You may have heard that there are some changes afoot in the Office of Social Justice and the Office of Race Relations. We’re excited for the possibilities that these changes create. Have questions? Here are our responses.
At their September 2016 meeting, the Board of Trustees of the Christian Reformed Church affirmed the decision by senior CRCNA staff to seek closer integration of the Office of Race Relations, the Office of Social Justice, and related diversity initiatives. One key aspect of this closer integration was a decision to combine and integrate the role of the director of Race Relations with the role of coordinator of the Office of Social Justice and Hunger Action (OSJ).
As of February 27, Rev. Reggie Smith is the director of the Office of Race Relations and begins phasing in as director of the Office of Social Justice. Welcome, Rev. Reggie! (Get to know Rev. Reggie by reading this CRC News story or this Facebook post from the Office of Race Relations.)
A: No, the Office of Race Relations and the Office of Social Justice are still separate CRC ministries, with separate budgets, structures, and staff. However, these two offices have shared some staff and increasingly have collaborated in joint projects. It is a natural next step that the leadership of these offices now be combined. We hope that this joint leadership will lead to increased collaboration, learning, and sharing of best practices across these similar ministries.
A: Race Relations and Social Justice are inextricably bound together as pervasive issues in our world today, and issues of race and justice are also commonly found in our biblical narrative. Combining these roles strengthens our ability to be effective in both ministry areas, enhancing our ability to describe God’s vision of humanity and justice.
The decision to combine the leadership roles but maintain distinct offices honors the history that led to the creation of the Synodical Committee on Race Relations (SCORR)*, as well as the synodical task force on world hunger. But it also allows us to make optimal use of our financial and personnel resources, and removes the fragmentation inherent in our current approach to these areas.
*SCORR is the predecessor of the Office of Race Relations.
A: No. When it made a decision to seek greater integration of the two offices and to combine the leadership roles into one, the Board of Trustees was very explicit in stating that the mandate of each office must not be lost. It asked that a healthy budget allocation for race relations remain as part of the whole, and that senior staff continue to report on the work of both offices. It also asked that Canadian and U.S. contexts continue to be considered both for racial reconciliation work and the work of social justice.
A: The present title for the new position is Director of Race Relations and Social Justice. However, the offices of Race Relations and Social Justice continue to remain distinct. When referring to the Director, you can use the official title. In all other instances, please refer to the Office of Race Relations, the Office of Social Justice, or the offices (plural) of Race Relations and Social Justice.
A: On the one hand, congregations won’t experience much of a difference. Since the Office of Race Relations and the Office of Social Justice are still separate ministries, they will each keep their own logo, website, newsletters, and other communications materials.
On the other hand, by working more closely together, we hope that you will experience more effective and collaborative communications, resources, and materials from us. A justice resource about refugee reform, for example, may also include background information about the racial dynamics behind anti-immigration movements. Similarly, racial reconciliation workshops may include advocacy suggestions as next steps for participants. Our offices have already worked together on projects like the Church Between Borders workshop, the Journey With Me toolkit, and the Blanket Exercise; this change formalizes our relationship and will make collaboration easier, as well as more natural and consistent.
A: Rev. Reggie began his role as Director of Race Relations as of February 27. Peter will remain in his position as Coordinator of the Office of Social Justice until June 30. Rev. Reggie will be fully responsible for the Office of Social Justice on July 1, following Peter’s retirement. This allows for a phased in time of orientation and transition.
A: Should you have any questions about race relations or social justice, please feel free to continue contacting staff in either office (Office of Race Relations, Office of Social Justice). If you have specific questions about the joint leadership position or the future of the two offices as we work more closely together, please contact Colin Watson (cwatson@crcna.org).
The Reformed family is a diverse family with a diverse range of opinions. Not all perspectives expressed on the blog represent the official positions of the Christian Reformed Church. Learn more about this blog, Reformed doctrines, and our diversity policy on our About page.
In order to steward ministry shares well, commenting isn’t available on Do Justice itself because we engage with comments and dialogue in other spaces. To comment on this post, please visit the Christian Reformed Centre for Public Dialogue’s Facebook page (for Canada-specific articles) or the Office of Social Justice’s Facebook page. Alternatively, please email us. We want to hear from you!
Read more about our comment policy.