The Rev. Dr. Jacqueline Lewis
Denomination: Other
Organization: Middle Collegiate Church, New York, NY
The Rev. Jacqueline J. Lewis, Ph.D.
Senior Minister, Middle Collegiate Church, New York, NY
Executive Director, The Middle Project, Inc.
Dr. Jacqui Lewis is Senior Minister Middle Collegiate Church (middlechurch.org) in the East Village of Manhattan. Middle Church is a dynamic 750-member multiracial, multicultural, inclusive congregation in which everyone is welcome just as they are as they come through the door. Lewis is also the Executive Director of The Middle Project, an institute that prepares ethical leaders for a more just society.
Prior to Middle Church, Dr. Lewis worked as a senior consultant for the Alban Institute. Lewis has been a pastor to two congregations in Trenton, New Jersey. One was a new church development and community center called the Imani Community Church, a rich multicultural experiment, which cemented her commitment to multicultural and multiracial congregations as a way to dismantle discrimination. Lewis believes that when we "rehearse" the Reign of God in congregational life, we learn lessons for healing the world.
Dr. Lewis graduated from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, with a B.S. in Business Administration. She earned her Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1992, focusing on preaching, urban ministry and education. Lewis earned a M.Phil. (2002) and a Ph.D. (2004) in Psychology and Religion from Drew University, writing a dissertation on leaders in multiracial/multicultural congregations.
Ordained in the Presbyterian Church (USA), Dr. Lewis is a nationally recognized author, activist, speaker, and preacher on the topics of racial, economic, and gender/LGBTI justice. She has been adjunct faculty at Princeton Theological Seminary, Union Theological Seminary, The Graduate Theological Union, New Brunswick Theological Seminary, and Wesley Theological Seminary. Lewis has been interviewed on NPR's Weekend Edition, WABC, WNBC, CNN, GritTV, in Ebony and Forbes magazines, and The New York Times online. Author of The Power of Stories: A Guide for Leaders in Multi-Racial and Multi-Cultural Congregations and a children's book that celebrates diversity, You Are So Wonderful!, Lewis has published numerous articles and sermons, and blogs for The Huffington Post. She is working on a spiritual memoir about getting a grown-up God.
Day1 Weekly Programs by The Rev. Dr. Jacqueline Lewis
View All Day1 Weekly Programs...
The Fountain of Life
Tuesday January 15, 2013
In this moving sermon based on Psalm 36, the Rev. Dr. Jacqueline Lewis calls us to follow the example of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and boldly proclaim God's justice for lost people who need hope.
Articles by The Rev. Dr. Jacqueline Lewis
Jacqueline Lewis: A Spirituality For Hot-Mess Times #LoveTakesAction
Saturday February 25, 2017
These times demand that we resist violence to our own bodies and souls, and give them tender care as an act of revolutionary love.
ON Scripture: A Work in Progress (Haggai 1:15b-2:9) By The Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis
Monday October 31, 2016
As we stand on the precipice of a new presidential administration; as the discourse in the public square is mired in vitriol and violence; as the lack of value of the lives of Black folk, immigrant folk, and queer folk is plainly demonstrated by the piling-up of dead bodies...we are asking the prophetic question, 'How long, O God?'
Jacqueline Lewis: Vote! It's the Loving Thing to Do
Friday October 28, 2016
What does your neighbor need? What do you need? That is all on the ballot. So, it is our turn to love God with all we have and love our neighbor as ourselves. It is our turn to think of voting as a holy act, as a mitzvoth, as a right and as a calling.
Jacqueline Lewis: Into God's Hands
Sunday April 26, 2015
Sometimes it feels like death is all there is: the slowly dying intent of the more well-to-do, who feel stuck in between their personal ethics and values and those of their companies and co-workers. The dying promises of a democracy, in which government should and must care for the most vulnerable, whose promises are on life support.
ON Scripture: Exhaling Judgment: A Personal Journey Toward Radical Welcome (John 10:11-18) By The Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis
Monday April 20, 2015
Jesus is the ideal shepherd, the model shepherd, the best kind of shepherd; the one who makes the promises of God available to all of God’s people by laying down his life for the sheep. This loving Shepherd has a huge and diverse flock.
Jacqueline Lewis: Mad as Hell
Thursday May 29, 2014
To me 'Christian' means finishing what Jesus started. Healing what is sick, repairing what is broken, standing up for those on the margins. Standing up for women and children.
Jacqueline Lewis: Reconciliation
Thursday August 01, 2013
Racism in America has left millions of us with pock-marked souls. Korean shop owners fearing the blacks from whom they make a living. Hispanics and blacks squaring off over immigration reform. And the souls of black folks are wounded, and scarred with centuries of injury. Objectification. Profiling. Our children lynched, or shot on highways or walking home. Women treated like creatures and put on display. Our souls are wounded.
Jacqueline Lewis: Movement for Justice: Changing the Story
Thursday June 27, 2013
The Supreme Court rulings yesterday are an important episode in the human story. And the movement for justice continues. This movement is an ongoing narrative, with a beginning, middle, and an end.
Jacqueline Lewis: This Ain't No Ordinary King
Wednesday March 27, 2013
This is a week about conflict, a week about a clash of values. On the one hand is the Roman Empire with its trickle-down oppression, abject poverty, and warped priorities. On the other hand, the Kingdom of God, in which children matter and are cherished and kept safe.