World Impact Video- Why Urban Churches Need to Collaborate
It is possible to walk down one block in many urban communities and pass multiple churches. With so many urban churches, why are there still so many challenges in our inner cities? Checkout this...
View ArticleThe Church Can Reduce Urban Violence
With all the attention on the violence in the Middle East (and this attention is justified), we may be losing sight about the violence taking place in urban centers within the United States of America....
View ArticleRacial Profiling, Thug-ology, and the Church
I know what it’s like to be racially profiled- 1.) I was once asked by police officers what I was doing when I was standing in the driveway of my own house with other African American family members....
View ArticleFerguson and the Church
As President and CEO of World Impact, a follower of Christ, and an African-American male, I have been deeply grieved by the death of Michael Brown and the events that have followed in Ferguson,...
View ArticleEmpowerment Thru Urban Christian Education
I am a product of the urban church and the urban public school system. I am proud that I didn’t have to go outside of the city to get the ministry, education, mentoring, coaching, accountability, and...
View ArticleViolent and Passive Men in the Church
With the releasing of the TMZ video showing NFL player Ray Rice punching his then fiancée so hard that she was knocked unconscious, we once again see that domestic violence is a serious and tragic...
View ArticleBelieving in the Urban Poor
Last week I was watching a story about terrorist groups on cable news. The largest target group for recruitment in many cases are unemployed young men from under-resourced communities. There seems to...
View ArticleEmpowerment Theology
Many times when Christ was declaring or demonstrating that the Kingdom of God was near, He did so thru interactions with the marginalized, the oppressed, and the physically challenged. He also gave His...
View ArticleThe Privileged and The Poor
Last week while attending my first board meeting of the National Association of Evangelicals, I was able to sit in on a discussion on Evangelicals and Poverty. This forum featured a mild debate of...
View Article“Poor-a-phobia”
Yes, I know that “Poor-a-phobia” is not a word, but I believe it is a sickness that exists within our society today, so I will name it and define it. “Poor-a-phobia” is the internalized fear of Poor...
View ArticleDealing with the Crisis of Mass Incarceration
Our nation has a serious crisis when it comes to mass incarceration and we are in need of major reforms within the broader criminal justice system. The deep divide and demonization surrounding Michael...
View ArticleFerguson and A Way Forward
I write this post right after the Grand Jury decision in Ferguson, Missouri. The Grand Jury has made the decision not to indict Officer Darren Wilson when it comes to the shooting death of Michael...
View ArticleThe Road Forward Is A Bridge
The Road Forward Is a Bridge By Efrem Smith 12/7/14 “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you, but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your...
View Article“What More Can We Do About It?” A Guest Blog By Romney Ruder, COO, World Impact
INTRO TO THIS GUEST BLOG- I have never had a guest blog post on my page, but when I read Romney Ruder’s blog post (www.worldimpact.org) on the recent Grand Jury decisions in Ferguson, Missouri and New...
View ArticleHealthy Police and Community Relations
There is a widening divide in many cities between Police and Community Members. New York City has shown us the deep divide that can develop between even the Police Department and the Mayor. These...
View ArticleThe Dream, the Struggle, and Direct Action
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at...
View ArticleThe Black Church and Church Planting
The Black Church began with Church Planting and its future will depend on the recovery of this movement of reproduction, empowerment, and mission. Dr. Hank Voss, World Impact’s National Director of...
View ArticleThe Urgency of Reconciliation
This post will briefly include a number of random thoughts, but what will tie them all together is the ongoing need for the movement of reconciliation. A predominately White (or possibly all-White, I...
View ArticleWhen the Poor Rise With Christ
“Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has...
View ArticleStarting Racially Reconciling Conversations
I just finished serving as the moderator for Exponentials’ webinar on Race and Justice, which originally took place at the national conference in Tampa last month. As I listened to the panel of...
View Article
