About

We center

Race & Racial Justice Reform

Pioneering a new type of national initiative that 

Catalyzes and Empowers the Church

to Dismantle Structural Injustice and Systemic Racism

changing THE sCRIPT:
characteristics OF THE MOVEMENT

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 Direct Action

Churches will commit to action steps in five different areas over the course of a year.

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Partnership

Churches of different races will partner together to collaborate on their action steps.

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Spirituality

Pastors will engage in a rhythm of confession, repentance, and commitment.

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Support

Pastors will participate in a cohort with other leaders, receiving educational resources and insight and care from city coordinators.

history

Beyond Words began in response to the public execution of George Floyd. Our co-founders, Rev. Alvin Bibbs. Sr. & JD Ward separately bore witness to the silence and inaction of the white Church and decided that something must change. Both had a vision of seeing the Church move beyond words to action rooted in repentance. Alvin & JD were connected by a third party and as they spoke about their common vision for the Church, they decided to join their efforts to form a new partnership and initiative. With that, Beyond Words: Count Us In was created: a multi-city, ecumenical movement that catalyzes and empowers the Church to dismantle structural injustice and systemic racism.

There are already many incredible organizations doing the work of anti-racism; however, most center solely on education while the Church primarily emphasizes traditional ideas of mission work. It became evident that for Beyond Words to accomplish its mission, it must center direct action and commitment. To that end, Alvin & JD gathered a group of African-American pastors to develop the commitments at the heart of this movement. They asked them the question, “In what areas do you think white churches need to grow?” This group of pastors thought of five areas for participants in Beyond Words to covenant to action:

I COMMIT TO BUILDing RELATIONSHIPs
I COMMIT TO FINANCIAL REdiStibution
I COMMIT TO LEARN and get proximate
I COMMIT TO advocate for racial justice
I COMMIT TO ORGANIZE & MOBILIZE

You can learn more about them on the commitments tab.

Our Core Values

  • Authentic Relationships

    Romans 15:1-7 | John 13:34-35 | Hebrews 10:24

  • Diversity

    Psalms 139:13, 14 | Cor. 12:4-7

  • Leadership

    Jude 5:2 | Matthew 23:10 | Hebrews 13:17

  • Prayer

    Phil. 4-6

  • Racial Justice & Reconciliation

    2 Cor. 5:16-21 | Galatians 3:28

  • Unity

    John 3:17

 

 Our Founders

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Rev. Alvin C. Bibbs, Sr.

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In 1967, the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. picked a young Rev. Bibbs out of a huge crowd during a service at Wayman African Methodist Episcopal Church which is positioned right in the heart of the former Cabrini-Green Housing Projects of Chicago. Dr. King asked Rev Bibbs to come forward as he challenged the audience to take responsibility for the promising future of the next generation and to bring pride back to their community. Dr. King then prayed a blessing over Rev Bibbs. That moment left a lasting impression on Alvin’s life and drove him toward the work of racial justice. Rev. Alvin C. Bibbs, Sr. is a highly sought-after motivational speaker, author (Crazy Enough to Care: Changing Your World Through Compassion, Justice, & Racial Reconciliation), and an organizational coach/facilitator to congregations, corporations, and not-for-profit organizations across North America. He currently serves as President & CEO of the Justice Journey Alliance™, Leadership Foundation of Chicago.

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Rev. JD Ward, M.Div.

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Rev. JD Ward is an activist and spiritual director ordained by PCUSA. JD completed his Master of Divinity at Fuller Seminary. He has served for 20 plus years as a Mission Pastor at University Presbyterian Church in Seattle, Menlo Park; Presbyterian Church in Silicon Valley; and Lakeside Presbyterian in San Francisco. JD founded Vision Youth, a ministry that equips urban churches to reach out to high-risk youth. He has extensive experience working with gang and youth violence prevention, homelessness, juvenile justice, and racial reconciliation. In 2007, JD founded ReWire.