See these amazing religious organizations using faith to build peace all around the world. Get connected and support their efforts.

by Taylor O’Connor | 11 November 2024

Photo by Zinko Hein on Unsplash

“We may have different religions, different languages, different colored skin, but we all belong to one human race.” – Kofi Annan

I’ve been involved in supporting lots of interfaith peace initiatives in the past and have been quite interested in the efforts of faith leaders and communities in building peace. As I began to research this however, I noticed distinct approaches of faith actors in peacebuilding.

I found that interfaith peacebuilding and faith-based peacebuilding efforts tend to operate separately. The distinction is that interfaith peacebuilding efforts focus on interfaith dialogue and social cohesion to resolve conflict issues and promote peace. The faith-based peace organizations on the other hand, focus on applying principles of their faith group to mobilize members of their community to build peace.

I’ll cover interfaith peacebuilding in another blog post, but in this blog post I have covered specifically the peace efforts of faith-based organizations and networks. I learned a lot in the process (covered below). And in this, I encourage you if you identify closely with a faith tradition to get involved with any of these groups that may be of interest to you. Get on their email lists, follow their social media profiles, join their events, and if the spirit moves you, get involved in their peace efforts.

Lessons learned about faith-based peace organizations and efforts

In reviewing the 21 organizations below, I learned a few things about faith-based peace organizations and efforts. First, I noticed that many focus a lot of their efforts on three key areas: 1) building the capacity of their faith-group members to build peace, 2) mobilizing their faith communities to get involved in peace efforts, and 3) coordinating efforts across faith communities.

Some interesting things I noticed were that faith-based peace groups and networks tend to have a more social justice and anti-militarism approach. I think this is because they are do not rely on government funding like most peacebuilding organizations, thus can be more independent in deciding their activities and approaches.

Key approaches of faith-based peace organizations and networks are mapped below:

Activities that foster cooperation among religious groups in peacebuilding activities.
Support for grassroots peacebuilding efforts
Advocacy for peace-oriented policy changes at local, national, and international levels.
Providing humanitarian aid and advocacy for people in conflict-affected areas.
Workshops and trainings to build the capacity of faith communities to be peacemakers.
Support for efforts to challenge militarism and war.
Nonviolent action campaigns.

Faith-based peace organizations and networks

I have organized this mapping 21 faith-based peace organizations and networks into five sub-sections, outlined below:

Multi-religious peace initiatives
Global faith-based and religious peace networks
Peace efforts of historic peace churches
Peace fellowships and movements of specific faith groups
Faith-based and religious peace activist groups

Also, there are many faith-based organizations and networks. This blog posts includes only those focused explicitly on peace and peacebuilding. I have a separate blog post on interfaith dialogue initiatives and have one coming soon that maps interfaith peacebuilding initiatives.

Not included in this blog post are the following:

faith-based activist groups addressing issues not specific to peace or groups soley dedicated to humanitarian efforts or on helping the poor with no peace focus
small national, local, or city initiatives.
Groups with little information on their websites about their actual activities and groups that are no longer active
religious universities with peace and conflict studies programs.
Excludes groups focused only on inclusivity within their own religious communities.
Does not include organizations supporting faith-based institutions or networks of faith groups.

Multi-religious peace initiatives

Multi-religious peace initiatives bring together leaders and communities from diverse faith traditions to collaboratively address global conflicts and promote peacebuilding. These organizations foster cooperation among religious groups to address specific issues associated with peace like social justice, gender equality, environmental sustainability, and conflict resolution.

Religions for Peace

Religions for Peace works to build multi-religious responses to the pressing global issues. They coordinate a network of Interreligious Councils in over 100 countries to work for solutions to a diverse array of pressing global problems. They six priorities of their work include: 1) peaceful, just and inclusive societies, 2) gender equality, 3) the environment, 4) freedom of thought, conscience and religion, 5) interreligious education and 6) global partnerships. National councils also coordinate activities with interfaith women and youth networks which are working at local, national, and regional levels. Religions for Peace has worked for over 50 years, united by the principle that religions are more powerful, inspiring, and impactful when they work together.

The Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers

The Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers (Peacemakers Network) works to connect, empower, and support grassroots-level religious and traditional actors in peacebuilding efforts. They amplify the roles of religious and cultural leaders in conflict resolution and mediation. They provide mediation support and training to enhance the capacities of local peacebuilders using their unique approach of what they call ‘insider mediators’. Specifically, they have programming to train/support tradition and faith-oriented mediators, women faith-based mediators, and youth faith-based mediators. They also conduct research, host collaborative events with network members, have working groups, and publish resources.

Global faith-based and religious peace networks

Global faith-based peace networks unite religious organizations and communities from around the world to work collaboratively towards peace, justice, and in some cases also have a focus on reconciliation. These networks often support their members and affiliates to engage in grassroots peacebuilding efforts, while mobilizing the wider network to advocate for policy changes of international institutions, governments, and even within their own religious institutions that would contribute to peace.

Pax Christi International

Pax Christi International was founded in the post-World War II era with a focus on reconciliation efforts between French and Germans. They now coordinate of a global network of civil society and faith-based organizations that support local peacebuilding efforts in over 50 countries. They provide capacity building to their partners and also leverage their network to influence policy for just-peace amongst international institutions and within the Catholic Church.

Network of Christian Peace Organizations

Network of Christian Peace Organizations (NCPO) is a network of 20 Christian peace organizations and networks. They serve as a hub for coordination and collaboration for a broad-based Christian peace movement. They rally members together to propel the Christian peace movement forward and inspire their congregations to embrace the transformative power of peacebuilding. Their actual activities include sharing insights across the network, amplifying the work of network members, and engaging in collaborative projects that uplift their collective mission for global peace and justice. Some very active peace fellowships and organizations that are part of this network are included below, though not all of them have been included.

The International Fellowship of Reconciliation

Established in 1914 in response to the atrocities of war in Europe, the International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR) is a global network of people and groups of conscience that oppose war and militarism. With a background of faith-based peace activism, IFOR works through a global network that now spans 71 branches, groups, and affiliates in 48 countries across all continents, including prominent branches Fellowship of Reconciliation (UK) and Fellowship of Reconciliation USA.

IFOR’s 100 years of expertise in active nonviolence is now organized across seven key themes of peacework: Conscientious Objection, Climate Change, Disarmament & Nuclear Disarmament, Interfaith Cooperation, Nonviolence Education & Training, Ending Gender Based Violence and Youth Empowerment. IFOR’s international secretariat, based in the Netherlands, coordinates communication among IFOR members, links branches to capacity-building resources, and helps coordinate international campaigns, delegations, and urgent actions to promote peace and nonviolence worldwide.

Peace efforts of historic peace churches

Historic peace churches, have a long history of working for peace. They focus on a variety of activities such as supporting grassroots peacebuilding, promoting conflict resolution and trauma healing, and challenging militarism and unjust systems like mass incarceration. These organizations often also provide humanitarian aid, advocate for displaced people, and offer educational resources to help communities build peace and resilience in conflict-affected areas.

But first, a brief description of what historic peace churches are…

Historic peace churches are Christian groups that believe in living peacefully and not using violence. Two of the main historic peace churches are the Quakers and the Mennonites. The Quakers, sometimes called the Religious Society of Friends, started in England in the 1600s and believe that everyone can experience God directly, so they focus on peace, equality, and helping others without violence. The Mennonites, who began in Europe in the 1500s, also believe in peace and do not take part in wars, choosing instead to help their communities and live out their faith through service and kindness.

American Friends Service Committee

American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) is a Quaker organization based in the United States that brings together people of all faiths and backgrounds to challenge unjust systems and build lasting peace around the globe. AFSC was founded in 1917 and has been at the forfront of movements for peace and justice around the world for over 100 years now. They have a grassroots approach that supports local peacebuilders and is explicitly social justice oriented anti-militarist. They challenge governments spend billions on war, incarceration, and systems of repression while supporting community initiatives for food justice, housing rights, and sustainable income. They also work with partners all over the world to support migrants, refugees, and internally displaced people to meet their needs and help them in organizing and advocacy efforts.

