Estimated reading time: 28 minutes

What can local churches do to work for justice in their communities? In this article, we see how Local Churches can use practical politics to seek justice in 8 steps.

I am drawing from the work of Dr. Helen Cameron in her book Just Mission: Practical Politics for Local Churches. The book is available from Amazon at this link:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Just-Mission-Practical-Politics-Churches/dp/0334052297/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.TLQfA99xkorJIekLfX6Len4iKBQKW_rb02RUFx6oRyw.pODRQY9vtcELVZglZ5eA1zD66Hf6HETBfmjN7VSWfB8&qid=1716716998&sr=8-

It goes into far more depth than this summary provides. Helen Cameron provides an easy-to-follow methodology for local churches to pursue change in key issues in a missional way.

Starting Point for Local Churches – Mission is Political

Local Churches need to understand that being involved in mission means getting involved in practical politics. Let’s clear up what we actually mean when we say ‘mission’, which, in the church, has become a bit of a buzzword. It is the same as how being ‘on-mission’ has become a bit of a business catchword.

A person or a group does not do ‘mission’ despite the kind of language that we have fallen into. A mission is a planned series of actions undertaken to achieve a goal. The mission of God (ignoring the complexities in that idea for the moment) is the redemption and renewal of the world.

This is seen in what Tom Wright translates as God’s covenant-faithfulness, which others normally translate as righteousness or justice.

God’s commitment to bringing things into wholeness and completeness, the state of Shalom.

God’s Mission Through The Church

The Church is called to participate in this task. The mission of the Church is to bring the unordered and chaotic world with all its complexities, brokenness and harm, back into Shalom in holiness, peace, and wholeness.

This is not a spiritual mandate, but one for the whole of the world. Which is why we see rules in Leviticus about how to treat widows and orphans, and about making sure justice is done. It is why, in Amos, we are told that our worship is acceptable only when justice and righteousness flow like rivers. Or how in Proverbs we are told to speak for those who have no voice.

The mission of God and the church is inherently political

A distinction must be made between not advocating for a political party and the inherently political act of seeking the good of our neighbour. This is what we mean by practical politics in relation to local churches. It takes away the party-politics aspect of political engagement to focus on issue-based politics. For the local church, issue-based politics is always justice-based politics. So local churches are always seeking justice in their communities, and practical politics is a way to achieve this.

Even the task of seeking the salvation of the people around us is a political act. This is because it is undertaken within a community and affects how that community lives. Politics is not a bad thing. It is simply the way a group of people live together and order themselves in a way that is, hopefully, positive and healthy.

Mission is Political

Whenever the local Church gets involved in mission in gets involved in practical politics. The texts of the New Testament show us the highly political statements made by the disciples and by Jesus.

In Acts, Peter tells the Sanhedrin that there are times when followers of Jesus must obey God before human government.

Whenever the disciples called Jesus Lord (Kyrios), a title that rightly belonged only to the Roman Emperor, they were explicitly saying that Jesus was King and that Caesar wasn’t. To say Jesus is Lord is a political act. It is actually a very defiant political act.

When Jesus was confronted by the Pharisees about paying taxes, and Jesus said, ” Give to Caesar what Caesar deserves and give to God what God deserves. This was not an early invention of the separation between Church and state. It was a critique of imperial overreach.

On a Roman coin, the titles of the Emperor included ‘son of god’, ‘saviour of the world’, and ‘prince of peace.’ When Jesus says, ” Give to Caesar what Caesar deserves, Jesus is making a judgment. The implication is that Caesar does not deserve the titles he is claiming. They belong to God alone. You can read more about that here.

The Mission of God is to Create Shalom, which is About How we Love In Community

The mission of the Church to bring about the Kingdom of God in redemption and Shalom is inherently political. It is about how we live in the world in community with each other.

Chris Wright (2010 The Mission of God’s People) wrote that:

The Community God seeks for the sake of his mission is to be a community shaped by his own ethical character, with specific attention to righteousness and justice in a world filled with oppression and injustice. (pp. 93-4)

The actions the churches take in providing local services, such as lunch clubs, homeless drop-ins, young people’s work, etc., are intended to plug gaps in local provision. These are all examples of local churches getting involved with practical politics for the sake of justice. This is missional. It is something the local community needs, without which people are suffering and in need. So, the churches must meet that need.

More Than Just Bandaging Wounds

However, all too often, the provision of such services is not taken to the next step of seeking to address the underlying issues within that local community.

