Civic Engagement
THEMES | RESOURCES
Here, you’ll find meaningful ways to connect your spiritual life with civic responsibility. Each resource invites you to deepen your rooted and care for your community.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world: indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
NEIGHBORHOOD CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
How do we love our neighbor through the systems and structures that shape daily life? How do we live out our faith in the rhythms of city council meetings, legislative sessions, and community conversations?
Our neighborhoods are shaped not only by those who live on our street, but by the policies, decisions, and leadership that guide our shared life together. As people seeking to follow the Way of Jesus, we’re invited into rhythms of responsibility—rhythms that connect our spiritual formation with the civic life of our city.
The work of loving your neighbor includes showing up in the places where decisions are made. The public square is not separate from spiritual life—it is where faith takes on form.
Rhythms
RESOURCES
We’ve created a collection of Prayers, Practices, & Places to help you grow in civic awareness, deepen your rootedness in your local community, and take meaningful steps toward civic engagement. Whether you’re just beginning to understand how your city works or deeply engaged in local government, these resources are here to help you live and lead with integrity in your place.
Prayer for Civic Leaders
Almighty God,
You are over all nations and all leaders,
We pray for the civic leaders of our communities,
our city, and our country.
We pray for those who serve and lead in public
positions of trust,
We pray for our President, our Governor, and our Mayor.
May they lead with integrity and promote
the dignity of all people.
We pray for those who serve and lead in
our State and National Congress.
May they legislate with both courage and compassion,
Not looking to their own interest,
but to the interest of others.
We pray for those who serve and lead
in the courts at every level.
Grant them wisdom in the difficult decisions they must make.
May they do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly.
We pray for those who serve and lead in our city and county.
May the weight and responsibility of their work,
Be upheld by the beauty and levity of Your grace.
We pray for those who serve and lead in our community and neighborhood.
May their work be seen as valuable and integral,
May they be courageous and selfless as they serve others.
We pray for the civic leaders of our communities,
our city, and our country.
May their own sense of being the beloved,
Come not from the position, title, or authority they may hold,
But because they are created in Your image
And, as Your daughters and sons,
They are the delight of Your eye.
Amen.
Prayers
Practice | Civility
“Civility is not a tactic or a sentiment. It is the determined choice of trust over cynicism, of community over chaos.”
“What practice do people need to love their neighbors and neighborhoods during an election?” I asked former Englewood Mayor and City Council member Linda Olson. She replied clearly and concisely, “Civility.”
The following principles about the practice of civility are excerpts from a work by Linda for the Colorado Municipal League. She generously shared her wisdom about what is needed to cultivate civility.
Our democracy, which is lived out at the local level, depends on hearing and understanding our community’s different voices, needs, and aspirations. Most agree that civility is not about agreement nor plain politeness. It is about listening deeply, refraining from demonizing, and working toward better understanding. Few challenges faced by local leaders are more important than managing the destructive effects of incivility, as it can undermine effective decision-making, erode community trust, and hinder one’s ability to serve the public good. Imagine communities transformed by civil discourse—more engaged, more collaborative, more invested in the future of Colorado.
Civility is the steadfast practice of respect, even in disagreement, that fosters constructive dialogue and connection, recognizing the inherent dignity of every person. While a definition provides a clear understanding, the true essence of civility lies in its application.
The following guiding principles illustrate how civility translates into practical actions. These principles serve as a foundation for respectful dialogue. It takes courage for us to self-reflect, self-correct, and inspire others to build a political culture of trust.
Thank you to Linda Olson for allowing her work on civility to be edited for this article. Dr. Linda Olson has dedicated 23 years to teaching leadership, community change, and ethics at the University of Denver. She has served on Englewood City Council and as Mayor of Englewood.
Practice
Listen as intently as you speak. Practice active listening and consider briefly summarizing what you heard to ensure understanding.
Focus on issues, not individuals. Dig into the substance of the problem, and if you disagree, disagree with the idea, not the person.
Distinguish between fact and opinion. Seek clarity on both while being considerate of others' opinions. It’s okay to agree to disagree; make sure to understand the fundamental points of differences.
Get curious instead of furious. Strive to manage your emotions in the moment. If you notice yourself getting upset, pause, and take a breath before speaking.