Quaker Peace & Social Witness

Quaker Peace & Social Witness (QPSW) is a network of Quaker groups across Britan that engage in a variety of initiatives that work to transform the root causes of violence, and to build a more just and peaceful world. They have a number of programs and activities that promote peace and justice, including some that focus on grassroots action and political change for peace. They lead initiatives in peace education, nuclear disarmament, opposition to the arms trade and armed drones. They also support conscientious objectors, confront militarism, and are active in global efforts to reimagine traditional security approaches.

Mennonite Central Committee

Mennonite Central Committee is a Mennonite organization that has been conducting peace, development and relief activities around the globe for over 100 years. Within their area of work associated with peace they have projects that teach conflict transformation skills, foster resilience through trauma healing, build relationships across divides, address systemic injustices, and equip churches with peace-focused educational and advocacy resources. To date they have trained over 30 thousand people in conflict transformation, peacebuilding and mediation strategies.

Friends Peace Teams

Friends Peace Teams was founded in 1993 by Quakers from several North American meetings after they had witnessed the suffering from the conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina. They wanted to reach out to people suffering from war and violence everywhere and work with them to support peace. Today, they collaborate with communities in conflict around the world to create programs for peace building, healing and reconciliation. They have a big focus on building trust and forging relationships that promote solidarity with those working for peace in conflict-affected communities. They have a holistic approach that focuses on personal and social transformation, towards the creation of peaceful, just societies.

Peace fellowships and movements of specific faith groups

Peace fellowships within specific faith groups work to promote peace and justice by drawing on the unique teachings of their traditions. These groups engage in a variety of activities to mobilize peace efforts and activities within their faith community. They may organize workshops, provide resources, and engage in advocacy efforts. Some focus on building the capacity of their members to build peace, or to be peacemakers.

Baptist Peace Fellowship

Baptist Peace Fellowship (BPF) is the largest Baptist network of peacemakers in the United States. They serve over 4,000 members in four member nations: Canada, the United States, Mexico, and Puerto Rico, working to support peacemakers in South America, the Caribbean, Europe, and Africa. Their approach have three areas, 1) gathering peacemakers, 2) equipping individuals, groups and congregations with resources and tools for building just-peace, and 3) mobilizing individuals, groups and congregations to respond to pressing concerns.

Lutheran Peace Fellowship

Lutheran Peace Fellowship (LPF) is a Lutheran network dedicated to promoting peace, justice, and nonviolence in response to the Bible’s call for believers to be peacemakers. LPF empowers congregations, campuses, and individuals to challenge the status quo of war and violence through resources, workshops, and advocacy efforts focused on topics such as biblical peacemaking, conflict transformation, and global justice. They offer an extensive range of educational materials, leadership training, and advocacy tools to inspire and support individuals in addressing issues from local violence to global conflicts, all rooted in the biblical vision of peace and active nonviolence.

Episcopal Peace Fellowship

Episcopal Peace Fellowship (EPF) was founded in 1939 to work, pray, and study for peace, and it remains committed to nonviolence, social justice, and peacemaking. Today, EPF supports local chapters and action groups, offering resources to help Episcopalians live out their Baptismal promise to strive for justice, peace, and respect for every person’s dignity. EPF’s mission centers on following Jesus’s example by advocating for the oppressed, marginalized, and disenfranchised, and creating peace even with those with whom they may disagree.

Muslim Peace Fellowship

Muslim Peace Fellowship (MPF), founded in 1994, is the first Muslim organization dedicated to exploring and practicing Islamic nonviolence. MPF gathers Muslims from diverse backgrounds to promote justice and peace by deepening their understanding of Islamic teachings on compassion and nonviolent social transformation. Through activities like conferences, interfaith outreach, and educational programs, MPF works to counter injustice, build mutual respect across faiths, and embody the peaceful essence of Islam in the world.

