How can church leaders address polarization? Jessica Anschutz of the Lewis Center staff interviews Cathy Bien about the Campaign for Kindness and how church leaders can lead out of their faith to engage polarization in their communities with kindness.
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Jessica Anschutz: Cathy, share about your role with the Campaign for Kindness and a little bit about the inspiration for this grassroots movement.
Cathy Bien: Church of the Resurrection, where I am on the staff as our lead director of PR, Media, and Special Projects, started talking about it in 2019. I’ve been at Resurrection for almost 25 years, and I have a journalism, corporate, and nonprofit public relations background. I’ve always been passionate about sharing messages and engaging communities.
Our whole church went through a period of vision casting and looking at what’s going on in our community and our world to see where we could have the greatest impact. How could we, as a congregation, make our community look more like the kingdom of God? We called it “closing the gaps,” it was our vision 2030. One of the gaps we identified was kindness and justice because it felt like we could have an impact. In 2020, our country was starting to feel this polarization and so much uncivility toward one another. When we started talking about this, we had no idea that we were going to end up in the middle of a pandemic, but that played into what we were doing.
The idea was that we can take a simple lesson from scripture that even to non-religious people would be familiar and apply it to how we treat one another. Our first campaign in 2020 was “love your neighbor.” It was a very simple message, but we approached that as our campaign platform with t-shirts, yard signs, and some advertising, encouraging people to remember, embrace, and reflect on this message.
We decided to have a campaign every two years following the national election cycle. So, our second one was based on Micah 6:8 and the message was to “be just, kind, and humble.” And we had billboards, yard signs, t-shirts, and it really started taking off. This year, for 2024, our campaign is to “do unto others” drawing from the golden rule in scripture, but also a message found in almost every major religion in the world. We have t-shirts, buttons, yard signs, advertising, anything that you would have in a political campaign to help us get the message out. This year we’ve got a website, campaignforkindness.org. Everything that we’ve created and learned, and all our resources are freely available. We have almost 500 churches around the country that have joined the campaign and are using some element.
Along with the campaign, there’s a sermon series during the month of October. We’ve really expanded our resources to include a small group curriculum and curriculum for children and students. So, we really considered how to take a message and really spread it using a variety of communication tools.
Jessica Anschutz: How can the Campaign for Kindness help overcome the polarization we’re seeing in our country?
Cathy Bien: It’s a campaign, but there are three pillars that we have adopted. One is to encourage people to look at themselves and to be very intentional about their attitudes, actions, and what they are doing that perhaps is unkind. How can you be more kind? How can you do unto others as you want to have done unto you? How do you want to be treated? So that’s the first one, it starts with yourself.
The second one is inviting people to spread the message. The more conversations we have, the more we engage with others, the more we learn about how to engage with people with whom we disagree. The more this message will spread and address this idea of polarization.
Then the third one is to grow in your own faith and commitment to live out these universal truths in your everyday life. So, the three pillars are to take an action, to share the message, and to find a way to grow.
We’re focused this year on helping people find those tools. We surveyed our congregation, and the majority say, “Yes, we are too polarized. Yes, we want to do something about it, but we’re not sure how.” So, there are a lot of tools out there to explore. It starts with our faith, but how do we have these conversations with people? How do we listen more and talk less?
Jessica Anschutz: These resources are available on the website?
Cathy Bien: All the resources that we’ve created are on the website. We’ve shared some of our vendors, but people can use their own. All our past sermon series that have addressed this are also available for pastors and church leaders. We have some curriculum, we direct people to other resources, and I’m inviting people to share resources as they develop them. We’re all in this together and this is an opportunity for leaders in the church to share with one another. It’s just such an important topic right now, and I know a lot of a lot of church leaders are overwhelmed. You may have a very diverse congregation and be afraid to address any of these topics because it is so inflammatory right now.
Jessica Anschutz: It is inflammatory, and folks may be cautious about taking that first step. What might a church leader who’s reticent to act do? Where might they start to take a stand for kindness?
