Doing Justice Together : Fresh Expressions Pathways for Healing in Your Church

Transform your church with grace.

Doing Justice Together introduces a process using Scripture as a souce of inspiration and instruction for pastors and church people to move through together, to re-envision and reorient themselves away from old, harmful habits. Beck and Hand show pastors how they can, over time, lead the congregation to become a place where racial harmony, justice, and liberation are intrinsic to the structure and life of the church. The authors lay out four pathways for discerning and correcting the unjust patterns that often sneak into church life unnoticed. They also share other leaders’ stories from a variety of settings where this process has led to healing, revival, and hope.

Following the pathways, pastors and congregants will be equipped to thoughtfully transform their church. They’ll make changes with grace and care, honoring and including longtime members. And they’ll begin new ministries―perhaps reaching people they could never have imagined reaching before--becoming a fresh expression of church in their community.

Michael Adam Beck is the Director of Fresh Expressions for The United Methodist Church and a lecturer and program director at several seminaries, including the Fresh Expressions House of Studies at United Theological Seminary. He is senior pastor of St. Mark’s UMC in Ocala, FL, and has served as co-pastor with his wife Jill, directing addiction recovery programs, a jail ministry, food pantry, and racial justice movements. He is the author of several books, including Doing Justice Together and A Field Guide to Methodist Fresh Expressions.

Stephanie Moore Hand is a dynamic advocate for justice. She draws from experiences as a Fortune 500 executive non-profit leader, in politics, as a Methodist clergy and consultant. Her global speaking engagements equip people to discover God-sized kingdom solutions for a more just and equitable world, "On earth as it is in heaven." She serves as a Vitality Strategist and Emerging Community Pastor in the Western North Carolina Conference.