Determine where your church is on the justice journey by exploring the categories – EDUCATE, EXPLORE and ENGAGE – in the diagram above. This is your opportunity to change your life, and  transform the world. Unite in The Hope Movement.

Educate

The first step on the justice journey is education – discovering God’s call to justice and what it may mean for your congregation. As Christian leaders, we must come under the biblical conviction that God is a God of justice, and we must learn about oppression in our world. We can begin with a few simple truths:

• God hates injustice and he wants it to stop.
• The Church is God’s plan for ending injustice in the world.
• Injustice is a huge category of need in our world.
• Seeking justice on behalf of the oppressed is doable.
  

Education, of course, is a process. Here are a few simple steps and resources to get you started:

STEP 1:

Form a Justice Learning Community - A Justice Learning Community is a multi-disciplinary group composed of church staff and volunteers meeting for the purpose of learning together about the Biblical call to seek justice in our world. Effective Justice Learning Communities can be led either by church staff or volunteers, but function best when both are involved.

Invite a Hope Movement speaker to your church - Nearly every weekend, there is a passionate and qualified Hope Movement representative sharing the message of Biblical justice in a church in the U.S.

Study scripture together – Throughout the Bible there are passages about justice, and caring for the poor and oppressed.

Pray together - Sign up to become an Hope Movement Prayer Partner and receive a confidential weekly prayer e-mail detailing the Hope Movement’s current prayer requests from around the world. Pray for victims of injustice and for those who are working to provide relief and aftercare. Pray for the perpetrators. Pray as a community for clear leadership to emerge for the justice movement within your church.

Preach on biblical justice – Share a message from the heart of God. Opening the eyes of your congregation, shaking them from their comfort zone, and inspiring to reach out to those in desperate need.
Share this passion and vision with your youth pastor - Direct your youth pastor to the Youth/Students page of our Web site. Email this page to your youth pastor!

Explore

All too often, the “work” of justice stays in the theoretical realm – in discussions of ideas and expressions of outrage and indignation. But our goal is not only to change the way we think, but to change the way we act as well. Before moving into engaging in the work of justice, we encourage you to undertake some focused exploration, so you can learn how your community can make its greatest impact.Hard work in the Educate phase of the justice journey helps us learn about injustice and how God feels about it – that he hates injustice and wants it to stop. A successful Explore phase in your justice journey is about finding real neighbors to love – in your church, your community and through the Hope Movement’s work.

STEP 1: Explore your church

Before turning your focus outward, spend some time looking at your own church. You may want to start by considering these questions:

• Is your church a safe place for victims of injustice?
• What are the skills in your congregation that will be useful as you explore the work of justice? Are there law enforcement professionals, social workers, lawyers, etc?
  
• Is your church giving financially to the work of justice?
  
• Is your church passionate about a particular part of the world? Are you engaged in the work of justice in this area?
  

Action Step: Host a screening of the Hope Movement’s DVD and a discussion about modern social issues. Specifically invite the people whose careers and interests may give them unique perspective on the work of justice or skills that specifically enable them to serve victims of oppression. Explore together how their expertise could serve the church in its fight for justice.

Action Steps: Invite your church to pay for the rescue the poor cannot afford. There are several simple ways to do this:

Make Justice a Budget Item - The Hope Movement offers individual and church-specific giving options, called Hope Partners and Justice Churches. These giving programs are designed to connect you and your church with the people doing the work on the frontlines. For more information go to the Hope Partners page.
Initiate Loose Change to Loosen Chains - This youth-focused fundraiser is designed to raise awareness about modern-day slavery while raising money to free actual slaves. Get started by downloading the Volunteer of Hope Manual.

STEP 2: Explore your community

Sadly, injustice is woven into the fabric of our world. Consequently, victims of violent oppression are found in every community. You may want to start exploring the issues particular to your community by considering these questions:

What resources are available to victims of domestic violence, poverty, abuse, and human slave trafficking in your community?
How does the foster care system work in your community. How are children treated in it?
Are there any groups of people in your community who face systematic discrimination?

Action Step: Talk to social workers or law enforcement officials in your community. These individuals are on the frontlines of serving victims of injustice who live around you, and can teach you about needs in your community.

STEP 3: Explore the Hope Movement's Work

• As you learn about the justice issues within your church and community, we invite you to explore the Hope Movement’s work in communities around the world. You may want to start exploring the Hope Movement’s work by considering these questions:
• Is the Hope Movement involved in a mission in an area of the world your church is passionate about?
  
• Does your congregation have skills or expertise in any of the Hope Movement’s casework types?
  
• Has your congregation connected with the Hope Movement by contacting the Hope Movement’s Church Mobilization staff?
  

Action Step: Explore the Hope Movement’s Web site. Learn about the areas in which the Hope Movement has established field offices and the types of casework staff undertake.

Engage

Once you have spent time learning about oppression and God’s call to justice in the Educate phase, and carefully considered specific needs in your church, your community and in the world in the Explore phase, it is time to begin the Engage phase and develop or discover the unique contribution that your church can make to the work of justice.

The following action items may be important next steps in your journey as you begin to do this work:

Action Step:

Pray for the work of justice - We invite all who would join us in prayer to become a Hope Movement prayer partner. Once you sign up, you will receive a confidential weekly update by e-mail, detailing the Hope Movement’s current prayer needs. Join with members of your congregation to pray about your church’s own justice journey, and for the work of justice around the world.

Action Step:

Make justice a budget item – The Hope Movement offers individual and church-specific giving options called Hope Partners and Justice Churches. These initiatives will bring you in closer to the work you make possible through your financial commitment to justice.

Action Step:

Become a Justice Advocate – The Hope Movement is constantly seeking partners in the work of church mobilization. Justice Advocates are Hope Movement-trained volunteers who make it possible for the Hope Movement to connect with a broader range of local churches. For more information, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Start a Hope Movement Chapter

 A Hope Movement Chapter is a group of students, youth groups, and church members concerned about issues of injustice who desire to work alongside the Hope Movement and be agents of change, both in their own communities and in the Hope Movement’s work globally. 

• Raise their voices on behalf of victims of injustice through prayer and advocacy.
• Reach out to people in your community and around the world to bring hope, inspiration, unite, and transform cities into havens of hope.
  
• Raise awareness in the church and in the community of the reality of oppression in our world.
  
• Raise support to enable the Hope Movement to rescue more victims of oppression.
  

The most developed Hope Movement Chapters are involved in all four categories. However, Hope Movement Chapters come in a variety of shapes and sizes, as the people at each college, youth group, or church are uniquely suited to do different things. Some groups consist of two people who meet together to pray about injustice, while others are large, active clubs, while others are parts of other groups or ministries.

Whatever your group looks like, know that showing up on behalf of the victims of abuse and oppression is the most important step you can take. And by taking that first step, know that you have already made a major difference.

Learn More About Our Hope Movement Chapters