Civic Engagement and Faith Perspectives

Faculty, staff, and students at member institutions of the Network of ELCA Colleges and Universities (NECU) have long called for and practiced civic engagement — defined here as knowledge of social and political institutions and processes, skills to participate in civic life, and an interest in acting to better one’s community (Adler and Goggin 2005). As of August 1, 2025 with the adoption of the ELCA social statement Faith and Civic Life: Seeking the Well-Being of All, we are formally called to live out a mission that includes civic engagement as a cornerstone of our educational efforts.

The social statement makes this call in two parts. First, “To have a strong democracy, members of the public must know how civic institutions are supposed to function and how they are called to participate” (ELCA 2025, article 47). In other words, civic engagement is critically important. Second, the singular mention of higher education in a statement that runs more than fifty pages is “To urge faculty, staff, and administrators of ELCA-related colleges, universities, and seminaries to renew and emphasize education toward callings in public service, and to model and encourage dynamic civic participation among their students” (ELCA 2025, resolution 15).

To address such a substantial and meaningful call, we seven political scientists (and students) gathered for a conference. The social statement and the specific charge of NECU institutions is much more than can be achieved through a conference, but a conference is something concrete and, importantly, it does represent a meaningful step forward in several ways. First, to our knowledge, the conference was the first intentionally constructed gathering of political scientists from NECU member institutions in recent memory. Second, the conference brought together scholars working on both civic engagement pedagogy and scholarship across institutions from different faith traditions. As a central theme, participants were asked to reflect on “How is your civic engagement work linked to your institution’s faith-affiliation?”

This essay will discuss the conference from several perspectives. First, it will briefly overview some of the ways that civic engagement is part of the call of NECU institutions. It will then recap some of the main themes and calls to action from the conference. Finally, it will introduce the short essays that follow from the other political scientists who participated along with the perspectives of two student participants.

The Importance of Civic Engagement at Lutheran Institutions

As Kleinhans (2018, 120) argues, “Martin Luther considered governmental authority to be one of the structures through which God exercises providential care of the created world.” This is because “individuals flourish only as they are embedded in larger communities” (NECU 2018, 7). Those communities include people, all of whom are our neighbors, and Luther demonstrates that radical hospitality and neighbor justice mean engaging with and caring for everyone (Peñaranda 2023). Since neighbors are necessarily both members and non-members of the church, Lutherans are called to be faith-based and interfaith-dependent and to engage in their communities including government, non-profit, and community groups (Stortz 2016). How do Lutheran higher education institutions heed this call? A variety of authors in Intersections have provided their own reflections and experiences from their institutional perspectives (e.g., Carlsen 2008; Hughes 2021; Marichal 2007; McDonald 2011; Tunheim 2012).

We seek to extend and to expand the existing conversation beyond these excellent examples, and this conference represents one step in that direction. While Luther calls us to consider civic engagement as part of our vocation, other religious leaders similarly call their adherents and affiliated institutions to perform civically engaged work. At the same time, public higher education institutions have a natural and often statutorily mandated responsibility to serve their community. Instead of arguing that Lutheran institutions exclusively operate in this space, we find it instructive to be guided by these perspectives and to adapt them in ways that fit our own institutional characteristics. Civic engagement can be done differently at Lutheran institutions, but our approach is best guided by our own Lutheran values, the experiences of those at other Lutheran institutions, and the knowledge and understanding of those from different faith perspectives also called to value civic engagement.

Conference Overview

The conference took place at the Chapel of the Abiding Presence on the campus of Texas Lutheran University (TLU). Faculty were political science professors selected based on their own expertise in civic engagement scholarship and practice as well as to represent a variety of institutions that share geographic location, institutional size, and/or faith-affiliation to TLU. Faculty came from California Lutheran University, Valparaiso University, Muhlenberg College, Saint Leo University, St. Edward’s University, and Baylor University. Through this diversity, the conference aimed to demonstrate how institutions and faculty have approached and successfully navigated a wide-range of opportunities and challenges related to civic engagement work. More than a dozen TLU students presented as part of the conference in a variety of sessions designed to engage participants in meaningful conversations on different aspects of the conference theme.

