Date: Friday, February 5, 2027
Time: 12:00PM-4:00PM CT
Modality: Online and In Person
Instructors: Dietra Wise Baker and Michael Atty
What does it mean for congregations to move beyond charity and become organized communities capable of transforming public life? This introductory workshop explores the foundations of faith-based community organizing, and the unique role congregations can play in building collective power, developing leaders, and addressing the root causes of injustice.
This workshop is ideal for clergy, lay leaders, seminarians, nonprofit leaders, and community members seeking practical tools to strengthen congregational leadership and deepen community engagement. No prior to organizing experience is required. Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of congregational organizing, practical frameworks for action, and concrete next steps for building thriving, justice-rooted faith communities.
Dietra Wise Baker
Rev. Dr. Dietra Wise Baker is the Associate Professor of Community Leadership and Director of Walker Leadership Institute at Eden. She joined the Eden faculty in 2016. Rev. Dr. Wise Baker is certified anti-racism trainer for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and a trainer of faith-based community organizing in the Gamaliel network. Dr. Dietra teaches Church Planting, Youth Ministry, Preaching, Faith Community Organizing, Anti-Racism/Anti-Caste, and Vocational Resilience and Formation.
Rev. Dr. Wise Baker is a respected trainer and community leader who often consults and collaborates around her sustained work in community organizing, youth justice, detention/prison/jail, and faith justice movements.
Rev. Dr. Wise Baker has a Bachelor of Science degree from Howard University in Washington, D.C.; a Master of Divinity degree from Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis, MO; and a Doctorate of Ministry in Preaching degree from Aquinas Institute of Theology St. Louis, MO. Rev. Dr. Wise Baker is mother to son Cornell A. (Deuce) Baker II.
Rev. Michael Atty
Rooted in faith and shaped by years of organizing alongside congregations and community leaders, Rev. Michael Atty steps into the role of Executive Director of the Gamaliel Network with gratitude and a deep commitment to the work ahead. His leadership reflects a belief in the power of relationships and the strength that emerges when communities act together.
Rev. Atty began his career in IT jobs in corporate America, but his faith called him to the ministry. After graduating from Eden Seminary in 2016, he joined Metropolitan Congregations United St. Louis, one of Gamaliel’s strongest affiliates, organizing a diverse set of faith communities in St. Charles County in campaigns to end discriminatory housing, policing, and education practices. After 2 years at MCU, he became the lead organizer and then Executive Director of an affiliate in East St. Louis, IL where he ran and won campaigns on environmental justice and criminal justice reform, while growing its staff to 5, and quadrupling and stabilizing its budget. He also became a senior trainer in Gamaliel and established a reputation for being a talented organizer/trainer/mentor.
In 2022, Rev. Atty left UCM and Gamaliel to join the Children’s Defense Fund when Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson became its leader. At CDF, Mike was responsible for developing initiatives for faith leaders. Leading his own team and working within a large national nonprofit, required him to further hone his management and relational skills. His colleagues praise him as man who listens, sees the good in people, and helps teams bridge their differences and advance their goals.
Rev. Atty’s grounding in faith and justice, his experience leading a local Gamaliel affiliate, his time working in a major social justice organization with national reach, and his understanding of what it takes to build sustainable power make him uniquely equipped to guide the network in this next chapter.
Rev. Atty brings both continuity and new vision: continuity in our shared values, and a fresh, forward-looking vision for what organizing can and must be in this moment of national challenge and opportunity—especially as Gamaliel launches our pro-democracy Organizing Revival and pivot strategy.
