Disciple: Adding our Voice

The discernment, intention and call of diocesan advocacy

By the Rev. Sally Johnston and Aleta Payne McClenney

One Wednesday morning each month, the Rt. Rev. Sam Rodman and the Rt. Rev. Anne Hodges-Copple, bishops of the Diocese of North Carolina, join a Zoom meeting intended to drill down into a finite list of the world’s infinite problems. Along with a group made up of college professors, a former state legislator, an editor, and active and retired clergy, they take up the public policy issues of the day through the lens of “What can the church do about this?”

[Image: Episcopalians from across the Diocese took part in March for Our Lives demonstrations throughout the state in 2018. Photo by Bill Brooks]

Between those meetings, the bishops and members of their Council of Advice on Public Policy (CAPP) conduct research, draft letters, engage in quiet diplomacy with elected leaders and rally allies to show up in support for shared causes of concern.

LEARNING THE KEY QUESTIONS

The idea for such a group emerged in an initial report on the diocesan response to COVID-19. When they envisioned CAPP in those early days of the pandemic, the bishops wanted to be more proactive in their approach to speaking out on the issues of the day and be better prepared to anticipate legislation and other matters of public policy where they might articulate and advocate for the gospel values that Jesus preached about and taught: love of neighbor, care for the vulnerable, justice for those who are oppressed.

They reached out to the Rev. Sally Johnston, a retired priest in Mooresville, and Aleta Payne McClenney, a parishioner at St. Paul’s, Cary, in the summer of 2020 to help give shape to the idea and to assemble a group willing to be as candid as they would be wise with their input.

“The assembled team has been so inspired and passionate,” said Rodman. “We are grateful to them for helping us focus our advocacy so that it can be timely and effective in making an impact.”

Johnston and McClenney set out to learn how other dioceses and denominations pursue similar work. They connected with the Episcopal Public Policy Network in Washington, D.C., a like-minded effort within the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the NC Council of Churches, and a group of dioceses in California that collaborates on matters of policy and advocacy.

They also reached out to committees and ministries already doing important work in the Diocese of North Carolina in individual issue areas, including farmworkers and immigration, Medicaid expansion, affordable housing, environmental justice, and prison ministry and money bail reform.

Along with important logistical information, two key questions surfaced to guide whatever policy matters might emerge. They would be important considerations for what CAPP and the bishops might speak to: Where can the church’s voice make a difference? Where has the church been silent or complicit but could move closer toward repairing the breach by lending its voice now?

A year and a half after the group first met, what has developed is regularly an equally prayerful and lively conversation. It brings focus and analysis to the many worthy issues before diocesan leaders and helps determine a handful that they will pursue.

ONE ISSUE LEADS TO ANOTHER

So far, some have been pressing and of-the-moment while others have been simultaneously chronic and critical to address. Dr. Joseph L. Graves Jr., author; professor at NC A&T University and Ph.D. in evolutionary, environmental and systematic biology; and associate director of the Triangle Center for Evolutionary Medicine, is among those serving on CAPP. He has appreciated the chance to work through difficult but important issues with the bishops.

“What I value most about being involved in CAPP is the opportunity to provide our bishops feedback about some of the most crucial issues facing the Diocese and The Episcopal Church as a whole. One of those first issues was the COVID-19 pandemic. In this case, I felt that my professional training as a scientist who studied microbial evolution was very important in helping the bishops arrive at a sound policy that protected the health of our parishioners,” Graves said.

“However, we have also discussed more thorny subjects, such as some of the divisions that exist within the church around socially defined race, gender and sexual orientation. Again, I feel that my perspectives have been taken seriously by our bishops.”

With COVID-19 response, the group talked through ways church leaders could be honest brokers during a time of heightened mistrust and disinformation and how church buildings and campuses could be used to assist in public health efforts.

Among the issues that the Council has recognized as interwoven throughout areas of policy and advocacy is the country’s history of racial and gender inequity and the rising threat that white supremacy poses to the health of all God’s children and to the nation’s well-being. This ranges from the disproportionate impacts felt by people of color in accessing healthcare to ongoing efforts to undermine voting rights.

As the nation’s attention turned toward the 2020 election cycle, CAPP considered the role of the church in elections. Ever aware of the solid gray line between matters of church and state, the Council wrestled with the challenges. For instance, while endorsing a candidate would be unacceptable, encouraging the act of voting was fine and, indeed, crucial. And without encouraging partisan voting, it was vital to emphasize biblical imperatives and baptismal promises that require care for creation and respect for the dignity of every human being.

Ultimately, the Council found agreement in the principle that the intersection of church and public square offers a setting to advocate for supporting and sustaining beloved community where all may experience dignity and abundant life.

