Laboratories for Democracy: How faith communities quietly power local civic engagement
What if we stopped thinking of democracy as something that happens every four years—and started seeing it as something we practice every day?
In a moment when national politics often feels loud, divisive, and distant, something quieter—and more powerful—is happening much closer to home. In church basements and synagogue social halls, in mosque community rooms and in Zoom gatherings after worship. In these places, people show up, sit together, listen, talk, eat, sing—and build the habits of democracy without even realizing it.
In early November, in partnership with Union Theological Seminary’s Technology, Innovation and Digital Engagement Lab (TIDEL) and their Center for Community Engagement & Social Justice (CCESJ), innoFaith hosted a webinar on “How Faith Communities Drive Local Civic Engagement and Strengthen Democracy” with:
Dr. Gabby Cudjoe-Wilkes, Director, Technology, Innovation, and Digital Engagement Lab (TIDEL), Union Theological Seminary
Chris Crawford, Senior Director of Civic Strategies, Interfaith America
Talya Gillman, Program Director, Citizen University
Danielle Goldstone, Founder/Director, innoFaith (Moderator)
The conversation highlighted how faith communities have always been places where people gather across generations, backgrounds, and beliefs, making them important laboratories for democracy. Not because they’re hosting political debates, but because they’re practicing what democracy really is—showing up for one another, organizing around real local needs, and taking action together.
Talya Gillman of Citizen University called faith communities “training grounds for democratic life.” It’s not just about what we believe, but about how we practice being in community. When we gather for worship, meals, or service, we are learning to welcome, listen, cooperate, compromise, and take responsibility—all core civic skills.
And in a time when hyper-individualism and loneliness often keep us isolated, faith communities remind us that it is still possible to sit shoulder-to-shoulder, to disagree, and still remain in relationship with one another. Physical gathering–using our bodies and voices—actually helps us metabolize anxiety and build trust. It prepares us to show up in other civic spaces with more compassion, more courage, and more resilience.
Chris Crawford from Interfaith America pointed out that 20% of polling places in the U.S. are houses of worship. Faith communities provide physical space for elections. Clergy serve as poll chaplains. Faith communities share voting information. In this way, they help protect democracy—not theoretically, but literally.
Local faith communities also have something rare: trust. When faith leaders speak, people listen. When congregations mobilize, neighbors show up. When crises hit—whether it’s a flood, hunger, loneliness, or misinformation—faith spaces become hubs of action and care. Whether it's a food pantry, a voter registration drive, a housing coalition, or cleaning up a local park—doing something together helps melt ideological rigidity. You stop seeing each other as labels (“liberal,” “conservative”) and start seeing each other as co-workers, neighbors, allies.
As Chris said, “Bridge-building is always a choice. But it works best when we’re building something together.”
Of course, not all gathering happens in person. Dr. Gabby Cudjoe-Wilkes from TIDEL reminds us that digital spaces, when done well, can expand who gets to participate. They remove accessibility barriers. They make room for deeper learning, formation, and equipping.
Also, not everything we do has to be about bridging difference. Faith communities can also provide spaces that are intimate, experimental, and safe for people with shared values. “You don’t always have to put opposing viewpoints in the same room,” Gabby said. Sometimes the most powerful thing is to gather people who do share values and help them learn, prepare, and grow—so they can go back into the public square ready to engage with wisdom, courage, and care.
Faith communities remind us that democracy isn’t just defended in courts and legislatures—it's practiced in community rooms and sanctuaries, around shared meals, and through everyday acts of care and responsibility. Faith institutions aren’t just places of worship. They are also community infrastructure that supports civic health, including physical space, webs of relationships, and channels of communication; and they are places of formation, of connection, and of becoming the kind of people democracy needs.
Resources to explore:
Interfaith America’s Faith in Elections Playbook
Citizen University’s Civic Saturdays & Power + Character Program
TIDEL’s Event Series
innoFaith’s Spotlight on Solutions: 5 Strategies for Local Civic Innovation
Photo by Erika Giraud on Unsplash