Profile: Bishop Claude Alexander

Global Missions
6/30/2011
By Annya M. Lott

Bishop Claude Alexander declares all believers are called by God to be missions. The global body of Christ is indebted to share the gospel as explained by the Apostle Paul in Romans 1:14, “I am obligated to both Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and foolish. That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome.” With a congregant membership exceeding over 8,000, Alexander says each believer is obligated in sharing the gospel with others both out of gratitude and discipleship. “I know the benefits of it. And usually when you know the benefits of something, you share it. You don’t keep it to yourself.”

He realized the significance of the church as a global entity upon returning from the Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization in South Africa last year. “It hits you when you see so many people from different nations and how global the church is and that you are called to it,” recalls Bishop Alexander. His vision for global missions significantly expanded in 2001 with the partnership of Dr. Cassandra Jones and Shalom Outreach, a Christian based non-profit organization dedicated to global missions. As a result, a leadership team including Reverends Sonia Crawley and Sonji Pass traveled to Kenya in 2004 for two weeks, and then Brazil working with the youth.

For its part in this global reality, The Park Ministries is charged with extending the Love, Life, and Lordship of Jesus Christ, just as the twelve disciples demonstrated by the power of the Holy Spirit even in unfamiliar territory. Jesus commanded the disciples in Acts 1:8, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” To fully grasp this text, Bishop Alexander believes you must view it from an eastern perspective as opposed to western, “If I hear it the way the disciples heard it, I hear Jesus eliminating any excuse to not be a witness.”

Jerusalem was not home for the disciples; the majority lived in Galilee. In fact, Jerusalem was quite dangerous after Jesus’ crucifixion, placing the disciples’ lives at risk. Despite the peril Jesus told them to start where they were, even in unfamiliar places. “There are no ideal starts. When you speak of God’s mission for individuals you often hear people say this is not the right time or place in my life, but when Jesus said Jerusalem, he said start where you are,” Bishop Alexander maintains.

In Judea, the Galileans were looked down upon as being less religious than the Jews. Jesus called the disciples to Judea witnessing to those with superior attitudes, “Jesus is saying that I can’t allow other people’s view of me to be an excuse for you not to witness,” says Bishop Alexander. “Deal with people who look down upon you.”

Jesus also called the twelve to Samaria located in between Galilee and Judea; the land was regarded as a tainted city. Samaritans were classified as half-Jewish and deemed impure due to racial intermixing. “Jesus was saying deal with a person whose racial and ethnic background may be an issue for you,” he explains.

And lastly, the disciples were called to witness the ends of the earth; traveling to unreached destinations. “Jesus said go where nobody knows you, where you have no cultural reference, no immediate connection. The important part is not whether they know you, but will they know me after you finish.”

Bishop Alexander points out that The Park Ministries has a unique position witnessing to unreached people and groups. Over 80 different languages are spoken locally in Charlotte, North Carolina such as Amharic, Bicolano and Creole. “We can be global right here. And we can equip individuals to have impact in their homes.”

As the global church shifts southward and eastward to Asia, India, Latin America and Africa, Bishop Alexander explains that historical commonalities such as colonial oppression and slavery create fewer barriers for African Americans working in these communities. Yet there is much to learn as Americans: “We operate from the standpoint that Christianity is the majority religion. That’s no longer the case, which we are ill-prepared, but it’s been the dynamic these countries have historically operated,” says Alexander. “They know more about ministering cross-culturally across religions than we do. They know more about resisting the marginalization of their faith.”

Bishop Alexander further envisions expanding global missions by creating, what he calls, “as a menu of opportunities.” Congregants will not only educate themselves by reading books such as, Until the Whole World Knows, by Alicia Britt Chole, or enrolling in a global training course such as Perspectives but will also have the option to serve cross-culturally. “Direct exposure is key. The limit is our creativity.”