Academy of Religious Leadership Annual Conference

“Leadership as Justice”

There are many descriptors that both characterize and shape prevailing understandings and practices of leadership: prophetic, biblical, pastoral, collaborative, adaptive, transformational, and so on. Just leadership—or leadership as justice—is less frequently invoked as a standalone framework, and more often nested within these prevailing archetypes. Given the ever-increasing injustices plaguing our world—including heightened occurrences of racism, xenophobia, mass incarceration, domestic and international terrorism, environmental degradation and climate change, income inequality and poverty, and discrimination of various kinds against nondominant populations—the question that must be asked is: How might religious leadership be(come) just?

Exploring leadership as justice invites a reconsideration of the what, who, why, when, where, and how of justice for leaders and religious communities alike. What does justice look, sound, smell, taste, and feel like for leaders and communities? What new forms and structures might/does just leadership take within communities? Who determines what justice is or should be, and for whom? Why is—or is not—justice a core concern for some leaders and not others, and thus some communities and not others? How are just leaders formed? How might centering justice within religious communities impact not only the immediate congregation or organization, but also the broader spheres and spaces in which it is located or have influence? What are the joys, challenges, highlights, and struggles of religious leaders who themselves seek to be(come) just, pursue justice, and/or invite others into justice work?