Cathy Bien: It’s getting back to the very basics of who we are as followers of Jesus and looking at: “What did he say? Who did he associate with?” Drawing upon those simple commands to love one another and to love your enemy and to do unto others. These are all really great places to start by reminding people that we have a great model. We just need to follow.
There are communication skills and things that can be developed, but it starts within your own heart, coming from this place of love. We are all children of God, and we’ve got to get away from the “them and us” idea. Resurrection is a very diverse congregation. We’re probably about 40% to the right, 40% to the left, 20% somewhere in the middle. We must be able to agree to disagree to a certain extent. We’re not going to agree on everything, but we agree on loving one another and that’s non-negotiable.
Jessica Anschutz: How can church leaders then lead out of their faith to effectively engage in ministry contexts where the red and blue are coming together?
Cathy Bien: It’s important to create a sense of belonging and acceptance, whatever your position is. One of the ways we try to do that is by not endorsing political candidates. That’s the law to maintain our status as a nonprofit organization. We are very careful about that. We’re a large church and we have candidates running for office on both sides of the aisle, every year. We focus on those things that are important that will make our community and our country better like giving voice to the voiceless, protecting the vulnerable. No child should be hungry. Now, we might disagree on how we address that, so that’s where we must work together and compromise. Jesus said to care for the orphans and the widows. Our world is a little different now, but we are called to look out for the vulnerable.
How can we find the common ground to do that? Focusing on the important things that we agree on is one of the best ways to bring people together. There’s one little technique that we are teaching our congregation that I think is helpful for pastors. When people disagree about something, we must be able to separate the position from the person. It sounds simple, but it’s hard, especially when it’s an emotionally charged issue. If you can separate the position from the person, you can love that person, but not agree with their position. We must stop defining people by their positions and look at them as Children of God, brothers and sisters in Christ.
Jessica Anschutz: Are there other leadership skills that should be to address the polarization in congregations and in our society? What do church leaders need?
Cathy Bien: Have a pastoral heart and care about people. It also requires a bit of courage. You must be willing to speak out for injustice and for hurtful things that can’t be tolerated. If we have congregants that are hurting each other, we must speak out against that.
We must be courageous in the sense that this message may not resonate with everyone. We’ve had instances where people left the church because they couldn’t accept being in a congregation with people that they didn’t agree with. That’s sad, but we’ve got to hold the line that we are going to be respectful and civil with one another.
Jessica Anschutz: I appreciate that reminder to be courageous and not be deterred and pray that those who feel that they need to leave can find the place that God is calling them to be.
Cathy Bien: Our denomination has experienced that quite broadly. We continue to pray that we will move forward and that we’re all God’s children. Part of the Micah 6:8 being just, kind, and humble, is to acknowledge that we don’t have all the answers and we’re all doing the best we can. We may not always be right. Another way to really bring people together is through acknowledging that I can learn something from someone else. And to do that, I need to humble myself and know that I may not have all the answers.
Jessica Anschutz: The importance of humility and courage.
Cathy Bien: Yes, they go together.
Jessica Anschutz: As we think about addressing polarization we’ve hinted at and alluded to some of the challenges and the fear that it will cause people to leave or make people uncomfortable. What are some of the other challenges that you have seen either in your context or more broadly in working with these campaigns to address polarization?
Cathy Bien: One of the obvious challenges is people will question why the church is getting involved. The idea that religion and politics should never mix. As we study the Gospels and what Jesus did, he didn’t shy away from controversies and conflicts, and nor should we. Those are some of the greatest challenges. I would like to share some of the positives because what we have seen in our community is people in the community are hungry for this message.
We distributed yard signs in worship this past weekend. So many people said, “My neighbor saw my yard sign. They don’t go to church here, but they want one.” These are signs that say: “Do unto others,” “Live the golden rule,” “Treat people with kindness.” This can in many ways be an evangelism tool because people want this message. They want to end some of the polarization. We’re just tired of it. We’ve gotten a great response in our community, not only from our church members. It also empowers our church members to share the message and share their faith in our community.
