Lara Rusch ~ 28
In part because she anticipates his opinion, the pastor trusts her as core team leader and is
open to her proposals. She maintains her position by checking in with the pastor and
keeping him abreast of current activities.
The mobilization of political capital in congregations depends on the support of
the clergy and the arrangement of relationships within the congregation. The main idea in
this section has been to show how the means and character of involvement is one of
shared responsibility between clergy and lay people, and developing that responsibility
accounts for a large part of the initial work of organizing. Community organizing
practitioners accept religious authority as a given, and work with both clergy and lay
people to develop their leadership skills at influencing each other within the limitations of
their institutional roles.
Lay empowerment in community context
Relational community organizing methods comprise a comprehensive approach to
political participation because they engage people directly in political discussion and
action—including people who were not otherwise interested in politics, lacked the
confidence, or felt they lacked the capacity or knowledge to be politically influential. The
fact that civic skills and knowledge are predictive of political participation does not mean
that skills and knowledge must precede action or that they cannot be developed in the
process of political action. The unique context of relationships within religious
institutions and their inclusiveness helps enable action by people who lack experience or
efficacy. In the following examples from interviews with active lay people in Detroit,
interviewees explore how they see involvement in community organizing as
Convention