Acknowledge knowledge. When someone makes a logical or interesting point, acknowledge it. Embrace a continuous learning mindset by staying open to new ideas and facts to expand your understanding.
Own your intentions and your impact. Our words and behaviors may not reflect our intent to those receiving them. Value and prioritize honesty and goodwill while striving to solve problems.
Seek common ground. Build bridges by prioritizing shared values and goals. Strive to find commonalities and shared understanding.
Be a role model. We’re in this together. We can’t control others’ behaviors, just our own.
Practices
Place | State Capitol
This collection explores places where civic life and neighborhoods intersect. Places that invite us to show up, pay attention, and participate in the renewal of our communities. Through story, history, and reflection, we remember that God is not distant from these places. God dwells here, in the very heart of our public life.
Places
Civic Reading
RESOURCES FOR CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
These writings aren’t meant to give you all the answers. They’re an invitation to wrestle with big questions, to imagine new possibilities, and to ground your love for God in the everyday realities of your neighborhood, your city, and your public life.
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The Spirit of our Politics
In this profound and hope-filled book, Michael Wear argues that by focusing on having the "right" politics, we lose sight of the kind of people we are becoming, to destructive results. When political division shows up not only on the campaign trail but also at our dinner tables, we wonder: Can we be part of a better way? The Spirit of Our Politics says "yes," offering a distinctly Christian approach to politics that results in healing rather than division, kindness rather than hatred, and hope rather than despair.
The Spirit of Our Politics is for readers of any political perspective who long for a new way to think about and engage in politics. That new approach begins with a simple question: What kind of person would I like to be?
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The Liturgy of Politics
They're tired of seeing their faith tied to political battles they didn't start, and they're frustrated by the failures of leaders they thought they could trust. Kaitlyn Schiess grew up in this landscape, and understands it from the inside.
Spiritual formation, and particularly a focus on formative practices, are experiencing a renaissance in Christian thinking—but these ideas are not often applied to the political sphere. In The Liturgy of Politics, Schiess shows that the church's politics are shaped by its habits and practices even when it's unaware of them. Schiess insists that the way out of our political morass is first to recognize the formative power of the political forces all around us, and then to recover historic Christian practices that shape us according to the truth of the gospel.
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The Political Disciple
What might it mean for public and political life to be understood as an important dimension of following Jesus? As a part of Zondervan’s Ordinary Theology series, Vincent E. Bacote’s The Political Disciple addresses this question by considering not only whether Christians have (or need) permission to engage the public square, but also what it means to reflect Christlikeness in our public practice, as well as what to make of the typically slow rate of social change and the tension between relative allegiance to a nation and/or a political party and ultimate allegiance to Christ. Pastors, laypeople, and college students will find this concise volume a handy primer on Christianity and public life.
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Compassion & Conviction
Too often, political questions are framed in impossible ways for the faithful Christian: we're forced to choose between social justice and biblical values, between supporting women and opposing abortion. As a result, it's easy for Christians to grow disillusioned with civic engagement or fall back into tribal extremes. This state of affairs has damaged Christian public witness and divided the church.
When we understand our civic engagement as a way to obey Christ's call to love our neighbor, we see that it is possible to engage the political process with both love and truth—compassion and conviction.
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The Ballot and The Bible
How do Bible passages written thousands of years ago apply to politics today? What can we learn from America's history of using the Bible in politics? How can we converse with people whose views differ from our own?
In The Ballot and the Bible, Kaitlyn Schiess explores these questions and more. She unpacks examples of how Americans have connected the Bible to politics in the past, highlighting times it was applied well and times it was egregiously misused.
Schiess combines American political history and biblical interpretation to help readers
● faithfully read Scripture
● talk with others about it
● apply it to contemporary political issues--and to their lives -
Thou Shalt Not Be A Jerk
According to Eugene Cho, Christians should never profess blind loyalty to a party. Any party. But they should engage with politics, because politics inform policies which impact people.
In Thou Shalt Not Be a Jerk: A Christian’s Guide to Engaging Politics, Cho encourages readers to remember that hope arrived—not in a politician, system, or great nation—but in the person of Jesus Christ.
With determination and heart, Cho urges readers to stop vilifying those they disagree with—especially the vulnerable—and asks Christians to follow Jesus and reflect His teachings. In this book that integrates the pastoral, prophetic, practical, and personal, readers will be inspired to stay engaged, have integrity, listen to the hurting, and vote their convictions.
