By: Richard James, Apostle

What If Being Prophetic Starts With Us? 

Let’s be honest: the world can feel fractured. Political division is exhausting. Money is tight. Loneliness is real. Trust is fragile. It is easy to scroll past the pain, feel overwhelmed, and wonder whether one person can make any difference. 

But what if this moment is exactly where our calling begins? 

Prophetic Is Not a Job Title 

Community of Christ has long understood itself as a prophetic church. In the past, many people connected that identity mainly with the Prophet-President—someone who speaks to the church, while the church responds through common consent. 

That still matters. But God’s invitation is bigger. Being prophetic is not reserved for one leader, one sermon, or one conference. It is a calling shared by a whole people—including you. 

And no, being prophetic does not mean predicting the future or being the loudest voice online. It means noticing where the world is hurting, listening for the movement of the Holy Spirit, imagining God’s preferred future, and courageously living toward it. 

A Faith That Moves 

Across the USA, our invitation is to cultivate Spirit-led, inclusive communities that live boldly for justice and peace. That means we make disciples, create change, and confront oppression. 

What if discipleship were not mainly about what we say we believe, but about how we live on an ordinary Tuesday? What if following Jesus shaped the way we handle conflict, use our money, welcome people, protect creation, and show up in our neighborhoods? 

We believe in Zion—the Peaceable Reign of God on and for the earth. Zion is not only a beautiful idea for someday. It is a reality we can help build now. 

Imagine communities filled with healed people, reconciled relationships, and restored creation. That is what God’s shalom can look like among us. 

What Does This Look Like in Real Life? 

Prophetic discipleship becomes real through daily choices. It is compassion with courage as it changes relationships—and it challenges systems that diminish people or creation. Here are some examples what it could look like. 

• Stand with people experiencing injustice. Listen to their stories, learn what keeps the harm in place, and act alongside them for real change. 

• Practice economic justice. Share resources, support ethical choices, and challenge the myth that scarcity must control our relationships. 

• Seek Reconciliation by Building Bridges of Understanding. Choose honest conversation, patient listening, reconciliation, and nonviolence over outrage and dehumanization. 

• Care for creation. Treat the earth not as disposable property, but as sacred gift and shared home. 

• Create communities where people belong. Make room for overlooked voices and help others know their worth is not up for debate. 

Your Life Is Part of the Message 

Discipleship does not stop when worship ends. It shapes how we vote, spend, post, speak, forgive, organize, serve, and trust our neighbors. Every choice can become part of a larger witness to God’s peace. 

So the question is not whether God is calling Community of Christ in the USA to become a prophetic people. The question is whether we are willing to live it. 

What is one courageous step you can take this week to heal a person, reconcile a relationship, or restore creation? 

What will you do to confront an injustice? 
 
Start there. Invite a friend. Pay attention to where the Spirit leads. The future God desires is not something we simply wait for—it is something we help embody, together.