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In urban ministry circles, we call this relocation. Many urban ministers intentionally live in the neighborhoods they seek to serve. Proximity builds trust with neighbors, especially if a racial divide must be crossed. Relocation also helps urban ministers discern the roots of need. A man may ask me every day for money. He's down and out, he says. But if I live in that community, I'll be able to discern if he is down and out because of systemic injustice or because he does not want to work. Then I'll be able to share with him what he truly needs.

People in need of justice are not just in the inner city. Individuals and families are struggling in suburban and rural settings as well. In many cases, you do not need to relocate in order to meet a need. But when working for justice, it is crucial to have personal proximity to injustice.

Up close, the protest-oriented injustice-fighter may discover that some matters are best settled by a personal intervention, not a new law. The personal-responsibility injustice-fighter may discover that impersonal systems often devastate the lives of the poor, and that these systems must indeed be protested.

In either case, the best way to get closer to doing justice for the poor is, quite simply, to get closer.

Copyright © 2006 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Related Elsewhere:

ChristianBibleStudies.com, a Christianity Today sister publication, offers a Bible study based on this article.

This is the second Christianity Today article in the Christian Vision Project. Other Christian Vision Project articles include:

How the Kingdom Comes | The church becomes countercultural by sinking its roots ever deeper into God's heavenly gifts. By Michael S. Horton (Christianity Today, Jan. 13, 2006)

Sleep Therapy | In search of a counterculture for the common good. By Lauren F. Winner (Books & Culture)

Better Than a Cigar | Introducing the Christian Vision Project. By David Neff (Jan. 13, 2006)

Carrasco blogs at Urban Onramps.

Harambee Ministries (Harambee means "Let's get together and push" in Swahili) has more information about its programs and history.

More CVP articles from our sister publications are available on ChristianVisionProject.com. Also check out the Christian Vision Project's new video documentary, Intersect|Culture. The videos take you into the stories of ordinary believers who, by faith, changed their communities. The set includes a DVD with 6 videos and coordinating group curriculum.

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