Years ago, I sat in a local Cava on my lunch break and heard a conversation between two young men sitting next to me. They were talking about planting a church in Southeast D.C. Immediately, my ears perked up because after seminary, I spent two years working in Southeast D.C. with a faith-based nonprofit creating programs and services for children and families. I also knew there were already several churches there doing good work in the community. I developed relationships with several of these churches and pastors. They became my ministry partners. I wanted to know if these men reached out to any of these churches or even spent time with the residents. I was concerned because my time in Southeast D.C. was also the first time I encountered well-meaning Christians who suffered from a “white savior complex.” This is when a white person, from a position of superiority, attempts to help or rescue a BIPOC person or community. They came from churches and organizations in Northern Virginia. Many held positions of power in the government and were well-connected politically (I attended the National Prayer Breakfast working with this nonprofit). They wanted to save the people in Anacostia. However, I soon realized there was very little respect for the people, their culture, and autonomy. This isn’t to say that white people cannot evangelize in communities of color, but it has to be done with a sensitivity to the historical relationship missionaries and churches have had with people of color and the role that systemic racism plays in all of it. I wanted to share all of this with the two men at Cava that day. I wanted to ask them if they had any conversations with any of the residents in Southeast or were they just assuming they knew their needs and what’s best for them, but I didn’t have the nerve.
Even as a Black woman entering another Black community, Southeast D.C., to serve, I had to learn how to individualize people. Individuation is taking the time to learn detailed information about people who are different; or who you perceive to be different (Safe Places for Advancement of Community and Equity). I believe individuation is the groundwork for evangelism. Jesus spent time with people despite knowing all things. We have to take the time to meet the people in our communities, build relationships with them, and hear their hopes, dreams, fears, and concerns. Individuation is when the people become “real” to us. It’s then when we can minister to their specific needs through the love of God.