OUR STORY SO FAR
In September 2014, over 60 Christian ministries in the St. Louis area joined together to engage in prayer, worship, and evangelism
amidst the civil unrest in Ferguson, Missouri for what became known as the Ferguson Response.
In January 2016; over 100 spiritual leaders gathered to St.Louis from around the country to pray for the emergence of a new breed of leadership to address the historical racial divide in America, and for a multi-cultural spiritual awakening. This gathering which culminated on January 18th, (Martin Luther King, Jr.day); catalyzed a new civil righteousness movement .
For the next several years, Pastor Jonathan Tremaine Thomas traveled the country carrying the Civil Righteousness message to churches and conferences. Meanwhile, in Kalamazoo, Michigan; a city-wide unity movement called Jesus Loves Kalamazoo (JLK) began to host annual Civil Righteousness Conferences and embrace the emerging pillars of the movement. As more local Civil Righteousness expressions began to emerge in several cities, Civil Righteousness Inc. was formed as a 501(c)3 non profit charitable organization in February 2018.
amidst the civil unrest in Ferguson, Missouri for what became known as the Ferguson Response.
In January 2016; over 100 spiritual leaders gathered to St.Louis from around the country to pray for the emergence of a new breed of leadership to address the historical racial divide in America, and for a multi-cultural spiritual awakening. This gathering which culminated on January 18th, (Martin Luther King, Jr.day); catalyzed a new civil righteousness movement .
For the next several years, Pastor Jonathan Tremaine Thomas traveled the country carrying the Civil Righteousness message to churches and conferences. Meanwhile, in Kalamazoo, Michigan; a city-wide unity movement called Jesus Loves Kalamazoo (JLK) began to host annual Civil Righteousness Conferences and embrace the emerging pillars of the movement. As more local Civil Righteousness expressions began to emerge in several cities, Civil Righteousness Inc. was formed as a 501(c)3 non profit charitable organization in February 2018.
In the wake of America's 2020 racial reckoning spawned by the death of George Floyd, thousands adopted the Civil Righteousness model for engaging in biblical public action. Today, the movement comprises over 400 volunteer organizers in 50 states including the District of Columbia, and several parts of the world including Canada, Australia, South Africa, and the UK.
The biblical pattern of personal repentance, corporate gathering in humility, communal mourning, and corporate prayer is the foundation of Civil Righteousness. We desire for the fullness of Christ's character to be established within us. We want to be perfected by His love in a way that causes us to grow in mercy and possess our souls in humility in the face of inequity or offense. We believe that biblical justice cannot be accomplished without the pursuit of righteousness. From that posture, we move into the arena of public action and trust that God will grant justice on our behalf.
The biblical pattern of personal repentance, corporate gathering in humility, communal mourning, and corporate prayer is the foundation of Civil Righteousness. We desire for the fullness of Christ's character to be established within us. We want to be perfected by His love in a way that causes us to grow in mercy and possess our souls in humility in the face of inequity or offense. We believe that biblical justice cannot be accomplished without the pursuit of righteousness. From that posture, we move into the arena of public action and trust that God will grant justice on our behalf.