Frequently Asked Questions

Is CEL an Interfaith/Multifaith Group?

While we respect and seek to learn from faiths beyond Christianity, we recognize that Christians have a specific responsibility to address this crisis because it is the Christian Church that Trump is using as his religious prop for authoritarianism. We appreciate the support and collegiality of clergy of all faiths while focusing on the work that needs to be done by Christian clergy.

Is CEL only for clergy or can laity join?

While we appreciate and need the support of laity, the focus of this group is specifically for those with a clergy-level leadership role within their congregations.  We encourage laity to ally with groups such as the Poor People’s Campaign (and others) as well as their own denominational and congregational justice teams.  We also invite you to “like” the CEL Facebook page and engage in conversation on that platform.  Our public CEL Facebook page is for ANYONE who supports our work and seeks to keep up to date on what’s happening in our community.

Clergy and lay people in major leadership roles need a relatively safe space to discuss how to handle leading a red or purple church effectively and how to navigate political and theological issues.  Many clergy folks in the CEL FB Group might have their job jeopardized if their congregants knew they were a part of CEL.  We want to respect privacy and protect those clergy who are in more vulnerable positions so that they can participate fully and openly.

You’re called the Clergy Emergency League.  How are you defining “clergy”?

Our definition of “clergy” is broadly understood to include congregational leaders tasked with preaching, teaching, and pastoral care.  There is a designated responsibility for these leaders to be accountable to their congregations, to their communities, to the larger church, and – most importantly – to the gospel of Jesus Christ.  

“Clergy” includes the following:

  • any denominationally-recognized and authorized servant-leader position (such as deacons, elders, etc.). 

  • those in seminary or divinity school

  • Seminary educators

  • student pastors

  • retired clergy

What is the duration of CEL?

At the minimum, the Clergy Emergency League will continue through the 2020 election cycle and the inauguration in January 2021.  Should circumstances require the group to continue, or should the members choose to do so, the group may continue beyond that time-frame. We freely acknowledge that Trump’s departure from office will not rid this country of the systems of oppression and white supremacy that he has used to come to power. Our work will continue once he is out of the White House.

What exactly is the Clergy Emergency League going to do?

We’re forming a grassroots community of clergy to support each other and share resources to equip us for our calling to teach and preach the Gospel in a time of social unrest, political upheaval, and partisan divide.  As clergy persons, we are called to preach a prophetic witness in a space where the Christian faith is being co-opted to achieve policies of violence and oppression.  We will not remain silent.  We seek to form the Clergy Emergency League into a community where fellow clergy can find fellowship to support them in their calling as leaders of congregations struggling to embody a faithful witness in such chaotic times.  We will do so by providing the following resources:

  • Liturgies, prayers, and hymns to provide worship for the Body of Christ seeking to be faithful to our calling to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8).

  • An annotated bibliography of books, articles, sermons, podcasts, documentaries, and other resources that speak to the Commitments and Focus of the Clergy Emergency League.

  • Weekly Lectionary Sermon Helps to provide resources for prophetic preaching that speaks to our Commitments and Focus.

  • Opportunities for Zoom meetings for support, studies, resources, etc.

  • Other forms of support for all clergy, especially those who are serving in contexts where it is particularly difficult for them to speak about issues that are difficult conversations.

Why Are We Called the
“Clergy Emergency League”?

We are calling clergy to unite in a way similar to what the pastors of the Confessing Church did in Nazi Germany. They banded together to form the Pastors’ Emergency League and resisted the Third Reich until it was finally brought down.  People of faith, especially Christians – and specifically the clergy – have a specific responsibility to stand up to violent authoritarianism that uses the church and the Bible as a staging ground for terror.  If we do not speak out, then we are truly lost.  There can be no sitting out and staying silent. To do so is to be complicit with evil.  We encourage Christian clergy to find their voice, step into their calling, and carry out the compassionate, bold, and justice-seeking ministry to which God is calling us.

We slightly altered the original name to be “clergy” so as to be inclusive of different denominations that do not use the term “pastor” for their faith leaders.