About
Roots is a new United Methodist Church for Kansas City rooted in Jesus, Justice, & Joy that centers the voices & experiences of LGBTQ+, BIPOC, young people and others often hurt or excluded by the church.
This vision is inspired by Colossians 2:7a: be rooted and built up in [Christ], be established in faith, and overflow with thanksgiving. This calls us to solidarity with our Savior Jesus, who was himself rejected and whose healing and love reached those on the margins (Luke 20:17; 8:42-48).
Roots actively pursues justice, recognizing the urgency of addressing oppression and trusting that a different world is possible–true liberation. Jesus painted a picture of a world transformed by justice. He embodied God's commitment to respond to the cries of the oppressed and bring freedom (Luke 18:7-8; Luke 4). At Roots, we are called to join in the work, partnering with God for the healing of the world.
We embrace the joy of God’s grace, celebrating new life found in Jesus. Roots is a community where forgiveness, healing, and transformation are tangible, echoing Jesus' healing acts and his call for repentance and forgiveness (Luke 9:5; 17:3). Our joy will not be abstract, but a joyful response to real, life-changing salvation. Like the healed blind man in Jericho, we will praise God and share that joy with the world (Luke 18:42-43).
What does it mean to center the voices & experiences of LGBTQ+, BIPOC, young people, and others hurt by the church?
LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and young people are more than welcomed at Roots—they are leading it forward, creating a radically different community than what many have experienced in most traditional churches. Roots is a sanctuary where these groups and others can be truly rooted, grounded, and growing.
Often people ask, “are other people welcome too?” Of course. We all need each other. This framework simply means that our work as a church will always be keeping these groups especially in mind. Practically, that looks like stories in sermons, music genres, justice work, prayers for change, and community is going to come from these perspectives.
Our vision aligns with the United Methodist Social Principles, which call us to reject practices that further marginalize people of color and encourage strategies to overcome divisions. We believe that centering the voices and experiences of marginalized communities will aid in resisting the evils of racism, homophobia, transphobia, and ageism. Theologian Cole Arthur Riley writes in Black Liturgies, “the same voices that cannot be trusted with our histories, certainly cannot be trusted with a story unfolding. When you don’t know who to trust, listen first to the one who’s still bleeding.” At Roots, we will listen deeply to the stories of those who are suffering, allowing their voices to guide us in our mission of healing.
The work, however, cannot be done alone. Often people ask, “are other people welcome too?” Of course. We all need each other. This framework simply means that our work as a church will always be keeping these groups especially in mind. Practically, that looks like stories in sermons, music genres, justice work, prayers for change, and community is going to come from these perspectives. As bell hooks wrote, “rarely, if ever, are any of us healed in isolation.” We are made to heal in relationship, even amidst our differences. At Roots, our collective wounds, born out of roles of oppressed and oppressor, instruct and hold us together in our need for grace and transformation—creating a place of healing through Jesus, justice, and joy.
