After almost 30 years in key administrative roles in St. Paul and Minneapolis, Suzanne Kelly says she has finally found a job that will allow her to lead with her “faith forward.” She starts Monday as CEO of the Minnesota Council of Churches.

“My faith has always been central to who I am,” said Kelly, who serves as an elder at Christ Temple Apostolic Church in Roseville. “I have always tried to lead with those same values and principles. That’s why I was interested in this job.”

Kelly, 61, of Eagan, has been chief of staff at the Center for Economic Inclusion, a St. Paul-based nonprofit focused on closing racial wealth gaps and building equitable regional economies; chief of staff for Minnesota Philanthropy Partners; and vice president of children, youth and families for Volunteers of America of Minnesota.

She’s served as chief of staff for the Minneapolis and St. Paul public school districts and Memphis city schools, been interim superintendent of St. Paul public schools, and worked for 10 years as a reporter and editor at the Star Tribune.

Suzanne Kelly will become CEO of the Minnesota Council of Churches on Monday. (Courtesy of Philip Hussong)

The Minnesota Council of Churches, based in Minneapolis, is a statewide council comprising 27 member denominations and more than 1 million members. The council works to “build the common good in the world” through programs that include building interfaith relationships, racial justice and refugee resettlement. It also has an office in Mankato.

Kelly takes over the job from co-CEOs Rev. Dr. Curtiss Paul DeYoung and Presiding Elder Stacey Smith, who will stay on through the end of August as transition consultants.

“The council’s work under their leadership reflects much of what drives me every day: a deep sense of purpose toward those who are disadvantaged due to generational poverty, racial discrimination, broken systems and other factors designed to limit access and voice,” Kelly said.

Kelly’s vision of the Council of Churches as uniting Christian leaders “to deliver light, love and service to our state — especially to Minnesotans plagued by racial division, by polarization or by persecution in their homeland — is a perfect fit for this organization,” said Bishop Richard Howell Jr., president of the council’s board.

Kelly graduated in 1980 from Henry Sibley High School in Mendota Heights and received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Florida A&M University in Tallahassee. She also holds a master’s degree in educational leadership from Minnesota State University, Mankato.

Kelly helped raise six children — two boys and four girls — through connections made at her church.

She spoke last week with the Pioneer Press about her new job and the future of the church in Minnesota. The transcript has been edited for clarity and conciseness.

Q: What is your faith background?

A: I had quite the eclectic religious experience when I was growing up. I went to the Episcopal church first with my mother. I went to the AME church with my grandfather and the Baptist church with my grandmother. My parents divorced, and when my mom met my dad (Bishop Charles J. Foye), he was Pentecostal. He introduced us to the Pentecostal church. We became members, and I have been Pentecostal ever since. Currently, I am a licensed elder in the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World Inc. I preach and teach at my own church. I love to teach Bible study.

Q: What makes a good preacher?

A: Well, that’s a good question. I think a good preacher is one who can demystify the Bible, who can reach people who are in various states of brokenness because often people come (to church) seeking healing — not just spiritual healing, but sometimes emotional healing — and the experience that they have when they walk through the church doors hearing that word and something resonates with them is what will draw them in. It’s often said the only Christ that people see is the Christ that is reflected through us, so I think a good preacher is able to tell that story and talk about why the Bible is not some ancient text that is sitting on a shelf, but is relevant to people’s issues and concerns today, and tell it in a way that sparks excitement and enthusiasm and a quest to want to know more.

Q: What is the future of the church?

A: I’m pretty solidly in the camp that the church will always exist in America, and that there’s a need for the church to exist. I do think that we have to continue to evolve. And by that, I mean not changing the word of God, but changing the methodology as to how we get that word out to people. I think that young people, in particular, are looking to see whether the church remains cloistered within the four walls. Are we talking about social justice, talking about racial justice? Can they see us out in community, actually living what we’re talking about — and that we are engaging them?

Q: How can the church continue to remain relevant in today’s world? How can the church attract young people?

A: I know at my own church we’ve actually had an increase in the number of young people who have been joining. That’s partly due to the fact that we, meaning my generation, took a step back and said, ‘Hey, how would you young people draw others in? What can we do differently?’ Some of their ideas were things that we clearly had not been doing. They’re doing one-minute video clips with interesting things and putting them out on their social networks that are drawing people in. They’ve changed to have a youth-only Bible class on a whole different night from the regular Bible class, and they come there, and they’ve got young people teaching it, so I think there’s a lot of ways that we can collectively learn from each other across judicatories to see what’s effective.

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Q: It can’t be a one-size-fits-all approach.

A: We can’t use a cookie-cutter approach that the church is this one thing because we serve — and the congregations that are underneath those judicatories — serve very different communities, and each of those communities may need something a little bit different, so we really need to be able to understand what the community we’re serving in needs holistically, but then also individually. As long as we can do that, and not link the church to particular political ideologies, but link it to the agape love of Christ, I think there will always be a place for us in community. At least I hope so.

