NACSC 2020 Statement in Response to Racism

We as the YWAM North American Cities Servants Circle team are united together in the pursuit of equal rights and justice for all people. 

We realign ourselves to make it our ambition and intention to see and affirm the imago Dei—the image of God—in all individuals, in our teams, training schools, leadership structures, neighborhoods, community involvement, and outreach. We stand with people of color and Indigenous communities’ desire to create space for their voices and support their God-given rights for equality and justice in our nations. We acknowledge and repent of our failure to engage in these issues to the depth that they have required.  We acknowledge that in the land now known as North America, we are part of a variety of covenants with Indigenous peoples, covenants which we’ve not honored. We acknowledge that we have benefited from a system built on stolen land and slave labor that persists even today. In the spirit of repentance, we commit ourselves to the work of laying a new foundation in keeping with the kingdom of God. 

As a mission agency made up of people from many nations and denominations, we recognize our unique responsibility to practice what we preach and ensure that our beliefs are outworked in our structures, theologies, relationships, and practices in both suburban and urban contexts. Being “diverse” and committed to celebrating culture in and of itself doesn’t make us anti-racist. It’s a start, but we believe there’s more work to be done in listening, learning, examining, readjusting our posture, repenting, and acting justly. 

Jesus intimately bore the pain of injustice intimately and our hope is that we will always be found in His footsteps joining in solidarity with the marginalized and oppressed, doing our part to see the “Kingdom Come” on earth as it is in heaven. Black lives ARE sacred. Indigenous lives ARE sacred. 

Our commitment requires a continuing dialogue and engagement with our YWAM family as well as the communities we serve. It is a journey on which we travel as partners, based on shared values and a vision in which current and future generations have equal opportunities to thrive.

This is a living document. We all grow and learn. We welcome your questions and input anytime.