Why is there a need for after-school clubs or breakfast clubs? What is the reason there are homeless people in your town? Why do people need to use the foodbank?

These are political questions related to justice, raised because there is a lack of Shalom. The local church is ideally situated to take action to seek to address the underlying causes of these wounds in creation. However, this is often ignored as an authentic part of God’s mission for the Church. The local church needs to engage with practical politics if it is going to be missional.

Politics is Pastoral

For the local church, practical politics begins with the pastoral.

We recognise and identify community needs through the stories and lives of the people we live with, work with, and serve.

The voices of our neighbours act as a command of grace in our lives, compelling us to work for Shalom. The political nature of mission begins with the concrete, everyday lives and sufferings of the people we love. The first task of the local church, to love and serve people in need, utilises the methods of practical politics to achieve its ends. Politics, when done well, is pastoral and caring. That is why the Church needs to be involved.

Loving Our Neighbours Creates Political Consciousness

It is our pastoral awareness that opens us to the community’s needs. That awareness invites us to undertake the mission of God for the Shalom of the city, town, village, or community where we live. It is from this pastoral awareness that the local church gets involved with practical politics.

This can be experienced at various levels: personal, household, organisational, community, national, and global. But regardless of how big the issue might be (such as provision of social housing) it is experienced personally in the local context (the friend who is sleeping on the street because there isn’t enough affordable housing).

There are different ways to take action to resolve these issues: informing, supporting, advising, advocating, lobbying, and campaigning. Each is better for specific issues and requires its own methods.We need to choose the right methods.

We Need To Understand How Power Works

Helen Cameron writes that seeking justice is about asking about why things are as they are, who has the power to change them, and how that person or body might be effectively persuaded to right the injustice. That is the foundation for practical politics, and the local church needs to understand where it fits into those power dynamics.

There are three ways of understanding power and four tactics for bringing about change.

Different Types of Power

Power can be understood as Unitary, Plural, and Radical.

• A Unitary understanding of power assumes that all power derives from a single source and is distributed according to the authority of that source. Conflict is a sign of dysfunction which must be restored through the hierarchy.
• A Plural understanding of power assumes that, in any situation, there will be different stakeholders with distinct sources of power who need to collaborate despite tensions and conflicts that may arise.
• A Radical view of power assumes that there are structural inequalities in society so profound that any situation will be a conflict that cannot be simply reconciled, as the incompatible interests of unequal groups are in inevitable competition.

Four Tactics for Seeking Change

The four tactics of seeking change are: Affirming, Reforming, Resisting, and Rebelling.

• Affirming: Affirming means going to the people with power to encourage them in what they are doing and seeking to maintain the work that is currently being done.
• Reforming: Reforming means to actively work to see things change by directing power to that end.
• Resisting: Resisting means passively refusing to accept the decisions and requirements of wielders of power
• Rebelling: Rebelling means actively working against the holders of power and the systems they control

Each needs to be used for a specific purpose and at a specific time. It is important not to use the wrong tactic. The wrong tactic means the process will likely fail.

It is worth noting that affirming is one of the most under-utilised tactics in lobbying. People are quick to criticise and slow to affirm. If local churches begin from a position of seeking to affirm wherever possible, they will often find a way into practical politics denied to others. But they also need to be careful not to affirm that which is against the Gospel simply for the sake of getting into the presence of power.

How Do We Understand Policy?

Policy-making is the means by which problems are formulated, options are proposed, decisions are made, and new ways of working are implemented. For local churches getting involved with practical politics, policy-making is the starting point.

Policy has its jargon and its own specialist language, but at its most basic, it is about setting out how and why something should be done to address a problem or situation.

Identifying Our Stakeholders

Policy is not just the preserve of politicians, civil servants and specialists. There are a great many people involved in the creation of policy. These are called policy stakeholders.

Eight main groups of stakeholders are:

• Citizens as voters
• Funders
• Service providers
• Citizens as service users
• Evaluators/Academics/Think tanks
• Policy-makers
• Politicians
• The Media

It should be possible to identify which stakeholders are potential allies in your cause and which might oppose you. Identifying relevant stakeholders is key to effecting change.

Policy is About Problem Solving

Most policy emerges from a need to resolve a problem or pave the way to achieve a goal. But it is clear that some policies work better than others.

The possibility of offering evidence of a better way of doing things might be considered a winning argument. However, the ideological or emotional attachment to a particular policy must not be underestimated. Policy will never be a matter left purely for the experts. This is because it is politicians who grant the power to policy-makers and politicians are always dependent upon the need to appeal to the media and thus the voters.

