Since the 2016 Synod Assembly, the Pacifica Synod has aspired to become anti-racist. But what does that mean in practice, and how far have we come in the past decade? A new tool aims to answer those questions and more.
Called the Anti-Racism Baseline Assessment Framework, this new initiative functions much like a survey to glean data on where we are as a synod in our work toward becoming anti-racist.
“This assessment is not a test and it is not a report card,” said Desta Goehner, Pacifica Synod’s Assistant to the Bishop for Anti-Racism Coordination. “It is an invitation to tell the truth about where we are so that we can move forward together. The synod cannot offer meaningful accompaniment to congregations if we do not first listen. This is how we begin to listen to hear what is needed so we can respond well.”
Developed by Goehner and independent consultant Felicia Boone in partnership with the Pacifica Synod Anti-Racism Team, this baseline assessment is intended to be a thorough and clear-eyed look at where the synod stands.
“Becoming an anti-racist church is not something we declare once and move on from,” Goehner said. “It is a practice, and practices require honesty. This baseline assessment gives us a starting place, a real one, so that year after year we can see where we are growing, where we are stuck, and where the Spirit is still calling us forward.”
To do that, Goehner and the Anti-Racism Team hope for as many participants as possible, because the more opinions they can gather, the better they can plan for tangible ways to move the synod toward its goals—and the better they can understand the hearts and minds of those within the Pacifica Synod.
“Every person who fills out this form is contributing something essential to the whole body,” Goehner said. “Your experience in the pew, on your council, or in the pulpit matters to what the synod can see and name and address. This is not data collection. This is the community bearing witness to itself.”
The assessment is available to anyone who worships within the synod and is available here.
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