By Jenn Killpack
director of Communications
World Church teams serve a crucial role in translating Community of Christ’s principles and mission into action, helping create positive change within the church community and the broader world.
These teams are chartered by World Conference resolutions or the First Presidency. They focus on topics such as peace and justice, environmental stewardship, inclusion, theology, spiritual formation, sacred story, and more.
Each World Church team will submit a report at 2025 World Conference. Below are a few highlights of recent work by some teams.
Human Rights
In a statement from the Human Rights Team, Community of Christ upholds the fundamental and equal human rights of all people regardless of sex and gender differences. The team challenges individuals and communities to uphold the equal Worth of All Persons, across all nations, societies, and cultures and to seek justice and equality for all persons regardless of sex and gender differences. Community of Christ believes God created all human beings diverse, of equal value, and of inestimable worth.
World Conference resolutions and recent passages of the Doctrine and Covenants also challenge the church to confess limitations in human understanding and to celebrate human diversity in creation.
Read more online.
Reconciliation, Just Peace, Dignity
The World Church Peace and Justice Team shared excerpts of a longer statement about Gaza, calling for peace and dignity:
Grounded in our faith that upholds the inestimable worth of every person—regardless of religion or ethnicity—we affirm that the Holy Land must be a space where all communities enjoy equal dignity and rights. As members of Community of Christ committed to the reconciling purposes of God, we are called to challenge any political, cultural, or religious trends that perpetuate division and injustice. We decry war and violence.
We therefore welcome the recent but fragile ceasefire in the Middle East as a crucial step toward de-escalation. However, we are troubled by recent political proposals suggesting options which would lead to the forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza.
…Community of Christ echoes the call for respect for international law and the promotion of equal human dignity. The path forward must be one of reconciliation, healing, and just peace for all.
Read more online.
Unity in Diversity
The Diversity and Inclusion Team has engaged in several opportunities to share the beauty of our diversity. The team invites people to participate in the “we are one, we are many” initiative (deadline 30 June) by sharing their personal stories about diversity and inclusion. The goal is to collect and share these stories to help build a more inclusive and understanding community.
They have hosted online events and interactive workshops on topics like resisting unconscious bias, creating inclusion, and identifying microaggressions. During Black History Month in the USA, they shared presentations on the impact of Black people in American history and Black members of Community of Christ history. They also hosted four dialogue sessions on diversity and the Enduring Principles in the current social and political climate.
Learn more online.
Join Us
If you’d like to be part of a World Church team, please submit your name and area of interest to Susan Naylor for consideration.