In the sermon “The Drum Major Instinct” delivered at Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia on 4 February 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke of wanting to be remembered as a drum major (leader of the marching band) for justice after his death. The Lord Jesus led people to the beat of a different drum—to the drumbeat of love, truth, and justice as he journeyed to the cross. He proclaimed the whole gospel of the kingdom in word and deed to make individuals and their communities whole.

Today, there is an urgent need to proclaim the life-changing and society-changing Gospel in word and deed. Dr. John M. Perkins and Dr. Paul Louis Metzger consider themselves drum majors for love, truth, and justice: love because our world is full of hate, and people desperately need to know God’s love through his Son, Jesus Christ, whom God sent to save the world; truth because individual and community life is often built on the shaky foundations of hearsay, fads, and whatever feels good, and people desperately need to build their lives on the authoritative and unshakable teaching of God’s word; and justice because equity is often a commodity that can be bought and sold, and the marginalized desperately need to see that there is justice for all.

As drum majors, Drs. Perkins and Metzger want to inspire people across the nation to pursue a biblical vision of love, truth, and justice where the all-consuming love of Jesus revealed in the Bible consumes those things that divide us, like race and class barriers. They will be speaking in different locations nationally, working with churches and community groups to raise up well-trained and educated Christian leaders who are passionately engaged in proclaiming the whole gospel of the kingdom in word and deed through the church, to the whole person, in the whole community.

They view their roles in this Drum Majors partnership as instruments of inspiration and consultation, helping to mobilize communities to take ownership and address the issues they are facing, impacting their cities and towns. Thus, they are not looking for those who stand by and clap as the band passes, but for those who will join them on their march, playing their parts in the love, truth, and justice band.

The Drum Majors Tour Package:

Drs. Perkins and Metzger contextualize their talks and sessions to meet the needs of the communities to whom they speak. Here is a sample weekend conference format: an introductory talk on Friday evening (”That Sense of Urgency”), two workshops on Saturday morning (one on the biblical and theological foundations-”Toward a Theology of Engagement,” and the other on community development-”Beyond Charity: The 3 R’s”), a moderated forum on Saturday afternoon on spiritual formation (”Marathon Runners in the Making”), a session dedicated to getting groups to build a self-sustaining network on Saturday afternoon based on mutual trust and collective ownership (”Owning the Pond Together”), and a closing talk on Sunday morning (”Reflecting God’s Kingdom-Where Do We Go From Here?”). Here is the sample outline (other formats as well as weekday frameworks are also available):

• “That Sense of Urgency,” Drs. Perkins and Metzger (Friday Night)
• “Toward a Theology of Engagement,” Dr. Metzger (Saturday Morning)
• “Beyond Charity—the 3 R’s,” Dr. Perkins (Saturday Morning)
• “Marathon Runners in the Making,” A Moderated Discussion with Drs. Perkins and Metzger (Saturday Afternoon)
• “Owning the Pond Together,” A Moderated Discussion with Drs. Perkins and Metzger, and Community Leaders (Saturday Afternoon)
• “Reflecting God’s Kingdom—Where Do We Go From Here?” Drs. Perkins and Metzger (Sunday Morning)

Desired outcomes would include the following four components:

• A greater grasp of biblical and theological foundations for Christian community development work.
• Practical insights on how to do Christian community development work.
• Attentiveness to the needed spiritual maturation process.
• Logistical guidance on how to build a network of associations committed to building the trust, passion, and infrastructure necessary to establish and sustain vibrant communities.

The Drum Majors:

Dr. John M. Perkins is the Founder of the John M. Perkins Foundation for Reconciliation and Development, Co-Founder of the Christian Community Development Association, and author and editor of numerous works, including Let Justice Roll Down and With Justice for All: A Strategy for Community Development. Dr. Perkins has served as an advisor to several U.S. Presidents on poverty and justice related matters.
Dr. Paul Louis Metzger is Professor of Christian Theology & Theology of Culture at Multnomah Biblical Seminary in Portland, Oregon, Founder and Director of the seminary’s Institute for the Theology of Culture: New Wine, New Wineskins, and author and editor of numerous works, including Consuming Jesus: Beyond Race and Class Divisions in a Consumer Church.

Additional Details:

Further information about the partnership will be posted on consumingjesus.org, as it becomes available. The contact person for the “Drum Majors for Love, Truth and Justice” partnership is Mr. Ronn Elzinga (503-222-7216).

Endorsements:

“Drum Majors for Love, Truth and Justice has captured the voice of our generation. Drs. Perkins and Metzger are the perfect spokesmen for this movement, understanding the urgent need to proclaim the life-changing and society-changing message of the Gospel through word and deed. They have been a respected voice for justice, truth, and love in our area for years, and have challenged thousands to think more Biblically to recognize ways that our evangelical community can step up to share the whole Gospel with the whole person. I’m excited to see how the Lord will continue to use these two leaders, and this movement, to challenge the Body of Christ, bring us together as one, and reach out with the relevant message of Christ.”
Kevin Palau, Executive Vice President, Luis Palau Association

“ The time is now for a prophetic voice to shout theologically and practically, inspiring and equipping a new breed of evangelical. Drs. Perkins and Metzger do this convincingly, pounding out a gospel centered cadence. This gospel of grace builds the city through love, truth, and justice. It breaks in, confronting our consumerism, our relational walls of separation, and our societal structures of injustice. Though from diverse cultural backgrounds, these Drum Majors, like B.B. and Bono, make a beautiful sound when their message of love, truth, and justice comes to town. At Imago Dei, our community is enriched and I am inspired and convicted repeatedly by their message and their partnership.”
Clark Blakeman, Director of Community Relations, Imago Dei Community Church, Portland, Oregon

