Love Thy Neighborhood: Congregational Engagement as a Path to Vitality and Relevance

ONLINE - Wednesday, September 17, 2025 at 3:00pm ET

In this webinar offered in partnership with the Episcopal Parish Network—Dr. Rebecca Glazier shares insights from her new book Faith and Community. Faith leaders will gain data-driven insights and practical encouragement for engaging more deeply with their communities—as both a living expression of the Gospel and a pathway to congregational renewal.

Panelists Include:

Dr. Rebecca A. Glazier is an advocate for and practitioner of faith-based community engagement. She received her PhD from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2009 and taught for 16 years as a political science professor in the School of Public Affairs at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Rebecca is the founder of the Little Rock Congregations Study, a long-term, community-based research project that explores how community engagement strengthens individuals, congregations, and communities. She has authored over thirty academic articles and two books, including: Faith and Community: How Engagement Strengthens Members, Places of Worship, and Society (Temple University Press, 2024). In September, 2025, Rebecca begins a new role as a Welfare and Self-Reliance Manager for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is excited for the opportunity to help connect members, churches, and communities with needed resources.

The Rev. Jason A. Fout, Ph.D. – Interim President, Academic Dean and Associate Professor of Theology & Mission Bexley Seabury Seminary

About the Beyond Walls: Works in Progress series:

At Bexley Seabury we delight in connecting people and sharing ideas. Our webinar series Beyond Walls: Works in Progress does just this, inviting researchers and leaders to share their work in conversation, as we reflect on faithful discipleship, a growing, inclusive church, and working for justice and reconciliation.