The conference format focused heavily on discussion — with each other, with students, and with the audience — and, therefore, included no traditional lectures or presentations. The first day started with introductions, goal setting, and a session exploring how civic engagement has been included in a variety of religious texts. That session, led by TLU theology and philosophy professor H. David Baer, presented textual snippets on politics from authors with various faith perspectives. Discussion centered around whether and how faith is integrated into or separate from politics and civic life. A key question was whether these thinkers considered politics as encompassing civic engagement.

Following this grounding work and a conference-themed chapel break, attendees were treated to two student-led panels approaching civic engagement at faith-affiliated institutions from two perspectives. First, students Ainsley Lake, Monica Sitachitta, and Emerald St Laurent focused on what faith-affiliation means for the student experience and the opportunity to perform civic engagement work. These students were some of those who traveled with TLU faculty Kathleen Seal, Tiffiny Sia, campus pastor Rev. Wes Cain, and me to Holden Village in May 2025. Their discussion focused on the extent to which students understand and subscribe to the values that undergird a faith-affiliated education, as these values are inclusive of a range of religious perspectives. The students also emphasized that, while religious activities on campus can help promote student belonging and engagement that then further civic life, lack of engagement in religious life is a symptom of larger challenges with student belonging, sense of purpose, and vocational discernment.

Students Andie Lozano-Lomeli, Allegra Negrete, Izzie Stephens, and Ruby Wilsford then considered challenges and opportunities of doing civic engagement at a faith-affiliated institution. Each of these students have led civic engagement initiatives at TLU. Their discussion focused on how civic engagement work is only possible through comprehensive planning and alignment across all elements of student life. Students must be recruited with a clear sense of and subscription to the institution’s mission. Curricular and co-curricular offerings and experiences must deliver on these mission-based principles. Faith-affiliated institutions — and especially Lutheran institutions — have long stated the importance of mission, but it requires a comprehensive, institution-wide effort for students to be able to clearly articulate why the education that they are receiving at a faith-affiliated institution is distinctive, how that education helps them to live out their vocation, and the extent to which civic engagement is a mission-aligned point of distinction.

Our faith-informed missions can be used to provide strong guidance for civically engaged action if our institutions clearly articulate these principles.

The afternoon featured students leading discussions on essays prepared by the faculty attendees, the finalized versions of which follow this essay. Mase Aleman, Gigi Baeza-Smith, Ainsley Davis, Matthew DeLeon, Jenna Newman, and Eleanor Puchot served as discussants. From these conversations, participants noted the commonalities between many of the strategies and challenges of doing civic engagement work across faith-affiliated institutions. Despite the participants coming from different locations, institutional sizes, and faith affiliations, participants recognized that there can be a stronger connection between our faith affiliations and civic engagement. Our faith-informed missions can be used to provide strong guidance for civically engaged action if our institutions clearly articulate these principles.

Call to Action

With a clear framework established regarding the student and faculty experience of doing civic engagement work at faith-affiliated institutions, the remainder of the conference was dedicated to reflections, next steps, and idea generation. Through our discussion, participants developed a series of calls to action for students, faculty, staff, and institutions to further the connection between our faith-affiliations and civic engagement.

Our call to students is to seek out opportunities to participate in the mission of their institution, to discern their vocation, and to increase their civic engagement. Faith-affiliated institutions add value when students see their time at these institutions holistically but also understand how faith-affiliated values are truly important for a fruitful and productive life.

Our call to faculty is to invest in civic engagement work as part of the core of their disciplines, alongside other components of their institution’s mission. Civic engagement must be embedded as an institutional mission in all the work in which we engage. Doing so allows students to see how civic engagement fits into their vocation and to do so in a variety of contexts.

