Today we’d like to introduce you to Chuck Mingo.
Hi Chuck, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I am the founder of Courageous Love, and also a pastor at Crossroads Church (Cincinnati), and a consultant for churches and organizations around the country on a variety of topics related to race relations and racial justice. I was born in Philadelphia, PA. After high school, I received a degree in Business Administration from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, and moved to Cincinnati to work for Procter & Gamble in sales. After my time at P&G, I answered a different calling, and joined Crossroads Church as a Teaching Pastor, later becoming the Pastor of the Oakley Campus.
A few years ago during a spike of the racial tension in America, I answered a calling to unite Cincinnati and beyond. This led to the launch of the Courageous Love movement, an organization that is taking communities across the nation on a journey to overcome barriers and embody power in love. Our cohorts are creatively designed to heal race-based trauma, injustice and division by sparking courageous faith, igniting curiosity, and increasing competency to disrupt systems that marginalize and oppress.
Part of my life’s work is to help ministry leaders stand in places where people view the church as irrelevant regarding injustice and offer them a different picture of Jesus. My greater work, however, is being the proud husband of Maria, my wife for the better part of two decades, and being the proud father of our three children.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not been a smooth road at all! In fact, I have become fond of a quote attributed to the Phoenix Suns basketball team’s head coach Monty Williams: “Everything you want is on the other side of hard.”
Talking about race in America in the highly polarized context of our society is deeply challenging. The work to find common ground and common cause is a continual struggle. I’m thankful for the strong team that works with me, and mentors and other leaders who have set an example to follow toward the building. My specific struggles have included my own healing journey from the wounds of racial trauma. Like all leaders, I’ve also struggled at times not to find my significance solely in the work I’m doing, but rather to root my value and worth in the intrinsic value we all have as people created in the image of God.
Right now I am in a season where the learning curve is steep. It’s easy to stagnate as a leader in places where I already feel like I have experience and a measure of success. Yet, this moment in our world is demanding, or I should say, inviting me to continue to be a humble learner who regularly goes beyond my comfort zone for greater growth and to be of greater service to others.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Courageous Love?
Courageous Love is a nonprofit organization on a mission to unite and ignite people for racial healing, solidarity and justice. We do this work through transformative 6-week experiences called LivingUNDIVIDED and WorkingUNDIVIDED. Both of these experiences are designed to equip and support churches, businesses, and other institutions to address race-based issues through empathy, relationships, and community impact.
Our content is dynamic. It includes artistic elements as well as powerful interactive learning and story sharing that enables people to bravely step into the work of racial healing and justice. We are most proud of the amazing alumni and leaders from Courageous Love that bring this work to life in their communities and institutions through deep relationships and committed actions for change.
If you are interested in supporting the work of Courageous Love or learning more we would love to connect with you. You can find us at www.undivided.com.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@undivided.com
- Website: www.undivided.com
- Instagram: @livingundivided
- Facebook: @undivided
- Twitter: @livingundivided
- Youtube: @LivingUNDIVIDED
