Who We Are

The Pro-Reconciliation and Anti-Racism Initiative was founded upon the need to make visible God’s beloved community. It invites the church to listen to the once silenced voices of its racial and ethnic communities, learn from their wisdom and gain insight from their leadership. It calls the church to discern, pray, study, reflect, dialogue and fellowship. The true goal is to transform, strengthen and deepen the church’s spirituality, resulting in a community that understands its mission to be about bringing justice and salvation to the world.

Reconciliation Ministry Commission

Vision

It is the vision of Reconciliation Ministry to build just communities by breaking down the walls within our church which separate us. We claim a new reality in which we live into God’s realm by celebrating our unity, affirming the cultural traditions of each member of the body of Christ and working together for justice to ensure radical welcome and access to God’s abundant resources. We envision a Church in which all communities are accountable to one another and God.

Mission

Reconciliation Ministry advances the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)’s journey toward wholeness by empowering each expression of the Church to implement structural change to address historic fractures caused by racism and the systems that perpetuate it. It is the goal of our shared work to foster life-giving community within our church and in relationship with the whole family of God. We accomplish this mission through intentional dialogue, inclusive worship and experiential education.

Executive Director

Rev. Dr. April G. Johnson serves as the Minister of Reconciliation for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada. She brings to this work a deep passion for racial understanding, justice and compassion. As Minister of Reconciliation, Rev. Dr. Johnson facilitates the church-wide process of awareness, analysis and action toward healing the fractures in the body of Christ that are caused by systemic racism. She collaborates with organizer trainers, regional and congregational staff leadership, anti-racism teams and ecumenical partners in her efforts to guide this work. Rev. Dr. Johnson has added mediation to the toolbox of Anti-Racism skills and practices in the church’s pursuit to embody a Pro-Reconciling identity. In her capacity as both pastor and administrator, Rev. Dr. Johnson emphasizes the importance of building relationships across differences as one of the critical ways that we actualize God’s plan for humanity and creation.

She received her Bachelors of Arts from the University of Illinois-Champaign/Urbana, her Master of Divinity from Howard University in Washington, DC and her Doctor of Ministry from Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, In. Rev. Dr. April enjoys writing, expanding her cultural competence through personal travel and spending time with her growing family. Rev. Dr. April is a native of Chicago, Illinois.

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Who We Are

Vision

Mission

Executive Director

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