Building A Village - Part 1

Understanding Your Role in the Village

In response to my latest post (America the Violent - Part 2), I had a friend reach out to me and ask, “How do we build the village?” His question hits at a recent conversation about helping equip and develop leaders and make disciples rooted in the historic Christian faith and prepared to lead with courage, love, ingenuity, character, and truth in the 21st century. This question is not easy, but since I have committed so much of my life, time, and study to answering it, I will share my thoughts.

Villages are made up of people in specific places. The people in a village usually have an agreed-upon set of norms that leads to the flourishing of its people. When the social contract in any village breaks down, it will usually lead to selfishness, self-centeredness, and injustice. The village we often speak of is the African-American community; many Black people see themselves as a village unto themselves. While there are broader villages, this is the one often referred to in Black spaces. If you have read my blog, you know I intentionally write from the African-American perspective. I do this because that’s who I am, and I want to be authentic to my voice and experience, but the concepts I will share in this series of posts are for everyone.

GOD & OUR ROLE IN THE VILLAGE

A few years ago, I started teaching a group of my students the following framework for self and community transformation. During this time, I mainly taught Black men who were ordered by the justice system to take fatherhood or rehabilitation as part of an incarceration deferment program. I loved teaching these classes. I loved the time that I spent with those men. I watched many of them begin to flourish after months of consistency. But while our curriculum was quality, it often failed to hit the core of their hearts for transformation.

So, I developed this framework as a tool to disciple these men. Now, I’ve adapted it into a leadership development and societal transformation strategy.

Transformation starts with God coming into the life of the individual. An eternal God, through the power of the Spirit and the proclamation of the gospel, comes and makes the individual new. This is why one arrow penetrates into the life of the individual. From there, the individual comes to know the eternal God who has made Himself known to us through His Son Jesus. As you learn who God is and what He has done, you come to better understand who you are and what He is calling you to do. Usually, what happens after that, depending on the context you live in, the person wants to make an impact and share all that they've received. Instead of jumping ahead to community and society, you have to take a deep look at your closest relationships, namely your family and friends.

But before we get there, it’s important to understand that you are an essential member of any village. If you don’t come to know that you are created in the image of God and loved deeply, then you will never fully comprehend just how much you have to contribute. You also may make the mistake of thinking that your worth comes from what you do and not who you are. That’s why we don’t start with us. We start or restart with God. On your journey of being developed into a leader, you may have picked up valuable skills and tools along the way, but you also may be carrying unuseful weight.

What I mean is we’ve all been hurt, and we’ve all hurt others. Things like unforgiveness, offense, and bitterness can isolate us and hinder our willingness to engage in village building. It can keep us locked in a cycle of self-defeating behavior where we have several fits of stopping and starting again.

People often limit themselves and their growth because they don't spend enough time with themselves and don't think about how to build a village in their own homes or with those who know them best. When I say take a deep look, I mean reflecting on how the truth that is working itself out in you is being worked out around you. Often, the people we hurt first and most are those around us, and if we are to build villages and places of safety, courage, and transformation in society, we must learn to repair and rebuild our homes and families. How do you live out the fruit of love, kindness, and gentleness? Do you care about justice? Great! Do you long for a righteous society? Fantastic! How do those two ethics play out in your home and most intimate relationships? Justice and righteousness begin with God and must manifest next in the believer's life. Taking time to nourish your soul and care for and lead those around you first is a model for longevity.

PAUSE & REFLECT

In 1 Timothy 3, Paul tells his son in the faith Timothy the process of becoming a strong and godly leader. Throughout the years, I’ve regularly returned to 1 & 2 Timothy to help develop those who say they want to be leaders or feel called to do something significant for God. Paul notes in the following passage that while your desire to lead “be an overseer” (elder/pastor/leader in the church) is good, it takes more than aspiration and gifting to lead well and to be considered qualified.

1 This saying is trustworthy: "If anyone aspires to be an overseer, he desires a noble work."

2 An overseer, therefore, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, self-controlled, sensible, respectable, hospitable, an able teacher,

3 not addicted to wine, not a bully but gentle, not quarrelsome, not greedy-

4 one who manages his own household competently, having his children under control with all dignity.

5 (If anyone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of God's church?)

6 He must not be a new convert, or he might become conceited and fall into the condemnation of the Devil.

7 Furthermore, he must have a good reputation among outsiders, so that he does not fall into disgrace and the Devil's trap.

1 Timothy 3:1-7, Christian Standard Bible

My framework follows the biblical teaching of preparing yourself and your home first before stepping into greater community or societal leadership. Especially when your desire is to be a godly leader. Why start here? Why focus on what God is doing in us and those immediately around us first? I think Paul sums it up well, “He must not be a new convert, or he might become conceited and fall into the condemnation of the Devil… He must have a good reputation among outsides, so that he does not fall into disgrace and the Devil’s trap.”

Three things:

First, spiritual warfare is real, and satan will exploit any unhealed or unhealthy areas in our lives. We need time to allow the salvation and sanctification we talk about to be worked out in us.

Second, pride will take you out of the game. “Pride comes before a fall.” Too much, too quick, can ruin you. Sometimes, you get elevated or promoted into leadership because you are gifted, but your character doesn’t match your gifting. This can be dangerous not only for those you lead but for you. For all the glories of leadership, it can be overwhelming; don’t allow your pride or other people to exalt you before it’s time. You will never be fully ready, but you can be wholly unprepared.

Third, it takes time to build up a good reputation. There should be something different about you as a Christian leader. Your friends, family, and those around you should first experience the fruit of your changed life. They should attest to this transformation that has taken root in you, whether they believe what you believe or not. If you champion gifting over godliness, you will ruin yourself and others.

6 But godliness with contentment is a great gain.

7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out.

8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these.

9 But those who want to be rich fall into temptation, a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge people into ruin and destruction.

10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.

1 Timothy 6:6-10, Christian Standard Bible

You have to check your motives. This is the work of the Holy Spirit and a slow work. It means taking time to let God search and purify you. It means taking time, as the old folks in the church used to say, “to still away with God.” Taking time to learn to love Jesus, His people, His church, His word, and His ways. Taking time to get to know you. To better understand who you are and who He has made you to be. How long will these first couple of stages take? As long as they must take. There is no set timeline. For some, it takes a long time; for others, it’s much shorter. I cannot tell you how long the road may be, but I can tell you that this is what it looks like to start building the villages we long to see. The places of peace and power.

It’s also important to note that this is a continuum. We never move beyond this, but we do get to a point where we are ready to move into the following stages of leadership and engagement. My next post will discuss engaging the community while building a village.

For now, take a little time and reflect on the quote from Pete Scazzero with which we opened this article. I would love to hear from you about your thoughts. Please leave me a comment or email me at dannyb@actjustlylovemercy.org.