Out of their conversations and shared discernment, the bishops and members of CAPP have framed their work, grounding it in four core areas. Among the guiding philosophy that has emerged:

Theology: All are created in God’s image, and expectations of a single norm to categorize any aspect of humanity denies the inherent goodness and diversity of God’s creation.... Our Bible makes clear that before humans, God created the world and every other inhabitant; too often we have privileged ourselves over all that God made first.

History: The institutional American Church as framed by western Christianity, including our beloved Episcopal Church, has too often fallen short in things done and things left undone in defending the sacred worth of every human being and all creation.... [We have] accountability, heretofore frequently neglected, to make clear that the marginalization of any group is wrong, let alone the marginalization for profit, domination or power. We repent with the understanding that regret is not enough.

Formation and advocacy: It is our holy call and responsibility to build a world driven by love in which all of creation can flourish. To do this work, we must be advocates for public laws and policies that create a more just and equitable society.... More than words on petitions or in letters, more than demonstrations and justice walks, advocacy begins with a fuller understanding of what we believe, how we are incarnating those beliefs, and a framework for action and change based on the teachings of Christ.

Martha B. Alexander, who also serves as a member of CAPP, described what the role has meant to her: “To be a member of the Bishop’s Council of Advice on Public Policy has been a grave responsibility and a blessing,” she said. “To listen to various viewpoints, to discuss a myriad of issues, and to pray with others across the Diocese of North Carolina continues to give me strength in my daily life. To understand the significance of advocacy within the context of the teachings of Jesus is of foremost importance as we continue to build beloved community.”

[Image: Episcopalians from several churches advocated for creation care on October 18, 2021, during the Faiths4Climate Justice event in Uptown Charlotte. Photo by Mary Cox]

The work of advocacy offers opportunities for anyone who feels called to add their voice, time and energy to areas that matter to them. For the Diocese of North Carolina, that work is prayerful, discerning, intentional and undertaken in the hope of helping to create a world where all are included and loved.

QUESTIONS COMMONLY ASKED OF CAPP

At other times, members of the Council or a diocesan ministry may have issues they have been monitoring and that they raise with the bishops, or a crisis involving gun violence, racism, health and safety measures relative to COVID-19, etc., could prompt the bishops to speak directly to the Diocese, elected officials or others through a statement, letter or conversation. The Council may play a role in drafting or framing the issue and making suggestions to the bishops. Ultimately, it is a collaborative process based upon the needs of a given situation.

How could a parish create its own council of advice?
Parishes can indeed create a format similar to CAPP to advise a rector or vestry about issues in their local communities. The work of advocacy is not simply to support particular causes but to notice when silence on an issue may imply agreement or complicity and how words can make a difference: releasing a statement, writing a letter to the editor or posting a position on a website. All of these can be both powerful and problematic when they might stir controversy.

A council offers the opportunity to listen deeply and respond thoughtfully, to pay attention to ongoing issues so that information is thoroughly gathered from abundant sources and carefully considered. While everyone may not agree, a thoughtful position grounded in the baptismal promises and in scripture offers witness to our discipleship as well as instruction about who we are and what we believe. The CAPP co-facilitators would be happy to respond to parishes interested in forming their own councils.

Who are the current CAPP members?
Martha B. Alexander, Christ Church, Charlotte
Joseph L. Graves Jr., Ph.D., St. Andrew’s, Greensboro
The Rev. Velinda Hardy, retired, Calvary, Tarboro
The Rev. Sally Johnston, retired, Mooresville
Chipper Long, Calvary, Wadesboro and All Souls, Ansonville
Aleta Payne McClenney, St. Paul’s Cary
Louis-Patrick Mua, St. Paul’s, Winston-Salem, and Epiphany, Eden
The Rev. Anna Page, United States Army chaplain, deployed
Chris Paul, Ph.D., Holy Family, Chapel Hill

How do I begin to get involved in issues that matter to me?
Local issues are a great place to get involved, especially if you are new to advocacy. That includes staying informed through a variety of media sources and exercising your right to vote in all elections where eligible. Being a good advocate requires homework drawing on reliable information, multiple points of view and the investment of your time to make your voice heard. The work of building a more just, equitable and healthy world is worthy of our effort.

RESOURCES FOR GETTING STARTED IN ADVOCACY

Government resource providing information on voting and elections

Provides information and links to issues and resources in local government

The Rev. Sally Johnston is a retired priest in Mooresville and a founding member of CAPP. Aleta Payne McClenney is a member of St. Paul’s, Cary, a senior associate editor for Faith & Leadership and a founding member of CAPP. Contact them via the diocesan communications department.