Colorado Conversations 2002: April 11

With a diverse group of Denver regional leaders in attendance, Colorado Conversations continued to provide engaging dialogue around Denver's critical issues.

At the third program series on Thursday, April 11th, Reverend Jim Wallis, the editor of Sojourners magazine, convener of Call to Renewal, and national spokesperson for faith-based initiatives to overcome poverty, offered a keynote address titled, "The Role of Faith in Community Building."

In his presentation Rev. Wallis used a statement made by Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to explain the role of faith communities:

"Churches are not the master of the state,
Churches are not the servant of the state,
Churches are the conscience of the state."

Mr. Wallis argued that "Churches are not the master of the state" thus religious communities should not use politics to force a religious agenda on the state. It is not their role to 'legislate Leviticus.' "Churches are not the servant of the state". Faith-based initiatives are not only providers of service to the state, "Churches are the conscience of the state."

Mr. Wallis suggested that faith communities in the capacity of the conscience of the state serve four specific roles:

First, faith communities are conveners, they are the keepers of the safe space so community members may gather in the presence of a moral authority to problem solve around community issues.

Second, faith communities are the keepers of the vision and values of a community. Vision and values provide a message and motivation.

The third role that faith communities play is linked to their resources as an institution and a constituency. They possess institutional resources, such as financial assets, staff, and physical space. They are also a constituency; a faith community of people may be mobilized.

The fourth and final role of a faith community is to provide hope. The faith of the community inspires hope and hope prompts the action, which causes change. What moves history is social movements with a spiritual foundation, Mr. Wallis suggested.

Small group discussions at Colorado Conversations focused on the values and resources that communities of faith bring to the work of building up the community, how Denver can move beyond existing division to develop partnerships to assist the less fortunate, and the ways the different sectors of society in Denver can work together in building community.

To further expand on the Denver Region's critical issues and to begin addressing each in a collaborative way, Sara Melendez comes to Colorado Conversations on April 25th to discuss "Have Nonprofits Become the Engine of Social Change."

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Meeting 3 Notes:

View notes from the small group discussion