Jessica Anschutz: That’s a wonderful example of how simple it is. Put a yard sign out and that then leads to conversation with the neighbor.
Cathy Bien: Or wear a t-shirt. Our logo for this campaign is a heart that is red and blue at the top and then it blends into purple, which represents the kingdom of God. We’re not red or blue, we are children of God and followers of Jesus. Wearing a t-shirt or using a mug with the logo are simple ways to share this message and it also reminds you of how to act. I’m not going to wear a “do unto others” t-shirt and lose my temper with someone in line at the grocery store. It’s empowering for our congregation, but it’s also a reminder.
Jessica Anschutz: And it also goes back to what you said at the beginning, about how it starts with us. There’s a personal level of self-evaluation as we go into this, but then we bring it out into the world with us.
Cathy Bien: Yes, it starts with being intentional in your thoughts and your actions. We are also surrounding that in prayer. We’re praying for all the candidates, our country, and our neighbor. I recently read that this Christian maturity is being able to pray for both those you agree with and those you disagree with. We need to model the heart of God in praying for everyone. There are some simple things that we can do, model, and teach, but it starts with that individual commitment. When you have a whole church of people that are united in that commitment, we believe we can change our community and the world with this message.
Jessica Anschutz: I look forward to seeing more fruits of this campaign. Cathy, think about a church leader who has avoided divisive issues and has avoided talking about polarization, what words of encouragement would you offer them to take the next step to engage this issue?
Cathy Bien: The first step is to not to address it as polarization. Address it as, “How do we want to live out our faith in our community and in our world?” If you start sharing that and encouraging your congregation, that’s a big first step. It’s not about identifying who we disagree with. It’s identifying that, “I’m going to love everyone, and I’m going to find a way to do that as I move forward.” For a leader who’s afraid to address it head on, you don’t necessarily have to. We have a message that, if we believe it and we live it, will address polarization, and can change the world.
Jessica Anschutz: For folks who may be a little bit further along on the spectrum, who are on the fence about engaging the issue, how might they take that next courageous step?
Cathy Bien: That’s tough because it’s going to be different for everybody. Look at the resources that are available, look and partner with what’s going on in your community. This is a big topic so know you are not the only one addressing it and you do not have to reinvent it. Are there other organizations out there? Maybe it’s as simple as joining up with another church in your community. A lot of churches still have signs outside so maybe there’s a message that you could put on your sign or a banner reminding people that we’re all part of humankind and not enemies. Those are some simple ways and there are a lot of resources out there. So, check out campaignforkindness.com and look at what’s going on in your community. I’ve had the privilege of really being out in the community, connecting with other organizations, and that’s really helped us spread our message. We feel like we’re having an impact and making a difference.
Jessica Anschutz: It must be inspiring to make those connections with community partners because we can do more together than we can when we’re isolated. Cathy, thank you so much for this time together today. What is your hope for congregations as we move forward given our political realities and the polarization in this country?
Cathy Bien: My hope is that we can become more connected and more kind to one another. I think it’s important whatever happens in the political arena, that we don’t let it destroy our churches or our families. We’ve got to find a way to come together, to find the fundamental beliefs of our faith, and cling to those and be a kinder, more caring country. My hope is that we move forward, and we come together.
Jessica Anschutz: Cathy, thank you for not only sharing your hope, but for sharing the Campaign for Kindness with our listeners. We’re grateful for your time, your work, and your witness.
Cathy Bien: Thank you.
Related Resources
- The Church and Election Day by Doug Powe and Ann Michel
- Leading Between Faith and Patriotism by Lovett Weems
- 5 Things to Consider Before Engaging a Public Issue by Ginger Gaines-Cirelli
- 4 Opportunities for the Church in the Current Political Tension by Carey Nieuwhof
