serts. They need pardon and forgiveness, mercy and compassion, and a fresh start with God. What do returning citizens need? They need exactly what the prodigal son needed. They need a restoration of their relational identity. The Father had to remind the older brother that the prodigal is still “my son... your brother.” Returning citizens are God’s daughters and sons, and our sisters and brothers. And they need our acceptance. They need to be welcomed home. They need the rituals of acceptance we can offer. They need to be celebrated, not for the wrong they’ve done in the past, but because they were lost and dead, but now they are found and alive. We’re talking about a full-orbed res- toration—a healing of family relationships, of community cohesion, of harm that was done to the victim, of putting things right. Asset-based. Brian Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative and author of Just Mercy, reminds us, “Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done.” It’s true and solid Christian theology to remind ourselves that none of us is ever reducible to a basket of needs. That’s because, whatev- er particular or profound needs we may have at any one time, each of us is also made in God’s image and likeness and endowed by God with gifts and strengths. Interestingly and provocatively, this core Christian theological con- viction about what it means to be human has parallels in the fields of positive psychology, appreciative inquiry, motivational interviewing, coaching, the Good Lives Model, and a strengths-based approach to human transforma- tion. In all of these approaches, a common thread is that, instead of assuming and probing for deficiencies and dysfunctions, we shift our attention to some- one’s skills, gifts, strengths, and knowledge. The truth is—and the evidence is overwhelming on this—most of us change more quickly and more effectively when we can leverage our strengths to make progress instead of dwelling ex- clusively on our deficiencies. A key point here is that returning citizens not only have assets, but they will be an asset to the local congregation. Prisons often function as spiritual boot camps, producing men and women who are biblically literate, passionate, full of authentic faith, and experienced in mentoring and leading behind prison walls. The Holy Spirit is at work, and prison ministry is bearing spiritual fruit that can wither on the vine on the outside if ordinary congregations aren’t working hard to make a connection with these folks when they’re released. More often than not, the returning citizens who show up at your door have a more battle-tested faith than the ordinary person in the pew. More often than not, they have steeped themselves in scripture more frequently and deeply than many of your congregation members. We need the influence, intensity, and concrete faith of “the least of these,” a faith that often outshines our own. Network-implemented. We all know that congregational life can be challeng-
[ 15 ]
Made with FlippingBook Digital Publishing Software