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The Church & Society
Educational Leadership: The Bishop as Teacher
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The Church and Society
The College for Bishops Leadership Institute was established to provide educational resources for new bishops as well as trending informational resources for all bishops. The Church and Society focuses on the following specific topics:
New items are added on a monthly basis. To comment or suggest additional topics or resources, please use the feedback form located at the bottom of this page.
The Church in Action
Religious ideals shaped the broken US prison system. Can they also fix it?
In almost every way measurable, the U.S. penal system is extreme. There are currently more than 2.2 million people—nearly one out of every 100 people in this country—in U.S. prisons and jails. The United States has 5 percent of the world’s population but 25 percent of its prisoners. How have our religious beliefs helped create the current prison system and how could they help fix it?
Minneapolis Church Leaders on Their Role in Social Justice
The uprising in Minneapolis following the killing of George Floyd by police brought local church leaders out into the streets, where they marched for justice alongside thousands of protesters. This is work these church leaders have been doing for years, only intensified by the recent uprising. Rewire spoke with Minneapolis church leaders about where they see the church within the Black Lives Matter movement and about racial justice as a whole:
See also: Being church while the neighborhood burns
the essential chaplain
Pre-pandemic, being a chaplain usually meant helping people in existential distress cope with their circumstances by engaging their religious traditions. In contrast, pandemic chaplaincy feels dangerous. “Caring for the least of these” is still the kind of neighbor love that is called for, but what does that look like during a pandemic? See also this resource sheet for chaplains during the COVID-19 crisis.
how faith leaders can help the most vulnerable in a lockdown
In times of distress and uncertainty, faith-based and community leaders continue to be valuable resources of comfort, support and, perhaps most importantly, studies show, credible sources of information for their members and communities.The Clinton Foundation, which has made improving public health a central mission, has identified these key actions faith leaders can take and resources they can offer.
Nurturing a New Generation of Immigration Activists in the Church
While the headlines continue to expose increasingly cruel treatment of immigrants and growing expressions of anti-immigrant racism in our country, we can get overwhelmed with the enormity of the problem, feeling like there is nothing good that is happening. Behind all of this, there are the stories of thousands of immigrants who maintain courage and hope, even in the midst of extreme difficulty, contributing to their communities and our nation. Young people are among those who can carry these stories into our churches. Their experiences make them agents of insight, information, and change.
Nuns & Nones brings together religiously unaffiliated young adults and Catholic sisters
What does it take to live in a spiritually grounded, socially active community? Nuns & Nones is a pilot residency program that brings together religiously unaffiliated young adults (“Nones”) with Catholic nuns, many of whom are elderly, in an unlikely but successful pairing.
Intentional Community
If you ask Episcopalians to name the most valuable thing the church has to offer, they’ll probably say stuff like “grace,” “community” or “Jesus.” (Or “the BCP,” bless their hearts.) I’m not going to say that any of that is wrong, but for millennials, there’s another thing the church has to offer, and it might not be what you think. This article comes from the ECFVP May edition on Millennials & the Church.
Restoring the Justice System
Cases like George Zimmerman, Jodi Arias, Bradley Manning and Ariel Castro may have once dominated the news, but much of what's happening in the American justice system remains overlooked. America now boasts the highest rate of incarceration in the world, but even more alarming are the system’s endemic injustices. Minority communities are far more afflicted by the justice system, a reality that affects the psyches of the children who grow up in them. Additionally, our system treats you much better if you’re rich and guilty than if you are poor and innocent. Bryan Stevenson believes these realities are fundamentally changing our world, and he’s devoted his life’s work to finding solutions.
What does it mean for clergy to "stay in their lane"?
Pastors seeking to support justice movements should let people on the front lines lead. This means clergy are going to have to get used to being uncomfortable, writes a pastor from Charlotte, North Carolina. Clergy need to show up as clergy, and to bring with them the resources and gifts of their training and their networks.