The Faith in Action Clergy Organizing Advisory Board is a collective of clergy and faith leaders who are called to change systems. These clergy and faith leaders have a passion and preference for developing other faith leaders through community organizing to build faith bases of organized power across the nation, and establish moral influence in local and national politics that helps to reimagine and co-create life giving systems. The Clergy Organizing Advisory Board includes Hajj Reza Nekumanesh, Rev. Kamilah Hall Sharp, Rev. Nancy Palmer Jones, Rabbi Miriam Terlinchamp, Rabbi Bernie Gerson, Rev. Nicole Barnes, Soraya M. Deen, Imam Asad Zaman, Rev. Troy Jackson, Rev. Dr. Andre Bennett, Rabbi Doug Alpert, Rev. Julio Hernandez, and Rev. Billy M. Honor.

Learn more about Faith in Action’s Clergy Organizing Advisory Board here.

Declaration of Faith and Freedom 

We the People of Faith in Action are fighting for the dignity and wellbeing of every person and every family. We are ready to fight for the soul of our democracy, the soul of our faith traditions, the soul of our nation, and the soul of our world.

We fight for a world where everyone belongs and has dignity, rejecting the lie that some people’s lives are more valuable than others.

We fight in the spirit of deep solidarity, rejecting dehumanizing divisions.

We fight for the dignity of Black and Brown people, rejecting the heresy of white supremacy. 

We fight for the freedom of our Indigenous, Black and Brown siblings, rejecting the systematic criminalization and caging of their bodies.

We fight for a moral economy, rejecting greed, exploitation, and economic oppression.

We fight for the thriving of every faith tradition, rejecting Islamophobia, anti Semitism, and Christian hegemony.

We fight for peace in our streets, rejecting the scourge of gun violence.

We fight for gender equality, rejecting toxic masculinity and patriarchy.

We fight for those who are targets of oppression and prosecution, rejecting marginalization and hate.

We fight for the rights of people of the disabled, rejecting the cold-heartedness of ableism. 

We fight for the future of our planet, rejecting the callousness of mindless extraction.

We fight for faith and hope, rejecting the lie of fatalism. 

We fight for one another. We fight alongside one another, in solidarity. We will fight every day. 

Prophetic Proclamation:

The Dangers and Demands of These Times

We live in a time of extreme threat to the wellbeing and the very survival of those who are marginalized and disenfranchised in this country. The denial of fundamental rights, voice, and dignity to Black people and Brown people, to immigrants, to the working poor, to the differently abled, to members of LGBTQ+ communities, and to natural ecosystems themselves has led to unprecedented pain among us and our siblings. Political and religious polarizations have culminated in destructive, dehumanizing narratives and policies enacted by the morally corrupt. Restrictive voting rights policies that seek to destroy the dream of democracy, ongoing mass incarceration and caging of Black and Brown bodies, the oppression and marginalization of immigrants, the historic economic disenfranchisement of Black people, the exploitation of workers, and the destruction wrought by an extractive economy demand our immediate action. Centering the voices and leadership of those most impacted, we commit to using the power of faith-based community organizing to build power with the marginalized and oppressed and creating a world where our people will no longer be denied access, power, and dignity but shall have the opportunity to participate and thrive in a just and equitable society. 

Prophetic Faith:

Our Unchanging Resources and Power

In the most dire circumstances, we humans have the greatest opportunity for change! Each of our faith traditions and histories offers stories of ordinary people connected to the extraordinary power of their faith and strength of their neighbors fighting for the most vulnerable in their communities. As we stand on the shoulders of those ancestors we must also stand in their power. We must courageously accept our role as people called for a time such as this: people with the vision who see the world as it is, the voice to name what is wrong and unjust, and the power to call our people to a greater hope found in the power our faith gives us. While some people of faith continue to be complicit in fighting for the status quo of white supremacy and death, we the PEOPLE of FAITH are adamant and relentless in our fight for human freedom and flourishing. 

Prophetic Call to Action:

Building Power with Courage, Humility, and Clarity of Purpose

We must approach this moment with courage, humility, and clarity of purpose with a renewed commitment to build and exercise the power that will ultimately change the systems that continue to destroy our environment and create the poor and oppressed among us. 

1. We will courageously use our prophetic voice to build power with ordinary people like us. 
2. We will build a broad coalition of faith leaders, organizing our unique bases of people to exercise political and economic power with the most vulnerable in our communities. 
3. We will protect and push forward voting rights for all people.
4. We will engage, educate and organize our people to support and vote for candidates who will end the systemic oppression of Women, Black people, Brown people, Indigenous people, Immigrants, and all people of color. 
5. We will engage, educate and organize our people to support and vote for candidates who will bring an end to systemic exclusion and unrestrained capitalism.