Ferguson and Faith: Sparking Leadership and Awakening Community

by Leah Gunning Francis

The shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, reignited a long-smoldering movement for justice, with many St. Louis-area clergy stepping up to support the emerging young leaders of today's Civil Rights Movement. Seminary professor Leah Gunning Francis was among the activists, and her interviews with more than two dozen faith leaders and with the new movement's organizers take us behind the scenes of the continuing protests. Ferguson and Faith demonstrates that being called to lead a faithful life can take us to places we never expected to go, with people who never expected us to join hands with them. Ferguson and Sparking Leadership and Awakening Community is the first book from the partnership of the Forum for Theological Exploration (FTE) and Chalice Press.

Genres: Justice, Race, Nonfiction, Social Justice

192 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 2015

Reviews

[Jake · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent text on the response of faith communities in the wake of Michael Brown's death and the resulting aftermath in Ferguson and through the United States. While there are certainly some faith leaders (I'm thinking of Rev. Traci Blackmon in particular) who stepped to the forefront of what was/us happening, the vast majority of stories seemed to define the role of faith as a follower to the young people who were leading the protests. I read a lot of examples of faith leaders being told "This is where we need you, this is where we do not." Through the building of relationships, the boundaries between faith leaders and young people began to fall and I think faith leaders who allowed themselves to be impacted by what was going on and to see where God was moving were reformed by the spirit of change. It is the start of what will be a long struggle (and for black folk, the continuation of a struggle going back to the 15th century) but it is encouraging to know that faith communities can be on the right side of this issue. The stories in this book define how that is possible.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am glad I read this book. The author has done an excellent job of pulling together interviews (with mainly clergy, but some laypeople) from congregations who found themselves engaging with the community (particularly young people - but other parts as well) who were protesting in the wake of the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson in 2014. Through their voices she tells the story of what happened to the religious communities there as they struggled with what it meant to be people of faith and engaged with what was going on in the streets. This feels like a very important book. I’m very glad I read it.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Orthopraxy

Focused primarily on orthopraxy as opposed to orthodoxy. Although the distinction between the two is rather artificial, this book demonstrates how a holistic theology takes a practical element.

Through an examination of the Michael Brown tragedy and the BLM movement, the author interviews and examines several religious leaders and youths on their understanding of faith put to practice in the context of BLM.

[Brad Rice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting responses from Clergy members surrounding the unrest/protests in Ferguson Missouri after the killing of Michael Brown. Most described it as a continuation of the Civil Rights movement that never fully resolved. The responses are not only from clergy from black congregations, but from varying denominations and racial backgrounds, including Jewish rabbi's, White protestant as well as black clergy members. An inside look at the Black Lives Matter groundswell.

[Rose Schrott · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great oral history of the protests that happened after Michael Brown was murdered by police in 2014. Particular attention is paid to the young leaders that made the movement and how clergy responded (mostly positive stories). There is lot to learn here despite the text being a bit out of date in current (2020) police/protestor relations.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book to be very thought-provoking. It certainly gave me hope as clergy that maybe we can stand up against injustice in the world and make a difference. It was a reminder to me that our jobs are to get out of the pulpits and out into the streets and fight the fight Jesus also fought.

[Erin Stratton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in one day because I could not put it down. Such a powerful call for church leaders to be involved in the real issues facing our world, and practical advice for doing so in a way that is helpful and keeps the spotlight where it needs to be.

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent view from the meaningful stories of clergy. Touching.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing recollection about the power of clergy presence during social unrest.

[Heidi]

Read for class so no rating or review.

[Marti]

This author will be the Franklin College Baccalaureate speaker on May 21.

[Philip Barbier · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, understand that this is NOT a research textbook laying out frameworks and theory. This is a book of curated interviews from those involved in the protests in Ferguson and St. Louis in 2014/2015. As a book of interviews it does not lay out a single understanding of what leadership is or looks like in a time of crisis, but it presents a multitude of ways to understand leadership from each of those interviewed.

From the faith community perspective, this book provides thoughts from different faith leaders who engaged with the protests and in the community during this time frame. The experiences they share (from being present in the protest to opening their community's doors to serve as sanctuary and aid station to working to support other local faith communities who were nearer the protests) can help other faith leaders and communities to consider how they may engage, in both the short term and longer term, with issues of justice.

[Noah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got to attend Leah Gunning Francis' workshop at Synod, which is how I found out about this book. Both were awesome.

I really appreciate how she wove together stories here. She does some curating, but mostly it's just people in the movement talking about their work in their own voices. These long quotes really show people's personalities, motives, and stories. It's very interesting and inspiring to hear how different clergy (white and black) are responding to this movement -- and how they're responding to people responding to them.

Read it.

[Neil Harmon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book covers the first few weeks of the Ferguson protests from the viewpoint of various local religious leaders. BY having each leader narrate their own story, it was possible to see the same events through different eyes. The fact that, in this case, organized religion mostly didn't tried to lead but instead practiced a "ministry of presence" This led to a much more productive relationship with the protesters and allowed the clergy to be more effective than they might have been. Well worth reading and very credible.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about what you DIDN'T see on TV about the protests in Ferguson. The birth of a new, enduring, powerful movement working for racial justice and human rights. It is a collection of stories of faith in action and of collaborative leadership, and of the search for authentic relationships and community in a fractured society.

[Sadie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Writings from a variety of leaders on the ground during the black lives matter movement in Ferguson.

[Mjh · Rating 4 out of 5]

stories of youth leaders and supportive clergy. well done.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great compendium and glimpse into the conversations and actions prompted by the tragedy at Ferguson. Much food for thought and much inspiration.

[Diana Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very challenging and moving work that lays out the religious perspective of Black Lives Matter, the ways in which clergy and other religious leaders were able to welcome instead of being threatened by the leadership capabilities of black youths, many of whom were women. The book is a testimony from those in ministry who responded to the anger and pain of the killing of Michael Brown and so many other black men, women , and children from within their faith perspective and awakened to new roles as mentors and safe space providers not as leaders, leaving those roles to the energized young people of Ferguson and around the nation. I had long wondered what role the churches were playing and this book amply answered my questions and gave me hope about the vitality and significance of religious faith in what could be called the Third Reconstruction (Wm. J. Barber, Jr.) and the renewed struggle for civil rights and justice.

[Laura Kisthardt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book for a Transformational Leadership course at Yale Divinity School Spring 2018. I liked the personal testimonies of those who were on the ground in Ferguson. Most of the text was direct interviews. There are many lessons to be learned for clergy and lay people from reading this book.