Who We Are

Theological Home. Pursuit of God’s Justice. Partnership in Mission.

These three core values guide the Alliance of Baptists. The Alliance of Baptists began in 1987 as a prophetic voice in Baptist life. Today, we have grown to be a justice movement and community of faith.  We are male and female laity and clergy, people of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities, theological beliefs, and ministry practices. We are about 4,500 individual members and roughly 140 congregations knit together by love for one another and God, combining progressive inquiry, contemplative prayer and prophetic action to bring about justice and healing in a changing world. 

Covenant & Mission

Adopted April 10, 2021

We are a people of faith formed by a long tradition of dissent and historic Baptist freedoms. Celebrating this heritage, we seek to cultivate beloved community, claiming our identity within the body of Christ in the world and our solidarity with all creation. We welcome and affirm all persons with full respect to gender, sexual, racial, and ethnic identities. We hold space for all persons with varying abilities, social standing, or economic status.
 
We lament that over time many of us have contributed to systems of racial, social, economic, and environmental injustice, privileging some while excluding others. As Baptists we confess that we have cherished independence from one another more than responsibility to one another and have allowed systemic injustices to flourish under the banner of individual freedom. We repent and seek transformation.
 
Embraced in baptismal waters, we freely gather to follow the radical way of Jesus. As disciples we pledge to wrestle with scripture in community, practice shared leadership, preserve local church freedom, and promote religious liberty.
 
Guided by the Spirit, we commit ourselves to:
 
Make the worship of God central in our life together;
         Hold the earth sacred, practice creation justice, and
                     Pursue God’s peace and love;
Nurture spiritual formation and support theological education,
         Develop ministry, ecumenical, and interfaith partnerships, and
                     Cultivate relationships of mutual respect and accountability;
Act to dismantle systems of white supremacy, patriarchy, and abusive power,
         Raise prophetic voices for liberation and justice, and
                     Work to eradicate poverty in all forms;
Establish spaces of refuge and renewal with those who are wounded,
         Listen to and follow voices that have been silenced, and
                     Break down barriers that divide us from each other and creation.
 
We seek to live in joy, humility, and gratitude, welcoming the realm of God.

In 2018, work began to re-envision the covenant that guides the Alliance and this new covenant was adopted at the business meeting on April 10, 2021.  To read the founding covenant, click here. To read the current covenant in Spanish and Portuguese, click here.


Behind The Logo

The Alliance flame was adopted in 2017. The three core values of the Alliance: theological home, pursuit of God’s justice and partnership in mission.

• The flame symbolizes our commitment to the pursuit of justice
• A wave at the bottom calling us to remember our theological home in the waters of baptism 
• And the three parts work together, symbolizing partnership in mission as understood through our Trinitarian faith

Board Of Directors

The Alliance is grateful for the leadership gifts it receives from so many volunteers who dedicate their time as board members, committee chairs, and community coordinators. The Board of Directors, in partnership with the staff, moves the vision and mission of the Alliance forward. Members of the Alliance are invited to submit the names of potential candidates to serve as directors on the board of the Alliance of Baptists to info@allianceofbaptists.org.

LISA DUNSON
President

KRIS NORRIS
Vice President

JODY JOYNER
Treasurer

CATHY TAMSBERG
Secretary

MICHAEL-RAY MATHEWS
Immediate Past President

Currrent Board Members

Jo Ann Alley, West Monroe, LA
Drew Bongiovani, Clarkston, GA
Micah Bucey, New York City, NY
Amy Canosa, Raleigh, NC
Lacette Cross, Richmond, VA
Aretha Flucker, Fort Worth, TX
Andrew Gardner, Hartford, CT
Wendell Griffen, Little Rock, AR
Darrell Hamilton II, New York, NY

Ken Brooker Langston (DOC Rep.), Annapolis, MD
Rodney Macias, Van Alstyne, TX
Melanie Nogalski, Waco, TX
Sylvia Oberle, Winston-Salem, NC
Mark Pettis (UCC Rep.), Cleveland, OH
Erica Saunders, Oberlin, Ohio
Mica Togami, San Diego, CA
Christine Y. Wiley, Fort Washington, MD
Sandy Washington, Dallas, TX

Our Staff

CAROLE COLLINS
carole@allianceofbaptists.org
co-director

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REVEREND ELIJAH ZEHYOUE, Ph.D
elijah@allianceofbaptists.org
co-director

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REVEREND APRIL BAKER
april@allianceofbaptists.org
mission and ministry partner liaison

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REVEREND STEPHANIE TRUE COOPER
stephanie@allianceofbaptists.org
strategic communications and clergy engagement manager

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REVEREND BRETT HARRIS
brett@allianceofbaptists.org
visual communications associate

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KRISTY PULLEN
kristy@allianceofbaptists.org
communications and development associate

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MINISTER ALEXIS TARDY
alexis@allianceofbaptists.org
THRIVE Coordinator

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