Faithful Service Requires Faithful Citizenship

“Let us not love with words or speech, but with actions and in truth” (1 John 3:18). 

As leaders and practitioners in faith-based health and human services, we spend our days caring for people. We provide affordable housing, behavioral health services, healthcare, supports for older adults, services for children and families, and countless other ministries that embody God’s love in tangible ways.

Yet every day, we also encounter a reality that ought to be obvious but is sometimes overlooked: public policy matters.

The decisions made by elected officials affect whether families can find affordable housing, whether older adults can age with dignity, whether individuals can access healthcare, whether people living with disabilities receive the support they need, and whether nonprofits have the resources necessary to serve their communities effectively.

This is why I believe voting, advocacy, and civic engagement are not distractions from our ministry. They are extensions of it.

Over the next four months, I will use this column to explore the relationship between faith, democracy, public policy, and the work of faith-based health and human service organizations. As we move toward the November election, I hope we can deepen our understanding of civic participation as an essential expression of faithful discipleship and responsible stewardship.

The timing could not be better.

Earlier this month, the United Church of Christ launched its Our Faith Our Vote 2026 campaign, a nonpartisan initiative designed to equip UCC members and congregations with resources for voter engagement, issue education, and participation in our democratic process. The campaign reminds us that, for people of faith, public policy is not simply about politics—it is one way we seek to love our neighbors and pursue the common good. 

I was honored to collaborate with our partners in the UCC Office of Public Policy and Advocacy in Washington, D.C., on two of the campaign’s newly released issue education resources: Affordable Housing and Healthcare.

These resources resonate deeply with CHHSM’s mission because they speak directly to areas where our ministries engage every day.

The affordable housing resource affirms a principle long embraced by both the United Church of Christ and CHHSM member ministries: safe, stable, affordable housing is foundational to human dignity and community well-being. It also highlights the remarkable impact of faith-based providers, including CHHSM organizations that collectively support tens of thousands of residential opportunities across the country. At the same time, it acknowledges that charitable action alone cannot meet the scale of the housing crisis and that effective public policy remains essential.

Likewise, the healthcare resource reflects the UCC’s longstanding commitment to healthcare as a matter of justice and human dignity. It explores the connection between physical, mental, spiritual, and community well-being and encourages voters to consider how healthcare policies affect access, affordability, and health equity. These are concerns that many CHHSM organizations confront daily through their ministries and services. 

While the Our Faith Our Vote materials were developed primarily for congregations, I believe they also provide valuable tools for faith-based health and human service organizations. They offer thoughtful, nonpartisan frameworks for discussing issues, evaluating public policy, and encouraging informed civic participation. Most importantly, they invite us to consider how our faith informs our responsibilities as citizens.

As nonprofit leaders, board members, staff, volunteers, and ministry partners, we understand that elections have consequences. They shape funding priorities, regulatory environments, healthcare systems, housing policy, and the social safety net that many of our organizations rely upon to fulfill their mission.

But our engagement is about more than institutional sustainability. It is about our neighbors.

When we advocate for affordable housing, we advocate for families seeking stability. When we advocate for healthcare access, we advocate for people seeking healing and hope. When we participate in our democracy, we help shape the conditions in which human flourishing becomes more attainable.

In the months ahead, I invite you to reflect with me on what faithful citizenship means in this moment. Together we will explore why advocacy is a ministry, why democracy matters to people of faith, and why voting is one meaningful way we can live out our commitment to love our neighbors and seek justice.

Until then, I encourage you to explore the UCC’s Our Faith Our Vote 2026 campaign and the issue resources provided on a wide range of topics important to our collective work to bring about a more caring and compassionate world. I believe you will find that they offer valuable insights not only for congregations, but also for the faith-based health and human service ministries that serve our communities every day.

This election season, may we continue that work—with both service and civic engagement.

Learn More at UCC Our Faith Our Vote 2026.