Bishop Todd launched the Rev. 7:9 Task Force in 2019 to help the diocese more fully cooperate with the vision of racial and ethnic diversity as described in Revelation 7:9. In light of recent events, their work in our midst is more urgent than ever. Led by the Rev. Dr. Jin Cho, who received his doctorate of ministry from Fuller Seminary with a dissertation on “Race, Evangelicalism, and the Local Church,” the Task Force helps C4SO develop a culture that puts into practice the value of raising up women and men of color in ministry. This strategy has two prongs: 1) Raising up young people, and 2) Discovering mature leaders whom God is calling into C4SO.

Members of the Task Force gather bi-weekly to discuss ways to encourage the diocese to deeply value diversity, exemplified by people of different races and ethnic backgrounds worshiping, serving and taking communion together. The Task Force desires to see more diversity in C4SO’s leadership, clergy and congregations while simultaneously creating welcoming spaces.

“I have deep trust and respect for each person in this task force, and I am especially grateful for the leadership of Jin Cho,” Bishop Todd says. “I am excited about the various activities they are leading us in and their guidance on practices for identifying and deploying people of color whom the Holy Spirit has already called and anointed for ministry.”

If you would like to connect with the Rev. 7:9 Task Force, contact Jin Cho.

Kingdom driven

We seek the vision of the kingdom as the driving force of our commitment to racial diversity. More than a mere reaction to our times, it is God’s vision for humanity that both informs and drives our work.

Context aware

We acknowledge the fraught context of race relations in our times, and that our pursuit of diversity must be accompanied by an honest reflection of our historical and cultural story. We will seek to understand past and current issues of injustice and exclusion based on race, that are present in our attitudes and structures as an integral element of our work.

Grace and truth

We commit to courageous dialogues of honesty and transparency, while displaying postures of humility and grace. We want to listen before speaking; we want to create spaces where mistakes can be made without fear of judgment; and where constructive encounters may feed our mutual edification.

Patient and urgent

We acknowledge and commit to this work for the long haul, yet to do so with a sense of urgency that seeks present opportunities for action. Our work is to not only to be reflective and vision-setting, but strategic and goal-oriented.

A work in progress

As we begin, we acknowledge our limited understanding of both the issues and the scope of our work. This is a work in progress, whereby the work that we do will inform the future understanding of our work.