The Rev. Jacqui Lewis, Ph.D is an author, activist, preacher, public theologian who uses her gifts toward creating an antiracist, just, fully welcoming society in which everyone has enough. She is the first African American and first woman to serve as a senior minister in the Collegiate Church, which was founded in New York City in 1628 and is the oldest continuous Protestant Church in North America.
Dr. Lewis graduated with an M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1992 and later returned to graduate school, for a Ph.D. in Psychology and Religion from Drew University (2004). She joined the staff of Middle Church in January 2004.
Dr. Lewis is a womanist whose preaching, teaching, speaking, writing, and activism are aimed at racial equality, gun control, economic justice, and equal rights for all sexual orientations and genders. Believing faith communities can lead the way to racial reconciliation, Dr. Lewis co-founded The Middle Project and The Revolutionary Love Conference with her spouse, The Rev. John Janka, which trains leaders to create a more just society. Each year, Dr. Lewis curates a national justice conference—Revolutionary Love—which features speakers from many disciplines who are working to create a world based on a public ethic of love.
Dr. Lewis created two national television programs: Just Faith, an on-demand television program on MSNBC.com, and Chapter and Verse at PBS. Dr. Lewis has also been featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Associated Press, Ebony, Essence, CBS, CNN, NBC, ABC, and MSNBC. Her books include Ten Essential Strategies for Becoming a Multiracial Congregation, The Power of Stories, a Guide for Leaders in Multi-racial, Multi-cultural Congregations, and the children’s book, You Are So Wonderful!. Her newest book is Fierce Love: A Bold Path to Ferocious Courage and Rule-Breaking Kindness That Can Heal the World.
