Dallas II - Better Together
Collective Impact for God's Mission
A Working Consultation to Respond to Three Critical Global Issues
Friday, October 5 –Sunday, October 7, 2012
Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas
Christian leaders across the Global South say that short-term missions and partnerships are important—but their people are struggling with life-and-death issues.
They are asking for our help to address them.
This October, the Stated Clerk of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the Executive Director of the Presbyterian Church’s General Assembly Mission Council, Presbyterian Women representatives, leadership from the Outreach Foundation, Presbyterian Frontier Fellowship, the Medical Benevolence Foundation, Presbyterian global partners, and other Presbyterian mission organizations and representatives from churches throughout the United States will gather in Dallas/Fort Worth to shape concrete, measurable strategies for addressing these life-and-death issues.
While construction projects, Vacation Bible Schools, feeding programs and other short-term projects are often good and faithful efforts in mission, our global partners, mission workers and Presbyterians across the United States have pointed out a disturbing reality: much of American churches’ efforts have become short-term in focus and address almost exclusively the symptoms of poverty, violence and injustice.
Our global partners are challenging us to do something more. They have identified three critical global issues to which they need us to respond with them, in order to make a lasting difference in God’s world:
- Address the root causes of global poverty… especially as it impacts women and children;
- Share the Good News of God’s love in Jesus Christ…together with other members of Christ’s body;
- Work for reconciliation amidst cultures of violence…including our own.
This October, 250 Presbyterian leaders will seek to answer the call of our global partners. They will develop concrete strategies against poverty and violence, and for justice, witness and reconciliation. With these strategies, we will invite all Presbyterians to join hands to make a collective impact, bridging geographical and theological divides and witnessing to the transforming love of Jesus Christ that makes us one.
“Dallas II – Better Together” follows in the footsteps of the historic Dallas Consultation in 2008 that brought together leaders from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and Presbyterian groups engaged in mission around the world.
Imagine — working together with thousands of Presbyterians to heal poverty and violence, while sharing God’s gift of love.
Imagine — mission leaders who work as catalysts, drawing people together for maximum and focused impact as we pursue justice, witness and reconciliation.
Imagine — great global results:
- women and children freed from the grip of poverty;
- communities freed from the fear of violence;
- believers new and old witnessing the reality of God’s transforming love.
Imagine — lasting local results in U.S. congregations renewed by:
- seeking justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly together in global service;
- witnessing faithfully to the love of Jesus Christ;
- joining hearts and hands to pray and work toward God’s purpose for the world, even as lesser issues threaten to break links in our circle of care and compassion.
Imagine — working together to make a real difference in God’s world.
More information on Dallas II, as well as the results from this historic consultation, will be posted here.
PLEASE NOTE: Dallas II is a consultation to which up to 250 people from across the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and other ecumenical partners are being invited. Presbyterian World Mission is setting up a blog as well as a Facebook page and Twitter account to allow people who will not attend Dallas II to participate remotely in sharing ideas, resources, speaking into the process, and ensuring that all voices are allowed to be heard. We will post more information about ways to engage with Dallas II soon.
Read about the upcoming Dallas II consultation in this News and Announcements story.