There are moments when a company needs to take a firm stand on an issue because silence and neutrality are themselves a statement.

I believe this is one of those moments, and we must speak up.

Over the last several weeks I, along with our staff, have mourned the injustice and systemic oppression consistently experienced by people of color, particularly in the Black community.

And we want to turn our mourning to action.

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
  for the rights of all who are destitute.
Speak up and judge fairly;
 defend the rights of the poor and needy.
Proverbs 31:8-9

This verse has been stirring in my heart for the last week and it’s prompted me to ask, how can Planning Center speak up for the people God loves so much?

  1. Speak out and encourage. With this message, we are aligning ourselves with the many voices crying out for compassion, justice, and change. And we are encouraging our customers—the church—to join us in educating ourselves on the systemic racism that pervades our nation and committing with us to fight it.
  2. Give towards change. Planning Center is contributing to both the
    Equal Justice Initiative and Color of Change, as well as matching all employee contributions to organizations that fight racial injustice during the month of June.
  3. Address our representation gap: The number of Planning Center employees who are Black and people of color certainly do not match the demographics of our country. This must change and we are committed to finding ways to invest in our community and diversify our staff.

I am committed to taking these first steps, but I humbly acknowledge this is the beginning of a long road for myself, for our company, and for this nation.

But it’s a start—an expression of our commitment to action, both now and in the future.

On behalf of myself and our company, thank you for hearing our heart on this.

With hope,

Jeff Berg
Owner/CEO