Citizens have a place in the creation of policy, for policy is undertaken for the sake of the citizen. But when citizens seek change to those policies, it must not be assumed that the policy is well-designed, has a clear purpose, fits the purpose for which it was written, or is based upon evidence.

How does the Church Respond?

Example, guide, partner, radical challenge, integrated mission

The church has a number of roles it can play

• Example: The Church shows the way people should live and lives out the reality of Kingdom values in the world. It shows what is possible.
• Guide: The Church comes alongside people seeking to see change in their community. They provide advice and support to help with that change.
• Partner: The Church partners with people seeking change. They work together in a formal arrangement to work for justice.
• Radical Challenge: The Church does more than work for justice. It takes a prophetic stand against the corrupt systems of power and destruction in this world. The Church speaks out against them.
• Integrated Mission: The local Church recognises that evangelism, social action, and practical politics all go together.

Step 1 – What is the Burning Issue?

The starting point is to identify the actual issue.

Narrow Down the Issue

You may well already know what you are concerned about. Is it house prices, homelessness, lack of mental health provision, poor accessibility for those with disabilities, etc.? But it is important to try to reduce the problem down to a manageable component.

What is the issue’s smallest common denominator? Are you sure what you are talking about? It is important to have as clear and succinct a picture as possible of what you are advocating for change.

Part of this process is asking why this issue needs to be addressed. What has caused it, and who is harmed by it? Why is it important? Why should anyone other than someone directly affected by it care?

What Do You Know About The Issue?

Once you have narrowed down your issue, note everything you know about it. What data do you have? What stories from people involved have already been gathered? How does it relate to other issues in your local area? Where are the points of intersection?

Doing this will not only let you know what you actually already know, but what you need to find out. What evidence will you need to gather, and what questions will you need to ask? Knowing who to ask those questions to is, of course, part of the difficulty.

As a local church, it is really important to begin by asking ourselves those questions. What do we know? What has been our experience? Why does it matter to us?

Who Does It Matter To?

The local church advocates on behalf of those it serves, but it can also speak with its own distinctive voice. It is really important not to abnegate the voice and experience of the Church. The Church has a right and a duty to speak up about what it sees and experiences. However, it must ask the right questions. The local Church needs to ensure it is open and aware of the voices of those who most need to be heard.

One of the most important questions to ask ourselves is why the issue matters in the context of the Christian faith. Where does our concern for the issue we are facing link to and emerge from the Christian tradition?

Is it a matter of human flourishing? Or about Kingdom principles and values? What about the promise of liberation and freedom in salvation? How do our social conscience and our faith come together in the narrative of our concern?

An Issue for the Wider Community

From here, we need to ask who else is concerned with this issue. Who else does it affect outside of our immediate circle of interest?

To do this, you need to conduct a stakeholder analysis.

A Stakeholder Analysis Made Simple

An easy way to do this is to write down the issue in the middle of a piece of paper. Then surround it with a circle. Around the circle, write all the people who are affected by the issue in one colour. Then all the people who have the power to change the issue in another colour. Then, using a third colour, write the people or organisations with a stake in the issue. This includes those not directly affected by it.

Then get a second sheet of paper. Write the issue in the middle again. Then, arrange all the suggestions from the first sheet. Put all the people who might be allies in the top half, and all those who might be a hindrance in the bottom half.

The more toward the middle of the paper, the stronger their position; the further away, the weaker. Then go back over the sheet, and anyone or organisation with a relationship with you gets an underline. The better the relationship, the thicker the underline.

Now you should know what the issue is, what you know about it, what you need to know about it, where it fits into your faith, how else it affects you, and your relationship with them.

Step 2 – Building the Team

Justice seeking is most faithfully carried out as part of a team and not by an individual.

Justice is a Community Activity

It is possible for an individual to seek justice. An individual may seek the help of a church to bring about justice. Understanding who is involved in the issue through stakeholder engagement provides the foundation for this work.

The first step in putting together a team is to understand the strengths and weaknesses of those already involved in the project. This helps to determine who needs to be recruited.

The Roles You Need In Your Team

You will need a confident and willing facilitator. Someone who can keep the group on track, focused on the outcome, make sure everyone can work together, and is able to keep an eye on the well-being of everyone involved in the project.

You will need people who can do research, using the internet, sending emails, going through documents, and wrestling with statistics. Knowledge is key. Understanding the evidence is essential.

