The Beloved Community

The Beloved Community is a six-week sermon series that explores Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision of the Beloved Community through scripture and the action-oriented, agape love of Jesus Christ. Using the image of building blocks, each week adds a new piece to the structure: the Cornerstone, the Foundation, the Keystone, the Capstone, the Mortar and the Roof, with themes ranging from the image of God in every person to caring for others, radical hospitality, justice and peace. The resource includes weekly sermon outlines with scripture passages, preaching goals and key takeaways, along with music suggestions, a children’s moment that builds a block structure week by week, and a baptismal renewal liturgy to close the series.

Pastors can draw on as much or as little of the material as fits their context and voice, and churches can extend the series by pairing it with the accompanying small group study.