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Who We Are

We are a voice of progressive Protestant Christianity.

Founded in 1996, PCG brings an informed and progressive Protestant voice to public life. In keeping with its mission, PCG offers educational programs and advocacy opportunities to people of faith on matters of public policy and community life.

We bring a biblical and theological perspective to critical public issues.

Our approach to public life emerges from an understanding of God’s inclusive love and the recognition of justice as mutuality and interdependence. We respond to God’s love by working for the common good and by creating a community of mutuality in which each person is given maximum opportunity to flourish and contribute to the whole.

Our vision of the common good is articulated in the Common Good Agenda, a series of principles rooted in this theology of God’s purpose and justice to guide political thinking and advocacy.

We are a defining presence in Springfield.

Protestants for the Common Good maintains a presence in Springfield during the legislative session to inform elected officials of our positions on public policy, assist clergy and lay leaders of PCG in communicating with their legislators, and alert constituents to the need for advocacy through timely calls to action. Legislators have openly welcomed the voice of PCG in the capitol, seeking its assistance especially on issues of disagreement with the political Christian right.

We are a significant presence in churches across the state.

The central focus of PCG is to assist people in examining and exercising their responsibility as citizens in the light of their Christian faith. We pursue our educational activities and, where appropriate, our advocacy opportunities, through discussions and programs in congregational settings, from the pulpit when staff or board members are preaching, in public events like community forums, and through the dissemination of written policy and theological statements.

PCG has developed relationships with over 400 churches and their clergy and lay leaders throughout the Chicago metropolitan area, northern Illinois, and in a growing number of downstate communities.

How We Work

We recognize churches as essential places to explore the faith dimensions of political issues.

We help church members consider the impact of public policy on the common good in order to move beyond charity to justice in their application of faith to the broader community. We develop clear faith perspectives and written materials on political issues in keeping with the Common Good Agenda.

Advocacy opportunities are addressed to individual persons of faith. We never ask congregations to take a position, as an institution, on specific political issues or legislation. We act as a communications bridge between church members and advocacy groups working for issues of social justice.

We publish a bi-weekly electronic newsletter that discusses faith and public life.

The Common Good Network assists 4,000+ subscribers to explore the relationship between faith and public issues through timely columns from the Executive Director, essays, sermons and speeches on the common good, legislative and policy updates, biblical commentary on lectionary readings, fact sheets and a calendar of pertinent church and community events.

We also distribute Faith-in-Action alerts, providing advocacy opportunities for individuals to contact their local, state, and federal policymakers when legislative action is imminent.

We act as a site for field work by students in universities, seminaries, and schools of public policy.

PCG has become a highly sought placement for field work that prepares the next generation of clergy and advocates who will work for justice and the common good.

We cooperate with a broad range of coalitions.

We work with interfaith and ecumenical advocacy coalitions whenever possible. We also work with coalitions of secular organizations on justice issues of mutual concern, adding a faith dimension to many common efforts.

We provide resources to clergy and to churches.

We assist clergy and laity in articulating the faith dimensions of public policy by offering programs in local churches on social justice issues and making presentations at denominational meetings and conferences. We conduct advocacy trainings tailored for the particular interests and challenges of congregational members. We offer opportunities for clergy and other people of faith to testify at public hearings, visit their elected officials, and sign petitions for policy makers at the city, county, state, and federal levels of our society.

We also convene the Faith and Politics Forum which brings together religious and civic leaders, advocates, scholars, and shapers of public opinion to share insights, information, and practices on the intersection of faith and public life. The ongoing conversation of the Forum helps PCG strengthen our work by: encouraging persons of faith and conscience to participate in the democratic process; assisting in the formulation of a common good agenda; and recommending strategies for education and advocacy.