If research is finding the right information, networking is finding the right people. You will need someone who is happy and capable of networking. Someone who can pick up the phone and make a call, or who can attend the right meetings and have those conversations.

A crucial part of asking for change is making the case, whether in writing or in person. There is a need for a communicator, as many organisations place great value on the communicator’s capacity and capability.

Every group needs someone who can keep good records of their meetings, handle official correspondence, and manage the day-to-day records of the justice-seeking process.

Finally, the group will benefit from someone with a good knowledge of the Christian tradition to join the dots between what is being done and why it is being done. This is a moral discussion, so someone with the skills of theological reflection will be helpful.

Good Teams need Good Communication and Trust

Strong teams can talk about what works and what doesn’t within the team. Good communication is essential, and a good facilitator can help manage it. It is really important that after the group is assembled, ways of working are agreed on.

How often will the group meet, how will communication between meetings take place, and what level of responsibility is given to everyone involved in the project? Getting expectations agreed early will help the team work well together. This avoids some of the pitfalls of working as a group.

Once this is done, it is helpful to repeat the stakeholder engagement exercise. It may well be that there are new people to include. Or that relationships will change one way or another with the different people in the team.

What can emerge from this conversation is the possibility of partners. Other agencies or churches on similar trajectories may be willing to work together on a project. Or there might already be a group involved in the project that you can join.

Avoid doubling up on seeking change. Instead, work to bring together a larger project rather than have different groups all working toward a similar goal but at cross-purposes with each other. A good team, with potentially helpful partners, gets the whole project moving.

Step 3 – Building the Case for Change

What do the people affected by the issue actually want to happen?

What do the People Affected Want to Happen?

The starting point for justice-seeking should be understanding how people are affected by injustice and then understanding what they want to happen. This is building the case for change.

It is vital that the team understand their relationship to the people directly affected by the issue. Are they involved in the team? Is the team representing them? How are they speaking into this change?

Getting the Relationship Between Church and  Community Right

The relationship between the team and the people affected by the issue is a power relationship. Both sides must be satisfied that the power is bounded, consensual and ethical. This means listening to people on their own terms and setting aside any preliminary views you may have to actually hear what those affected are saying.

There are plenty of examples of well-meaning people who have done something they thought was helpful, only to later discover it wasn’t wanted by the people who actually need justice.

Building the Case for Change

The first step in building a case for change is collecting primary data.

This includes numbers and stories. Both are needed because they have different resonances with different people. You will need to build up a description of who is affected. Including how they are affected, and what they would like to see happen.

Who is affected means determining how many people are affected by the issue and what their demographics are.

How they are affected means finding out their stories of how the issue has affected their lives and what the consequences have been for them. It is important to choose stories that are representative of the wider issue, rather than just presenting the case of the worst-affected individual.

There is also the possibility of building numerical data here if there has been a consequence that can be proven with data rather than highlighted in a narrative.

What they would like to see happen means listening to what the people affected actually want to happen. Including what change they want to see. It may become apparent that what you thought was the answer is not what the affected people actually want.

Gathering the Data

Equally, by putting together the various stories and bits of evidence, you may get a wider picture than any one individual, and so be in a position to make a recommendation for change to the people affected that they hadn’t thought about but which will benefit everyone involved.

There is also a need to gather secondary data.

This is the chance to put the evidence into context. However, it may depend on how other agencies are dealing with the same group of people. Is there a characteristic of the local area that has a direct impact on the issue? Is there a local agency that is involved for everyone? How does the demographic of the group affect the way they are impacted by the issue?

Offering Comparisons

A helpful way to make the case for change is by offering comparisons. If there are other parts of the country where the injustice you are tackling has been successfully addressed. Then you can point to those solutions as a possible way forward.

This is where networking can be beneficial for tapping into national networks or groups – although it is important not to let your agenda be co-opted by their agenda.

When a system or structure is identified as contributing to injustice, it is important to understand how it was originally intended to function. How is it meant to operate when it is working well?

This helps draw a distinction between a faulty system and its faulty implementation. Making the distinction provides a stronger basis for asking the person with authority to change things. It is easier to ask for an improved implementation than to ask for a change to the system, especially a national one.

It is important to continue reflecting on the stakeholder analysis and to update it throughout the process as new people get involved.

Step 4 – Engaging with the Christian Tradition

A significant amount of Christian activity is undertaken with prayer and worship, but not in direct relation to the historic Christian tradition.

This includes the Bible, the history of the Church, and the writings and reflections of those within the Church, both historically and in the present.

What does the Bible Say About this Situation?

