Meet Jennifer

Rev. Jen Bailey is an ordained minister, a public theologian, and a leader in the multifaith movement for justice. She is also founder and executive director of the Faith Matters Network, a Womanist-led organization equipping community organizers, faith leaders, and activists with resources for connection, spiritual sustainability, and accompaniment. Rev. Bailey is co-founder of The People’s Supper, a project that aims to repair the breach in our interpersonal relationships across political, ideological, and identity differences over shared meals. 

Her vocational journey has led her to a deep commitment to love as a guiding principle in creating a more just world in which every living creature can thrive. A commitment to love drew her to the Fetzer Institute’s mission. Serving as an Institute trustee is one of the great honors of her life.

A sought-after commentator and public speaker on the intersection of religion and public life, Rev. Bailey has spoken at the inaugural Obama Foundation Summit, Makers, TEDxSkoll, and the White House.

Her work has been featured on OnBeing with Krista Tippett, CBS This Morning, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and dozens of other publications. She is the author of To My Beloveds: Letters on Faith, Race, Loss, and Radical Hope. 

Rev. Bailey is ordained in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Follow her at @revjenbailey.