A Message on Our Prophetic Voice and Action

In a letter to the church, the First Presidency calls Community of Christ to renewed prophetic imagination and Spirit-led action in response to suffering and injustice around the world. While leadership cannot speak formally to every crisis, disciples everywhere are invited to act boldly for peace, justice, and dignity in their local community.

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​We are reminded to follow the Spirit’s leading, practice radical nonviolence, seek unity amid diversity, and engage courageously where we are called. The church’s most transformative witness is found in the faithful, local actions of a prophetic people who refuse passivity and embody Christ’s peace in a fractured world.

 

Dear Members and Friends,
As prophetic people, we are called to engage in deep discernment and prophetic imagination in a complex time. Because we are a global church, the grief of one community is the grief of us all.
We witness profound suffering across the world—whether it is violence in communities like Minnesota, USA, the perilous collapse of Haiti, the devastation in Ukraine, or the atrocities tearing through Nigeria and the Congo DR. In the face of this, we know a deeper response is required. While leadership cannot issue a formal statement for every crisis, a prophetic, Spirit-led movement is never passive or indifferent when human dignity is violated.

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We believe the most transformative voice of the church is the bold, local action of a people set on fire by the Holy Spirit. The First Presidency seeks to empower prophetic people who act for justice and peace wherever they live and serve.

We are not a community that waits for permission to act; we are a movement of disciples called to:

• Follow the Spirit into the Breach: Do not wait for a global decree to address the injustice your neighborhood. Ask where the Spirit is leading you now and move with conviction.

•  Embody Radical Nonviolence: Our commitment to nonviolence (WCR 1330) is not a passive stance; it is a demand to actively confront violence with a divine alternative: the power of Christ’s peace.

• Wrestle for Unity, Not Uniformity: Our diversity is our strength. Engage in courageous, uncomfortable dialogue to find the common ground that allows us to act for the common good in all local contexts.

• Speak in Local Contexts: If you feel an official statement from the church in your nation or area is needed, reach out to your Mission Center Officers or Field Apostles to explore what might be appropriate.

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In a fractured world, we are called to signal a new way of being. We challenge you to be prophetically agile. Be ready to let the Spirit disrupt your comfort, adjust your perspectives, and align your heart with God’s vision. As we "discern and pursue what matters most," let us not merely watch history—let us shape it through faithful, bold, nonviolent actions of justice, generosity, and peace.

 

Onward in Christ’s peace!

The First Presidency
Stassi D. Cramm
Bunda C. Chibwe

Janne’ C. Grover