homelessness, educational deprivation and so many other needs with sacrificial giving and serving.

“Those who are already involved are convinced that for us to be truly Christ-like in ministry and mission we must reach out to the diverse cultures and communities around us with a holistic gospel demonstration of love in action.”

Elim's Justice Forum will not just be concerned with theoretical issues but will have a practical approach in identifying resources, tools, good practice, and key partners. Its purpose will include identifying practical ways and means for Elim leaders and churches to have more impact in transforming their communities.

Further details of the aims and approach of the Elim Justice Forum are highlighted in this video update from Dominic and Catherine De Souza from Elim's City Church, Cardiff.

Racial justice

An important priority of the Elim Justice Forum is to co-ordinate specific task forces to respond to key issues. These groups will research and gather important data, making recommendations to Elim's National Leadership Team with a strategy for decisive action and to effect positive change in specific areas of justice.

This year has seen renewed global attention on racial injustice and to respond to the immediate issue of working for racial justice inside and outside of the church, Elim has formed a Racial Justice Task Force.

This task force, which will be one of the first initiatives arising from the Elim Justice Forum, will initially be looking to facilitate a period of listening and learning from our black and minority ethnic Elim people and church communities.

This will allow many to share their experiences and to assist us to understand the challenges, helping to shape the next steps that we need to take as one movement.

Elim is blessed to have a rich racial and ethnic diversity cross its church congregations - we take the issue of racial justice seriously. We are committed to our black and ethnic minority ministers and leaders in all areas of our ministry. By launching this task force, we will create opportunities to listen and learn how we can better fulfil the call of Christ to be united in heart, spirit and purpose in the years to come.

As a movement of hundreds of churches across the nations, Elim is committed to helping enable the people in each church to respond to racial injustice, building a truly biblical and kingdom culture of love, respect, shared service and opportunity.

These new initiatives are an outworking of our commitment to being disciples of Jesus, drawn together from all our respective places and experiences, to be shaped into the people of God.

Racial injustice and the church

Recorded in June 2020, watch this video of a discussion on racial injustice and the church. You will hear from our panel as we discuss how Elim as a movement can understand and work to tackle racism. This is an opportunity to listen, learn and take action.