What does the Bible have to say about this issue? When and where in the past has the Church been confronted by a similar issue? What have people thought and written about this issue in the past, or what has the Church and the world of Christian academics done to engage with this issue in the contemporary world?

This is not about demonstrating theological expertise but about bringing together the various narratives of history, scripture, tradition, and current issues so that they speak together and inform one another.

There are two main ways of doing this. By listening for resonances, or by taking a thematic approach.

Two Ways Local Churches Can Seek Justice through the Bible

Listening for Resonances means that as the group discusses the issue, they are paying attention to points of convergence or resonance between what they are discussing and that part of the Christian tradition that they know.

It could be a song lyric or a Bible story, or the thoughts of a theologian or the words of a sermon. People often have more of the Christian tradition in their memory than they realise.

It is hoped that there is a team member who can direct the group to particular elements of the Christian tradition that might be helpful for the group to discuss or lean into.

The stories of the Bible are particularly helpful for this, as they are often memorable, open to interpretation, and, as narratives, fit easily into the narrative experiences of people seeking justice.

The Thematic Approach helps to overcome anxieties about a lack of theological expertise by guiding the group in their discussions around one or more key themes.

These themes often begin to emerge in earlier discussion stages, and by bringing them into Biblical themes, theological language is introduced to further shape that discussion.

Three common themes to be used in this kind of work are: the breaking in of the Kingdom, Christ’s love crossing boundaries, and unmasking the empire.

This is not exhaustive, and other themes will emerge for you. But by taking a thematic approach, it provides a framework for discussion and further research that might be more difficult for people without an in-depth or broad knowledge of the Christian tradition and the Bible.

Expand and Build on Initial Discussions

The point is to expand the initial discussions, build an intentional missional element into them, and shape the group’s intentions within the scriptural ethical demand to seek justice.

This is not a work of social justice alone but is a task of grace in action, an opportunity to worship the God of justice by seeking the Kingdom’s justice on Earth.

Step 5 – Identifying Who You Need to Speak To and What You Will Ask

Who does the case for change need to be presented to, and what authority do they have to change it? This is the key question for this step.

The Balance Between Authority and Access

There is a balance to be struck between your ability to access a person in a system and that person’s authority to enact change.

The bigger the change needed, the more authority is required, and often the harder it is to gain access. There is a need to understand the organisation’s or system’s operational hierarchy that you are seeking to change.

How is the organisation structured, which role has which responsibility, and perhaps more importantly, who in that organisation is actually going to be interested in your issue?

Why Stakeholder Mapping is Helpful

This is where stakeholder mapping becomes an essential element. Who do you know that has access? Is there someone in your network who can gain immediate access to the person with the authority to make the change?

Does your church or organisation have enough social capital to be able to get access to people with authority? Sometimes it is simply a matter of balancing who you can access and then growing your way up the ladder to the person with the authority to enact change.

Why should that person actually meet with you? Do they have a duty to meet with you, or would they be doing it as something beyond their normal role? Do you need someone else to help you get access because it is unusual?

This is where having enough people on your side, a strong team, and clear evidence supporting your issue is really helpful.

Why Should Anyone Meet With You?

Why someone should meet with you can be made clear by the evidence to demonstrate that your issue is real and that if they do not meet with you, then you will be taking that evidence further on.

What do you actually want the person to do once you do get the chance to meet with them? This is what is normally known as an ‘ask’ amongst lobbyists. What do you want the person to do with their authority in order to achieve change?

‘Asks’ should be SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound.

All the research previously done needs to be brought together within the SMART ask, and you will need to be clear about your moral argument, which underpins your SMART ask, but you don’t necessarily need to give your entire reasoning at this time.

Step 6 – Making Contact

Knowing what you want to say is relatively easy – knowing when and how is quite difficult and needs a fair amount of political sense.

Different Methods for Making Contact with People in Power

There are lots of different ways of making contact, from a cold-call letter, email, or phone call, to drawing on existing relationships, to utilising official channels built into a structure, such as open office hours or a surgery.

The purpose of your initial contact is to secure further communication. You should outline your argument, explain the extent of your evidence, and ask for further communication.

You do not need to make your entire argument in that one email; you do need to make sure that you get another meeting.

Invitation to Come and See

One of the easiest ways to achieve this is to invite the person to visit and see the issue for themselves. This is an opportunity to demonstrate hospitality, to show how you value that person, and to be open and honest about the issue with the people involved.

You should not over-egg the pudding but show the reality of the situation as clearly as possible.

