Missions & Community

What does it mean to follow Jesus in a divided America?

Our ultimate goal isn’t winning an argument or even an election but bringing healing to a suffering world, writes a journalist and author.

By Bekah McNeel Journalist and author

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Breathing Space: One church’s experiment with guaranteed minimum income

A church offered a “guaranteed gift” of $500 per month for a year to two neighbor-partners as a way to respect recipients’ dignity and give them more agency.

By Rhonda Mawhood Lee Priest, spiritual director and writer

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Millions of tourists flock to Montgomery to learn history, but past inequalities remain

A pastor in Montgomery, Alabama, reflects on the tourism paradox: Visitors interested in civil rights and racial justice are flocking to the city’s museums and monuments, boosting its economy. Meanwhile systemic inequities remain.

By Richard T. Williams Pastor

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Do not swim alone, and other lessons for the church

A warning sign on a North Carolina beach reminds us that navigating life without community can put people in dangerous situations.

By Aleta Payne Senior editor, Faith & Leadership

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Another small liberal arts college has closed, but this time it was mine

A graduate of Birmingham-Southern College reflects on the sudden closing of the school, and why it matters to the thousands of students who went there over the years.

By Anne Mitchell Whisnant Historian and director of Graduate Liberal Studies at Duke University

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A church offers training in faith and finance

Kingdom Fellowship AME Church helps its members thrive through financial literacy classes that help build economic stability and faithful generosity.

By Leslie Quander Wooldridge Journalist

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Churches will have work to do no matter who wins in November

A new resource invites faith communities to prepare for their response on ‘day one’ after the upcoming presidential election in ways that continue important ministries and the provision of care.

Erin Weber-Johnson Thia Reggio

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When the church project doesn’t work out

After an effort to provide emergency shelter in their building proved unsustainable, some leaders of a church in Canada reflect on what went wrong.

By Sherwood Hines Writer

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‘The Good News of Church Politics’

Church involvement in local politics can be a spiritual practice, but it’s important to keep the entire community in mind, an associate professor at Virginia Theological Seminary writes in this excerpt.

By Ross Kane Director of doctoral programs, Virginia Theological Seminary

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Brittany Koteles: Land justice takes imagination

A co-founder of Land Justice Futures works with Catholic religious communities to plan how to use their land justly.

Nonprofit helps churches increase social impact by leveraging their assets

The Oikos Institute for Social Impact helps BIPOC Christian leaders work together to develop a vision, identify existing resources and seek new sources of funding for ministries that serve their communities.

By Alison Bowen Journalist