“Drum Majors for Truth, Love, and Justice helped our school set aside time to consider what we are doing, or not doing, when it comes to injustices in our community. With so many questions of community identity and protectionism during harder economic times, it was refreshing to remember what we can do and that we can start putting one foot in front of the other now. The Gospel message of love was presented by both Dr. Perkins and Dr. Metzger, each in his own capacity to speak to different aspects of college and community life. This conference kept us on track to keep these issues at the forefront of our minds and reflected the urgency of the needs. Calvin College is very happy to have had the opportunity to host these fine Drum Majors!”
Erin O’Connor-Garcia, Coordinator for Student Activities and Organizations, Calvin College

“Although Dr. Perkins and Dr. Metzger are very different from each other, they challenged us in a single unified message beautifully woven together. They called us to critically examine our own lives and our role as Christians to serve as agents of transformation in our culture and society. I heartily endorse their ministry, and encourage pastors elsewhere to invite them to bring their inspirational and transformational message to their towns and cities.”
Jack Kooreman, Senior Pastor, Grace Christian Reformed Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan”

“We were moved and inspired by Dr. Paul Louis Metzger and Dr. John M. Perkins to work as a community and as brothers and sisters to be the united body of Christ in meeting the needs of the greater Portland area. This required honest and open discussions about the past and how to forge new relationships with the entire Christian community to do Kingdom work. I have known both Paul and John for many years and consider them to be men of integrity, and my friends. I wholeheartedly endorse and support the work they do with Drum Majors for Love Truth and Justice and believe the body of Christ is growing as a result of their work.”
David Greenidge, Senior Pastor, Tigard Covenant Church

These are the men who live in the Voorhees Ave leadership house for college-aged men. Click here to find out more.

Rafael Jackson (second from left) is a senior sociology major at Jackson State University. He is involved in Young Life in Jackson. Rafael is also a member of New Horizon Church International where he plays drums in the worship band.

Patricks Johnson (middle) is a senior at Tougalou College. He also serves as the TALKS Mentoring coordinator for the John Perkins Foundation. He is a member of the body of Christ and attends Trinity Worship Church.

Jonathan Thompson (second from right) is a senior at Jackson State University and is finishing a degree in faith-based leadership. Jonathan is also the Youth Director for the Spencer Perkins Center.

Bryan Grove (far right) recently moved to Jackson from the Northwest United States. He attends Bakke Graduate University and is studying community and economic development.

J.J. Graham (far left) lives down the street from the men of the Voorhees Ave. House and is an “Intern in Training” at the After-School Program.

On June 30, 40 people crowded into an old storage closet at the Perkins Center. Unlike the musty shed covered in spider webs that you would imagine, these forty people were standing in the brand new, state-of-the-art Snack Shack Studio.

The children and staff of the Summer Arts Camp, the Foundation employees and some of the volunteers who helped design and complete the studio all crowded in to hear what Dr. John Perkins had to say.

“This is the fulfillment of God’s promise,” said John Perkins quoting Matthew 7:7. “Ask, and it shall be given. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened to you.” What that passage doesn’t say is that sometimes it take a lot of sweat and work to open that door.

Earlier this spring Dr. Perkins and his son Wayne Perkins dreamt about creating a recording studio. During one of his morning devotionals with a volunteer group from Minnesota he mentioned his dream. He wanted a space where the neighborhood children could record themselves and where they could learn the technical side of the production process. He thought his dream had fallen on deaf ears.

The next day he started to make his pitch to the group again. Peter Borne stopped him before he started.

“We’ve got that covered, already,” said Borne.

Borne, who is the owner and creator of Airborne Creative Group based in Edina, Minnesota, caught the vision right away. Wayne took Peter to an old storage room that same day and where everyone else would see a broken down closet, they saw possibilities.

Over the course of the next three months Wayne worked with nine volunteer groups putting up drywall, installing air-conditioners, adding a wall with a mirror and a slew of other jobs. Finally, the last weekend of June, Borne and a few other volunteers put the carpet in, painted the walls and installed recording equipment.

“It happened so fast! It was amazing,” Wayne said. “Its unlikely that you would see something that nice, that professional within three months.”

During the grand opening Dr. Perkins and his wife Vera Mae cut a red ribbon to officially open the studio.

“I’ve seen of a lot of God’s blessings these 48 years,” Vera Mae said with a huge grin on her face. “It is no different now than it was in the beginning.”

The children poured into the studio, amazed at the lights, colors, equipment and style. Painted a “creativity-inspiring yellow,” with a large-checkered carpet the room the space has an energy of its own.

Dr. Perkins said a few words during the dedication of the studio thanking Borne, Mike Hotz of Christ Presbyterian Church and the rest of the people that helped make this dream become a reality.

“I think when you call people friends, rather than donors, it is the highest compliment you can give,” Dr. Perkins said. “It is one of the greatest graces in the Bible. God worked with Abraham for 30 years and finally He said to Abraham, ‘you’re my friend.’ Jesus finally told his disciples to call him ‘friend.’ This studio represents that friendship. We are so very thankful”

Borne was thrilled at how the studio turned out and excited that he got to be a part of this new creation.

“We all, as people of God, are given gifts. My gift happens to be of music and I was lucky enough to use those gifts to help put the finishing touches on this space,” Borne said. “The bottom line is that this is here to spread the Word of the Lord. Use your gifts here to make a joyful noise!”