The Mission and Ministry Board of the Church of the Brethren offers the following statement in response to the U.S. Supreme Court decision affecting voting rights protections.
We believe God desires a reconciled people drawn from “every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages” (Revelation 7:9). Yet we recognize that many people and communities continue to experience racism, discrimination, and exclusion. As followers of Christ, we are called to listen deeply to those experiences, to learn from them, and to join God’s work of reconciliation, justice, and peace.
For this reason, we lament the U.S. Supreme Court’s April 29, 2026 decision weakening key protections of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. For decades, this provision has helped protect against racial discrimination in voting and public participation. We are concerned this ruling may create new barriers for communities that have historically faced exclusion and may further limit their ability to participate fully in decisions that affect their lives and the common good.
In the 2007 Annual Conference statement, Separate No More, the Church of the Brethren affirmed God’s call to become a people united across racial, ethnic, and cultural differences. We recognize that living into that vision requires more than good intentions. It requires us to confront discrimination, build relationships across differences, and speak with courage when human dignity, justice, and peace are threatened. That commitment continues today through the Church of the Brethren’s strategic priority to “Seek God’s Racial Justice,” which calls us to identify and dismantle barriers that prevent us from becoming a community of all nations, peoples, and languages gathered in God’s presence.
Guided by those convictions, we join our voices with all who seek a society in which every person is valued, every voice is heard, and those most vulnerable to discrimination are protected. We encourage congregations and members throughout the Church of the Brethren to:
- Engage intentionally with people whose racial, ethnic, and cultural experiences differ from their own.
- Listen carefully to stories of exclusion and marginalization.
- Work faithfully to remove barriers that prevent full participation in the life of the community.
We give thanks for those who, throughout history, have borne hardship and sacrifice in the pursuit of greater justice and broader participation in public life. Their witness reminds us that the freedoms and responsibilities we share are not to be taken for granted. As followers of Christ, we recognize that the work of seeking peace, protecting the vulnerable, and pursuing the common good calls for continual commitment and prayerful discernment.
We pray for wisdom among our nation’s leaders and institutions, for renewed commitment to justice and full participation, and for the courage to live faithfully as disciples of Jesus Christ. By our prayers and faithful living we bear witness to God’s reconciling love in our communities and our nation.
May we continue the work of building a society where justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream (Amos 5:24).
The Mission and Ministry Board at its meeting on Sunday, June 28, 2026 in Fort Wayne, Indiana adopted by consensus the statement “A Statement of Concern on Voting Rights Protections.”
Related Resources
- Associated Press: Supreme Court ruling weakens a key tool of the Voting Rights Act
- U.S. Supreme Court: Opinion in Louisiana v. Callais
- Church of the Brethren Strategic Plan
- Church of the Brethren Annual Conference Statement: Separate No More (2007)
- Church of the Brethren Annual Conference Statement: Church and State (1989)
- Standing with People of Color Initiative
- Church of the Brethren Intercultural Ministries
- Church of the Brethren Office of Peacebuilding and Policy