What makes faith institutions unique and what do they need to be successful?
PACE’s Faith In/And Democracy program has been on a learning journey to explore the ways faith and faith communities can support democracy and civic life. We’ve been especially interested in how the resources of faith and faith communities help to bridge difference and inspire civic engagement. In its second year, our focus has been on understanding the field that works at the intersection of faith and democracy, and the traits and conditions of faith leaders and institutions that make them effective bridge-builders.
In my last piece, I shared what we have been learning makes faith leaders unique. Building on that learning, the FIAD Learning Community recently turned its focus to faith institutions as we sought to understand what institutional capacities — strategic, programmatic, tactical — best enable organizations to work successfully within and beyond their own constituencies.
We met as a community to discuss what makes faith institutions special, especially when it comes to American civic life. It should be noted that faith is always more than the sum of its institutions. That is to say, we do not believe that by considering the role of faith institutions in our civic life, that we are considering the whole of faith’s influence in our civic life. It was also worthwhile to point out…
