At Root + Branch we're growing...
From Strangers into Neighbors
We're forming a not-so-common kind of progressive church community, where we practice loving others even if they happen to worship, believe, look, dress, or have sex differently than we do. Yes, we are LGBTQ-affirming, and proud of it. We think it's the best interpretation of the core of the biblical witness. So is the destigmatization of mental health, calling power to question, and giving a crap about our planet. We are committed to the work and witness of anti-racism. Black Lives Matter not as slogan but as a powerful ethos against white-supremacy. We practice this courageously vulnerable love by taking a cue from Jesus Christ, who loved wildly and indiscriminately, and went out on dangerous, deadly limbs to show there's no other path than this kind of love.
From Consumers into Creators
We're breaking through our passive acceptance of the spiritual status quo and building the kinds of progressive spaces where we feel actually seen and accepted in all our weird, unorthodox, imperfectly-but-graciously-formed glory.
We're spending time with old things; stories, songs, rituals, calendars, and finding in them radical (a word whose root meaning comes from "root") new ways of engaging with our world. We do this because we understand that we are not the center of meaning and existence, but that we are undeniably part of a much larger and longer story.
We're breaking through the political status quo that tells us the only way to shape our communities is to vote once every few years, and the economic one that tells us the best way to help the poor is to buy more stuff we only vaguely want.
From Wanderers into Wonderers
We want to slow down and pay attention to what matters: other faces in the room, invisible faces in our communities, hidden but real truths that can only emerge with time and care.
Never before have there been so many distractions at our thumb tips. With think pieces galore and opinions being shouted at full volume, it's hard to focus on things that give us life. What are big picture questions that matter to us? How do we find some sense of awe in a distracted world?
To wonder is to spend time in contemplation and prayer. To cultivate an ability to listen and speak with intention. To wonder is to let things reveal themselves to us (including ourselves!), and remember that God comes in a still small voices as much as a pillar of fire.
Root & Branch is part of the Christian Church Disciples of Christ denomination. The CCDC was started by a group of people critical of hierarchies and suspicious of creeds, and we are proud to continue in that spirit today. Also, the generous monetary and spiritual support of our denomination has been crucial to our mission, and we are forever grateful to them. You can find more information about the CCDC here.