The Minneapolis Area Synod is excited to announce the beginning of our Celebration Series! Sometimes church leaders are obvious: pastors, council members, the regular volunteers, etc. Sometimes our leaders are Lutherans living out their values in their daily lives: their vocation, their community roles, etc. We want to use this year to lift up and honor the many diverse and exceptional leaders in our synod. Follow along with us to celebrate some of the remarkable members of the body of Christ! – Brenda Blackhawk, Congregational Organizer for Racial Justice

This edition of the Celebration Series celebrates Joe Davis. Read more about his contributions to this community and beyond.

What role(s) do you take on (in the synod, and beyond)?

  • I’m an artist, educator, and speaker. I use my gifts as poet and joyful revolutionary to fan the flames of communal healing and transformation.

What identities are important to you to highlight?

  • I’m an artist who loves to invite others deeper into the practice of imagination. For me, this practice doesn’t require us to identify as artists or even as a creative people, but only asks that we be open and willing to join the Spirit in the holy work and play of creation. This involves not only our minds, but our entire bodies and ultimately creates the space for us to live more fully into the Creator’s vision of the world — what we’ve come to call the kin’dom or the Beloved Community of God.

Which, if any, congregation do you belong to?

  • I was mentored at both Redeemer Lutheran Church in North Minneapolis and New City Church in South Minneapolis and now I find myself speaking and teaching at multiple churches throughout the Twin Cities and sometimes even the country.

Thinking about the ELCA or the Minneapolis Area Synod, what part of its mission resonates the most with you/your work?

  • God’s work, our hands. Jesus didn’t say “this is my abstract theological concept given to you”; he said “this is my body given to you”. Bodies matter and Christ cares about our bodies. If we’re to reclaim, re-member, and re-assemble ourselves as the body of Christ, we need to bring our full selves to the ministries we’re called.

Is there anything else you want to add or emphasize?

  • We are good and worthy of love and there’s nothing we can say or do to change that! The world will often try to convince us otherwise, but this remains true not because I said so but because the Creator of the universe made it known throughout space and time — breathed within scripture, dancing within nature, interwoven within every fiber of our beings.  Our call is to unearth this truth again and again when it’s been buried, lost, forgotten, or stolen.

    “Joe Davis connects on a deep level with all ages and I learn from him every time I see him in action.”
    – Pastor John Hulden, Assistant to the Bishop

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Joe Davis is a nationally-touring artist, educator, and speaker based in Minneapolis, MN. He employs poetry, music, theater, and dance to shape culture.

His work has been featured on BET, CNN, and VH1. He is the Founder and Director of multimedia production company, The New Renaissance, the frontman of emerging soul funk band, The Poetic Diaspora, co-creator of JUSTmove, racial justice education through art, and author of We Rise Higher: Poems and Prayers for Graduates.

He has keynoted, facilitated conversation, and served as teaching artist at hundreds of high schools and universities including programs in New York, Boston, and most recently as the Artist-in-Residence at Luther Seminary where he earned a Masters in Theology of the Arts.