Our call to institutions is to actively use faith-affiliated language to live into and to promote our own mission. Institutions that aim to be everything to everyone or that follow short-term opportunities and trends lack a clear identity. Civic engagement is a traditional strength of faith-affiliated — and particularly Lutheran — institutions. Institutions may be hesitant to clearly define how their faith-affiliation shapes all components of campus life. As many institutions aim to bolster enrollment, they must move boldly forward, advertising and acting to define the type of students and the type of engagement that they wish to foster. Part of such a movement toward our mission and so that all may flourish is focusing on the well-being of faculty and staff and ensuring that they have the capacity, resources, energy, and direction to lead students to become more civically engaged.

Our call to NECU and to the ELCA is to provide more opportunities for faculty to engage with one another, to problem solve, and to develop relationships across campuses. Faculty have the expertise, knowledge, and interest in supporting their institution’s mission and, more generally, in collaborating to address common cross-institution problems like those associated with civic engagement work.

Participant Essays

Each faculty participant was asked to reflect and to prepare a short essay on the conference theme, and these essays follow. The essays demonstrate a range of approaches to thinking about the role of institutional faith-affiliation in civic engagement work. A. Lanethea Mathews-Schultz frames her courses around the core values of the Muhlenberg family, who themselves found their Lutheran faith as a calling to participate actively in civic and political life. Haco Hoang brings these connections into the modern day, describing how partnerships with the Lutheran Office of Public Policy provide grounded opportunities for civic engagement work that reflects institutional values. James Old reminds those interested in civic engagement work that the transition between rooted historical and religious values and contemporary practices is often challenging — amid financial and enrollment challenges, how can Lutheran institutions continue to meaningfully fulfill their civic engagement mission?

We were fortunate to expand faith affiliations beyond Lutheranism to include participants from Baptist and Catholic institutions. David Thomason describes how Christians are called by their faith to be involved in civic life and the furtherance of democracy and to do so in a way that is intentionally inclusive. Austin Trantham zooms in on specific core values that form the basis of an Order of Saint Benedict education. Finally, Rebecca Flavin shows readers a Baptist perspective that civic engagement is a global calling to meaningfully build and sustain community.

The section concludes with an essay from students Emma Bohmann and Monica Sitachitta, who describe their thoughts and reflections from the conference. They identify several challenges linking faith to civic engagement work, especially in contexts where faith affiliation is less central to institutional identity and where other institutional concerns are seemingly more urgent. Nevertheless, their essay, and indeed the call of the entire conference is that meaningfully linking our faith affiliations to civic engagement work is critically important for democracy, for our students and their vocational discernment, and for the health and identity of our institutions.

Works Cited

Adler, Richard P., and Judy Goggin. 2005. “What Do We Mean By Civic Engagement?” Journal of Transformative Education 3(3): 236-53.

Carlsen, Mary S. 2008. “Engaging the Local Community: Why Bother?” Intersections 27: 6-12.

ELCA. 2025. “Faith and Civic Life: Seeking the Well-Being of All.”

Hughes, Krista. 2021. “Community-Building on Campus and Beyond.” Intersections 54: 9-10.

Kleinhans, Kathryn A. 2018. “Good Government and the Vocation of Citizenship: A Lutheran Perspective.” Dialog 57(2): 120-25. doi:10.1111/dial.12392.

Marichal, José. 2007. “Why Diversity and Civic Engagement Don’t Talk to Each Other on College Campuses: The Need for Public Work.” Intersections 25: 25-30.

McDonald, Joseph. 2011. “Lutheran Colleges, the Lutheran Tradition, and the Future of Service-Learning.” Intersections 34: 17-22.

NECU. 2018. “Rooted and Open: The Common Calling of the Network of ELCA Colleges and Universities.”

Peñaranda, Nicolette Marie. 2023. “The Gospel According to Civic Engagement.” Dialog 62(1): 71-74. doi:10.1111/dial.12804.

Stortz, Martha E. 2016. “Why Interfaith Work Is Not a Luxury: Lutherans as Neighboring Neighbors.” Intersections 44: 9-20.

Tunheim, Katherine A. 2012. “Practical Approaches for Lutheran College to Engage Civil Society.” Intersections 35: 20-22.