You can also use the visit to make clear what your ‘ask’ is for the person visiting. Then, after the visit, follow it up with a thank-you email attaching the full case for support, your complete ‘ask’ and what your evidence is, as well as outlining any conversation that took place during the visit.

Agreeing on the Media

If the meeting is with a public figure, it is important to negotiate and agree on the appropriate media presence. Ideally, a private visit would be better.

During the meeting, you need to present what you have to say, but also listen to what they have to say. There is a need to be respectful, but also to be firm in what you are asking for and why there is an issue.

The timing of the meeting should be determined in relation to the cycle of political action, especially when dealing with elected positions.

Synchronising Your Agendas

Asking for a meeting at the wrong time may well mean being put off, or that the person is unable to help you. It is also important to understand how your ‘asks’ align with the individual’s needs and objectives.

1. Manifesto
2. Election Campaign
3. Priority-Setting
4. Consultation
5. Legislation
6. Guidance
7. Resource Allocation
8. Commissioning Services
9. Delivery
10. Accountability

Following the meeting, or if you do not get that first meeting, there is a need for controlled and respectful escalation, showing persistence in your approach, and always being clear to thank people for engaging with you as part of the process of seeking justice.

Step 7 – Amplifying Your Voice

Before you turn up the volume, you need to understand why you need to raise the volume.

This includes taking into account all the feedback from the previous steps. This is the move from lobbying to campaigning.

How Can You Amplify the Voice of Your Local Church and Community?

When your attempts to be heard have not worked, you need to increase the volume of your voice to make sure you are heard. This is a delicate process that needs to be handled carefully to avoid alienating the people who need to hear you.

Using Social Media

You can use the social media of people who have not responded to you to make a more public attempt to meet with them, so that their ‘no’ becomes a public one rather than a private one. This can put more pressure on them to respond to you.

This is often because the people managing those sites are communication professionals who are tasked with answering those questions. The downside is that you need to be prepared to communicate immediately and have all your information at hand, ready to go.

Would a Petition Work?

There are instances in which petitions can be used to demonstrate public support and interest in the issue. Similarly, holding public meetings can be an opportunity to highlight local support. But they both pose the risk of a community which doesn’t respond, which can undercut your arguments.

Protesting

Protesting and public actions can be very effective when done properly and with sufficient attention. It is important that this is done in a way which does not become stereotyped or can be spun by the media to negate its power and impact. This will need to be carefully managed and handled well when it is done.

Nonviolent civil disobedience is a final resort that can be very effective but also very divisive. It is important to gain legal advice on the potential repercussions first before taking this step. There are groups that teach civil disobedience, and it is worth learning more before even considering this step.

Should You Escalate?

You can try to make the issue a national one by escalating through denominations and other charities, by contacting MPs using private questions or a Peer to ask a question in the House of Lords, and by engaging with the media.

A strategy needs to be agreed on first to maintain control of the narrative in this case, but it is a powerful step to take in order to raise the volume of the issue and get a response.

Step 8 – Evaluating Your Impact

Has the person done what you asked them? Did you do everything you wanted to do? Has change actually taken place?

When Should You Compromise?

Sometimes, a compromise is needed; sometimes, only a single step has been taken as part of a much larger process. But it is important to know whether the person not only heard you but also took action to start the change process in line with your ‘ask’.

Have you fed back to the people invested in your process who have helped you along the way, whom you are seeking to represent and support, and to whom you may report? It is important not to stop good, positive communication, but to continue developing those conversations following the process and its hopefully successful conclusion.

Don’t Stop Believing

If there has been no positive change or the person has not acted on your ‘ask’, you will need to continue the process. Seeking out another meeting, working together as a group to reflect on why your ‘ask’ may not have been successful and whether your arguments need to be further refined. How can you make them stronger? Then do you need to go back to the same person, or will you need to escalate further up the hierarchy to achieve your change?

What have you learned from the process? What skills has your group gained from the process, and how has the local community been empowered by having their voice heard? It is worth writing up the entire process to share and encourage others, and to look back on your journey and celebrate your successes together.

Finishing Well

This is all set out in much more detail, with helpful case studies and information, in the book Just Mission by Helen Cameron, which I linked to at the top of this blog.

It is hoped that this blog post has shown that local churches can get involved in practical ways to seek justice through positive change in their communities, and that politics is not a dirty word for Christians.

There is a lot more information out there, and I hope that if you are interested, you go looking for it and take steps to engage in your local context with the mission of God to bring kingdom justice in this world.

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