Eight years ago, I was neck deep in the campaign for the presidency of our Association. I was one of the campaign managers for The Rev. Dr. William G. Sinkford, and working to elect him to lead our movement was (ultimately) one of the most important and gratifying things I’ve ever done. There have been many achievements of the Sinkford presidency, but one of the most wonderful has been the full restoration of Unitarian Universalism’s voice in the public square after a decades-long diminishment.
Those of us who love this faith owe Bill an enormous debt of gratitude for making credible a liberal religious voice amid the conservative noise that passes for public debate. In his strategic commitment to speaking faithfully, Bill changed the game for Unitarian Universalism’s public witness. Today, our faith once again provides respected testimony to our liberal values. Hearing Unitarian Universalists speak truth to power is expected—even assumed. The first phase of the reclamation of our historic power has been wildly successful, and as a parish minister who has worked to leverage that public voice in her local community, I’m delighted with that success.
It’s time once again for Unitarian Universalists to elect a religious professional to lead our movement into the 21st century. Yet the urgent work that faces our association is very different now than it was when Bill chose to run for the presidency. As liberal religious people, we are called now, more than ever, to be both articulate in naming the brokenness of this world and effective in the work of healing our world. That’s why I am supporting The Rev. Dr. Laurel Hallman as the next President of our Association.
In his brilliant Ware Lecture from 2008, the African American community activist Van Jones spoke about the next level of insight, awareness and activism that we must embrace as human beings living on this fragile and endangered planet. And one of his themes—not unique to us as UUs, but so very relevant for us—is that it’s not enough to have a critique; you have to have a plan. I am supporting Laurel because she has a plan, not a critique of how awful/unprepared/inept we are.mach-zehnder Laurel has a plan that takes Unitarian Universalism to the next level of insight and influence, based on her decades of experience, not only as a parish minister, not only as a brilliant fundraiser, but also as a committed community organizer working with Ernesto Cortes and other members of Dallas Area Interfaith.
Those of us who have been exposed to the community-organizing model know intimately that it’s never about talk, because talk is cheap. Those of us who know community organizing know that it’s never about what a single person can do, but about what a committed group can do when it works together to hold powerful people accountable. Most importantly, those of us who know community organizing have seen what can happen when a collaborative leader brings together people who are so different that they shouldn’t even be able to stand next to each other. We know that amazing things happen when such disparate people unite in a common purpose! I support Laurel because she has lived and ministered in that knowledge for nearly three decades.
Bill Sinkford’s exemplary success in leading Unitarian Universalism has served to raise the bar for liberal religious leadership itself. We have traveled beyond the point where our movement can empower religious leaders who often talk a good game, but in the end hesitate to change the game. I am impatient with those leaders in our movement who participate in press conferences and public actions that make liberal religious people feel good, but leave those we oppose feeling angry or dismissive, and leave those unfamiliar with our faith—the movable middle—feeling both unmoved and unchanged. I support Laurel because she knows very well how to argue with people like the late Jerry Falwell, or how to get face time with people like President Bill Clinton, (for the record, she’s done both!) But she also knows, and will institutionalize, ways to build capacity in the tiniest congregation, ways to support the midsize congregations that are betwixt and between, ways to challenge large congregations to step forward for our faith. Even more important, Laurel knows how to support all our congregations as they work strategically within their own communities, so that our congregations become known as trusted partners in the work of justice, so that real and lasting change occurs.
Most of all, I support Laurel because I feel in her presence what I feel in Bill Sinkford’s presence: a deep knowledge of The Holy, and a deep commitment to Unitarian Universalism as a liberal religious faith as opposed to some random nonprofit group. I resonate deeply with those within our movement like Laurel who find depth, strength and focus in a consistent religious practice, and whose spirituality grounds the work they accomplish. I have confidence that when Laurel leads—even when I disagree with her—she will lead from the core of our Living Tradition, that she will support religious leaders like myself in the work of justice and peace, and that she will call on each and every one of us to reach deeper and do more. Laurel leads with the spirit of a pastor, the focus of a seasoned executive and the insight of the community activist that she’s been for more than 20 years. She has my unqualified support, and I hope you will join me in voting for her at our next General Assembly.
