Civic Action Network

The Civic Action Network, the organizing and training arm of the Community Renewal Society, is made up of congregations throughout the Chicago metropolitan area dedicated to put their faith into action to win change for racial and economic justice.  Civic Action organizers work with congregational leaders to build relationships within their churches, identify new leaders in the congregation, and engage the church in local, city-wide and state-wide campaigns for justice.

Congregations meet 2-4 times a year in the Civic Action Network Leadership Council to identify issues of concern and launch new campaigns. One of these meetings is the CRS Annual Membership Assembly where the member congregations also elect the CRS Board of Directors.

When the member congregations choose a new campaign, an Issue Team is formed. This team, made up of 10-15 leaders with special knowledge or passion for the issue, creates the campaign strategy, plans events, and leads public action to win change.

The work of the Civic Action Network is overseen by the Strategy Team. This team of 6-12 advanced leaders representing the diversity of the Civic Action Network's membership sets the broad strategy for the organization, coordinates the work of the different Issue Teams, serves as the public spokespeople for the network, and executes organization-wide actions such as the Martin Luther King Day Community Empowerment Assembly and the Day of Faith in Action in Springfield.