“When we stay in the Scriptures, pray for wisdom, and advocate for the vulnerable, our love for politics, ideology, philosophy, or even theology, stop superseding our love for God and neighbor.” -
Unsettling Truths
Injustice has plagued American society for centuries. And we cannot move toward being a more just nation without understanding the root causes that have shaped our culture and institutions. In this prophetic blend of history, theology, and cultural commentary, Mark Charles and Soong-Chan Rah reveal the far-reaching, damaging effects of the "Doctrine of Discovery." Charles and Rah aim to recover a common memory and shared understanding of where we have been and where we are going. As other nations have instituted truth and reconciliation commissions, so do the authors call our nation and churches to a truth-telling that will expose past injustices and open the door to conciliation and true community.
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Join The Resistance
An awakening has been happening across our society. People increasingly recognize how long-standing, systemic issues have prevented many from flourishing. But often Christians are not sure how best to engage. Does it help to march and hold signs? What can we do to contribute and not further complicate things?
Biblical, historical, and contemporary examples give us ways to walk in God's righteousness, truth, and peace. We can better understand our shared solidarity, persevere in the midst of struggle, bring pe
Civic Trusted Voices
RESOURCES FOR SUMMER
We draw on thinkers and leaders whose insight helps us bridge spiritual formation and public life. These trusted voices don’t offer easy answers they prompt reflection, challenge assumptions, and invite us deeper into the work of love in civic spaces.
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Kaitlyn Schiess
A generation of Christians are weary of the political legacy they've inherited and are hungry for a better approach.
They want to seek the common good, but they don’t want a broken political system to corrupt their motives or capture their hearts. They are often tempted to think they need to reinvent the wheel or discard the entirety of the Christian faith. I think there’s a better way forward.I am passionate about retrieving and preserving the gifts of the historic and global Christian church for the sake of our political witness today - the gifts of rich political theology, robust spiritual formation, and faithful examples to model.
I’ve spent the last ten years of my life thinking, writing, and speaking about this better path forward. Some of that work has resulted in books - I published The Ballot and the Bible: How Scripture has been Used and Abused in American Politics and Where We Go from Here with Brazos Press in 2023 and The Liturgy of Politics: Spiritual Formation for the Sake of Our Neighbor with InterVarsity Press in 2020. Some of that work has resulted in writing for a variety of outlets, including Christianity Today, The New York Times, Christ and Pop Culture, RELEVANT, and Sojourner. Some of that work has been done alongside the Holy Post Media team: I am a co-host of the Holy Post podcast and the host of the podcast Curiously, Kaitlyn, two shows that work to help Christians think well and live faithfully in a pluralistic world. My work has also been nourished by my academic studies: I have a ThM in systematic theology from Dallas Theological Seminary and am currently a doctoral student in political theology at Duke Divinity School. -
Michael Wear
Michael Wear is the Founder, President and CEO of the Center for Christianity and Public Life, a nonpartisan, nonprofit institution based in the nation's capital with the mission to contend for the credibility of Christian resources in public life, for the public good. For well over a decade, he has served as a trusted resource and advisor for a range of civic leaders on matters of faith and public life, including as a White House and presidential campaign staffer. Michael is a leading voice on building a healthy civic pluralism in twenty-first century America. He has argued that the spiritual health and civic character of individuals is deeply tied to the state of our politics and public affairs.
Michael previously led Public Square Strategies, a consulting firm he founded that helps religious organizations, political organizations, businesses and others effectively navigate the rapidly changing American religious and political landscape.
Michael is the author of The Spirit of Our Politics: Spiritual Formation and the Renovation of Public Life, a paradigm-shifting book that advances a vision for spiritual formation in the context of political life. Michael’s first book, Reclaiming Hope: Lessons Learned in the Obama White House About the Future of Faith in America, offers reflections, analysis and ideas about the role of faith in the Obama years and what it means for today. He has co-authored, or contributed to, several other books, including Compassion and Conviction: The AND Campaign's Guide to Faithful Civic Engagement, with Justin Giboney and Chris Butler. He also writes for The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Catapult Magazine, Christianity Today and other publications on faith, politics and culture.
More rhythms to root your faith in place.
