Introduction, Workshop 8: Power at Work in Your Congregation
In "Building the World We Dream About," a Tapestry of Faith program
If churches want to realize Dr. King's dream, they must first embrace a dream of racial justice and equality . . . must become places that all racial groups can call their own, where all racial groups have the power to influence the major decisions of the church, where the culture and experiences of all racial groups are not just tolerated, but appreciated. — Korie L. Edwards, in The Elusive Dream: The Power of Race in Interracial Churches
This workshop develops participants' skills to identify visible and invisible ways congregational norms, culture, policies, and practices intentionally or unintentionally reinforce White privilege and dominant White culture while marginalizing People of Color and others marginalized by race or ethnicity. The workshop introduces definitions of power and authority and invites participants to share perspectives on how power is held and exercised in their congregation. The group creates a power roadmap for the congregation, which helps surface patterns in the way the congregation grants formal and informal authority and power to people in particular roles, positions, and groups.
Before leading this workshop, review the accessibility guidelines in the program Introduction under Integrating All Participants.
This work is made possible by the generosity of individual donors and congregations. Please consider making a donation today.
Last updated on Saturday, December 10, 2011.
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- About the Authors
- Acknowledgments
- Preface
- Introduction
- Workshop 1
- Workshop 2
- Workshop 3
- Workshop 4
- Workshop 5
- Workshop 6
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- List of Handouts
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