Drs. Reginald Blount and Sidney Williams realized, not long ago, that there was a different way for churches to operate and thrive by identifying their assets and using them to create social impact.
With the determination to take their vision to churches across the country, Drs. Blount and Williams founded the Oikos Institute for Social Impact. Oikos will host a national conference, September 21-22, 2023, in Chicago, IL, to inform and guide leaders of churches on their concept for church growth and life, and how to best implement it.
The conference honors Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr. with the Lifetime Impact Achievement Award with musical guest Kirk Whalum on Thursday, September 21 at 6 p.m.
Featured preachers and presenters are Rev. Traci Blackmon, Associate General Minister of Justice and Local Church Ministries for the United Church of Christ, Dr. Shawn Ginwright, founder and CEO of Flourish Agenda, Inc, and author of the book The Four Pivots: Reimagining Justice, Reimagining Ourselves, and Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis, president and CEO of Benedict College.
Dr. Blount, executive director of Oikos, is Associate Professor of Formation, Leadership and Culture and advisor of the Strategic Leadership in Black Congregations Doctor of Ministry Cohort at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, he also sits on the Board of that institution. He is also the long-standing pastor of Arnett Chapel AME Church in Chicago, Illinois. Dr. Williams, who is the Chairperson of the Oikos board, is also the pastor of Bethel AME Church in Morristown, New Jersey.
In a recent presentation at a gathering for Lilly Foundation grant recipients, Dr. Williams shared a common belief that hinders many pastors, namely, that a church needs to be huge to be considered successful. Dr. Williams, author of the book, Fishing Differently: Ministry
Formation in the Marketplace disputed this notion:
“That is incorrect, emphasis has been on getting large numbers of people to sit in the pews during Sunday worship, but that view is far too limiting. There is not enough attention paid to how churches can impact their communities, and not enough awareness of how to draw people to the work of ministry in the 21st century.
Far too many pastors think they are a failure because they have small churches, but they are missing the golden opportunity that any church – in any location – has in front of them to engage in social impact.”
According to Williams and Blount, the word “FISH” is an acronym that explains their understanding of what ministry is. Based on the biblical passage, Luke 5:1-8, where Jesus tells his disciples to be “fishers of men,” the co-founders of Oikos say that the common understanding and interpretation of that passage is far too limiting. “Communities have capital – Faith capital, Intellectual capital, Social capital, and Human capital,” they explain. “Our work is to share this concept with pastors and then train them on how to utilize it in their church settings.”
A new way of thinking about the church is necessary, say the founders, because “church” as we have known it since the 19th century has changed. “COVID-19 ushered in a whole new church culture,” Dr. Blount remarked. “Many churches have closed. Those that are open are being challenged to understand this new culture and make it work.”
Helping churches and their leaders understand that creating relationships with businesses and organizations in their communities is one of the primary goals of the Oikos Institute. “People, even if they do not want to go into a church building, do tend to want to serve people – which is what ministry is,” expressed Dr. Williams. “That’s what we want people to realize and use to create social impact in ways they cannot imagine possible at this time.”
For more information on the conference and on the OIKOS Institute, visit www.oikosinstute.org.
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