Q: Can you talk about the Council of Churches’ work in racial justice?

A: It really accelerated under Dr. DeYoung. He came in with an express desire to make the council more racially diverse and more socially diverse, and I think he really accomplished that. If you look at the makeup of the board when he came and the makeup of the board now, you see quite a difference. That was one of the things that I really appreciated as I did my research on whether this was an organization that I felt I would be compatible with. I was looking at the great growth, which involved, and necessarily so, the board wanting to move in that direction. He couldn’t have done that alone as CEO, but he had support from the board. And then to declare that not only would they focus on social justice, but that there would be a racial-equity component to all that is done, that said a lot to me.

Q: Tell me about the council’s work in that area.

A: The MCC has shown up in the community, particularly after the George Floyd killing. I remember at that time watching the news and seeing board members in their ecumenical garb marching and participating and saying, ‘We’re here, we’re visible, and we want to ensure that justice exists in this community for all.’ And so all of those messages to me said that this is an organization that is serious about the work that it is called to do, and that really resonated with me. I have long been an advocate for those who are disadvantaged due to generational poverty, racial discrimination, broken systems and other factors in our country, for those who have limited access and limited opportunity. To be able to join a faith-based organization that sees that as really a moral imperative to speak out on behalf of those populations and those people who need that voice at the table is wonderful. It’s an organization that sends a message of inclusivity versus exclusivity. That was something I felt like I really wanted to be a part of, and, ultimately, now to lead.

Q: Where would you like to see the Council of Churches a year from now?

A: Well, one of the things that will be a top priority is to undergo a strategic planning process to determine how we want to build on the foundation that has been laid. The programs we’re offering are quite successful and necessary, but as we think about our racial justice work in particular, I’m really thinking through where we can have the greatest impact moving forward and how we might amplify what’s already being done and look at new areas. I’d also like us to really think through our ability to effect narrative change — not only in the state of Minnesota, but nationally, around issues of social justice and racial justice.

Q: You say you want the council to “effect narrative change.” Can you give me an example of what that means to you?

A: Well, I think that it is twofold. One is, I think that there has been a lot of rhetoric that is very othering in nature, around refugees, around immigrants, around people of color, around people who are suffering from the effects of poverty. To be able to tell that story in a new way, and to not tell those stories from a deficit perspective, but from an asset perspective, about what is being brought to the table, and why these members of our society are contributors rather than people who drain society, which is, I think, the narrative that exists right now. We’re in a unique position to be able to do that through our social justice and racial justice work, so that’s one area of narrative change. The other is I think that over the last few years, not the council, but the church holistically has been seen as perhaps more polarizing than bringing people together — that it has become more politicized than what our intent should be, which is to show forth the love of Christ in our communities and in our world. And so to tell that story, to tell the story of that is built on love and service to community, and how we are leaning into that to tell the story of social justice and racial justice not as an either-or, but as an inviting of more people to the table and enlarging the tent, if you will. That’s what I would like to see us accomplish, or begin to accomplish. The work is never done in terms of that narrative change work.

Q: Is there a Bible verse that speaks to you as you enter this new position or the work that you’ve been doing through the year?

A: Absolutely. Isaiah 61. It speaks to the church healing the brokenhearted, releasing the captives and the captivity of individuals, of rebuilding community, of making an impact for those who are hurting and disenfranchised. That is really kind of what calls to me as I think about this work and why I feel like this is work I want to do. I really want to embody that, not just in my role, but I believe in having met the team of people who work at the council, I see that in them. No matter what their faith tradition, I see them wanting to be of service in community and wanting to rebuild the beloved community. That is what speaks to me.

Q: And now you are leading an organization charged with doing just that.

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A: I really believe in my heart of hearts that faith communities — so not just the Christian-faith community, but the Jewish-faith community, the Muslim-faith community and all others — that we have a moral mandate, and I don’t think we fully lived into it. I do a lot of reading, and one of the books that I love is “The Amen Effect” by Rabbi Sharon Brous. She says we who want and dream of building a different kind of society must begin by building a different kind of faith community, and I really believe that. I really believe that there is an opportunity right now, as there is retrenchment on promises made around racial equity and when there is such rancor and division in our country, that we can together build a different kind of faith community that makes people feel whole and makes people feel seen and heard and valued, and that is really showing forth the love of Christ. I think getting up, going to work every day with like-minded people is just a blessing, and I’m so fortunate to be able to have that opportunity.

A Respectful Conversation about This Election

What: Bethlehem Lutheran in the Midway and the Minnesota Council of Churches are hosting a structured, facilitated conversation about the upcoming election. Participants will “walk away feeling better about your opponent and better equipped as a peacemaker,” according to the MCC. Dinner is provided; registration is required.

When: 6-8 p.m. Aug. 14

Where: Bethlehem Lutheran Church in the Midway, 436 Roy St. N., St. Paul

For more information: www.mnchurches.org