How does a place of worship move beyond activism into true community organizing?

In this episode of New Church Ministry’s IMPACT webinar series, guest Rev. Dr. Dietra Wise Baker joined host and Minister of New Church Strategies Rev. Dr. Jose Martinez to explore the difference between organizing and activism, and why proximity has the power to transform both congregations and their neighborhoods.

This event was a continuation of our previous episode on Micro-Activism.

Our conversation guest for this webinar was Rev. Dr. Dietra Wise Baker, the Assistant Professor of Community Leadership and Director of Walker Leadership Institute at Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis, MO. She is certified anti-racism trainer for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada, and a trainer of faith-based community organizing in the Gamaliel network. Dr. Baker teaches Church Planting, Youth Ministry, Preaching, Faith Community Organizing, Anti-Racism/Anti-Caste, Vocational Resilience and Formation.

She is a respected trainer and community leader who often consults and collaborates around her sustained work in community organizing, youth justice, detention/prison/jail, and faith justice movements.

Dr. Baker has a Bachelor of Science degree from Howard University in Washington, D.C.; a Master of Divinity degree from Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis, MO; and her Doctorate of Ministry in Preaching degree from Aquinas Institute of Theology St. Louis, MO. Dietra is mother to son Cornell A. (Deuce) Baker II.