Buddhist Peace Fellowship

Buddhist Peace Fellowship convenes spiritually and politically engaged individuals from multiple lineages, Buddhist and otherwise, to explore ways to work for collective liberation. They and carry out programs that lift up the voices and priorities of Black, Indigenous, and people of color who share their commitment to regenerative living economy, queer feminism, and racial justice. They are involved in activities that promote transformative social movements rooted in fierce compassion and continual awakening towards physical, emotional, and spiritual liberation for all.

Network of Spiritual Progressives

Network of Spiritual Progressives is a global movement that aims to transform society into a more loving and just world by prioritizing compassion, peace, and environmental sustainability over money and power. Their mission is to build a social change movement guided by spiritual and ethical values, focusing on the well-being of both people and the planet. The network brings together people from diverse backgrounds, including environmentalists, social activists, and individuals from various faiths, with the shared goal of creating a world based on justice, love, and non-violence.

Faith-based and religious peace activist groups

Faith-based peace activist groups work to address specific global issues through the lens of their religious values, such as justice, nonviolence, and human dignity. These organizations often focus on a wide range of topics, generally with an anti-militarism, anti-oppression focus. They work to support oppressed communities and mobilize grassroots nonviolent action and advocacy campaigns to create systemic change. I’ve also included one group here that is focused on a theme, on nuclear disarmament.

Jewish Voice for Peace

Jewish Voice for Peace is the largest progressive Jewish anti-Zionist organization in the world. They organize a grassroots, multiracial, cross-class, intergenerational movement of U.S. Jews in solidarity with the Palestinian freedom struggle. They collaborate with and support Palestinian liberation groups and organize nonviolent action and advocacy efforts to dismantle the institutions and structures that sustain the occupation of Palestine and systemic injustice.

MPower Change

MPower Change is a mass movement of diverse U.S. Muslims and allies that work to fight for a future free from Islamophobia and white supremacy. They achieve this through grassroots organizing, political education and training, mobilizing Muslim voters, and leading campaigns. They are dedicated to ending militarism worldwide, recognizing its impact not only in war zones but also in daily life in the United States. They collaborate with grassroots organizations to challenge militarizm, specifically its effects on marginalized communities.

Community Peacemaker Teams (formerly Christian Peacemaker Teams)

Community Peacemaker Teams (CPT) builds partnerships to transform violence and oppression by supporting local peacemakers who confront lethal conflict through nonviolent action. The organization works with communities at their invitation, advocating for human rights, amplifying the voices of those affected by violence, and engaging in solidarity networks to promote change. Rooted in Christian traditions and now a broad multi-faith network, CPT is committed to decolonization, anti-militarism, and dismantling systems of oppression to create a just and peaceful world through nonviolent resistance and long-term partnerships.

The Christian Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament

Christian Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (Christian CND) works to bring together Christians to advocate for peace and oppose nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. The organization organizes a variety of activities, including conferences, protests, liturgies, and services at military bases and government sites. Christian CND also engages in letter writing, lobbying, and educational efforts to promote peace and disarmament, collaborating closely with other Christian justice and peace groups and the broader nuclear disarmament movement.

Be a faith-based peacebuilder

As we’ve seen, faith-based and religious peace organizations and networks are playing a pivotal role in fostering peace, justice, and healing around the world. Whether through grassroots initiatives, policy advocacy, or humanitarian aid, there are many ways you can get involved. If a particular group or cause resonates with you, take action by connecting with them, participating in their activities, or supporting their work to make a meaningful impact in the pursuit of peace.

If you found this article helpful and want to find more blog posts like this mapping organizations that build peace across a wide array of themes be sure to check out our Resources page!

And if there are any great organizations that are missing on this list and you think it should be added, please submit it at the link HERE. I periodically update my resource posts and use these inputs to help me. Thanks in advance!

And be sure to sign up for our newsletter (the best peacebuilding newsletter out there!) to get connected with all the best articles, videos, podcast episodes, events, downloads, learning opportunities, and other resources on building peace published each week, selected from a broad array of global efforts to build peace. Subscribe by clicking HERE.