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Interview Questions for Mike Slaughter

1. What does it mean to “Change the World”?

I think it means to make a positive difference in any area of need. Ultimately, that’s what the Gospel, the good news, is all about. Making a difference might mean everything from peacemaking, to poverty relief, to providing hope or life-giving resources—ranging from clean water, to sustainable agriculture, to the spirit.

2. Should we look farther than our own local community for change?

It can begin in our local community. Jesus calls us as his followers to begin where we are and then move to the outermost places. At Ginghamsburg, we are deeply involved in working in Dayton, named by Forbes magazine in August 2008 as one of the 10 fastest dying cities in the U.S. Our work includes immediate relief, such as two food pantries and hot meals four days a week for free to those in need, as well as longer range opportunities for people such as a GED program. But, we also have a call to serve beyond our own backyard, including sending 50 teams to the Gulf for Hurricane Katrina relief to date and our work in Darfur, Sudan, which by the end of 2010 will reach up to a quarter of million people. But, it can begin in your own community, perhaps with something as simple as providing after-school tutoring in an at-risk school system.

3. What current crises are you motivated by?

Currently, I remain deeply committed to our advocacy for the people of Darfur, Sudan, the worst humanitarian crisis in the world today. I believe it’s important to focus primarily as individuals, churches and community organizations on a particular need. Sometimes we can become too scattered and never accomplish too much in any one place. Our five-year commitment in Darfur has revealed to me the kind of impact we can have when focused on one place. Of course, our work isn’t done there. We still have a long way to go.

However, there are other crises or issues that I would lift my voice for. I very much want to be a voice for the peace process in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I recently returned from a trip to Israel, hosted by Ambassador Tony Hall under the authority of the U.S. State Department, which included religious leaders who were Christian, Muslim and Jewish. The purpose of the journey was to encourage religious leaders to become advocates for peace and reinforced for me that if this conflict is going to be solved, it will require the coming together of religious leaders who choose to fuel positive faith, rather than negative hate So, I am a voice for that process, but my focus remains on Darfur.

4. What does scripture say about reaching out?

The Spirit of the Lord is on me,

because he has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners

and recovery of sight for the blind,

to set the oppressed free,

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

- Luke 4

Jesus boldly proclaims in his mission statement the gospel is good news for the poor. If it doesn’t cover the poor, it is NOT the gospel. His mission statement is to become our mission statement.

5. Specifically, how should the church be involved in helping?

DID NOT ANSWER THIS SINCE HAD GIVEN SPECIFIC EXAMPLES IN OTHER ANSWERS.

6. What is your vision for our culture 5 years from now? 10 years?

My greatest vision over the next 5 or 10 years is that we as the Church can really be salt and light in our culture. Many people today view the church very negatively. As research documented in the book unChristian by David Kinnaman of The Barna Group and Gabe Lyons of the Fermi Project revealed, many 18 to 35 year olds in our culture view the church primarily as hypocritical, judgmental and anti-homosexual.

I think the Church needs to be involved in the culture in both spiritual and physical need-meeting ways, expecting nothing in return. If we do that, the gospel of Christ will have much greater impact. They will know we are disciples of Christ by the way we love. The Church is the yeast for Christ’s love.

7. How do you think Jesus would respond to our current economic standing?

I am convinced that spiritual drought precedes economic doubt. Not only is this a time of economic correction, it’s primarily a spiritual connection. Much about it is good. It allows people to reprioritize their values and priorities. So, it’s a great time to be the Church.

8. Where do you feel we have gone wrong (As a church? As a society?)

As a church, we’ve become inward-focused. We have failed to call people to make the sacrificial commitment to follow Jesus in discipleship. We’ve lowered the bar of expectation, calling people to make a decision for Christ, make a profession of faith, while they continue to cling to the materialistic values of the culture. The challenge to the church is to not bring Jesus into our own worldview but to be transformed into his.

The whole economic crisis in our culture at large is driven by a self-focused spirit of materialism and greed. So again, for those of us in the church, it’s critical that we call people not only to make a decision for Christ but to follow Jesus in sacrificial discipleship.

9. What do you hope to achieve at your upcoming “Change the World” conference?

The key theme for this year is “ministry with the poor,” which is also one of the primary emphases of our United Methodist denomination. As a result of participating, we hope that church and community leaders will do several things. The first of these is to reclaim urban renewal as a priority in the church since 84% of Americans live in urban areas. Most of the mainline church investments in capital facilities are in small town rural areas with the remaining 16% of the population. We want to energize people around urban renewal and reviving or locating churches strategically where people live. We also want to help these leaders see how we can create partnerships together with both public and other nonprofit agencies for greater impact. Also key is just that important refocusing of local church ministry toward living out the mission statement of Jesus. Remember, if it isn’t good news for the poor, it isn’t the gospel.