The Center for Christianity and Public Life is a nonpartisan nonprofit civic organization with the mission to contend for the credibility of Christian resources in public life, for the good of the public.
Our vision is for a healthier politics and public life which benefit from positive Christian contributions.
Our board and our staff affirm the Nicene Creed, and the Christian resources in which we have confidence are not new or novel, but shared and found true by Christians across time and context. We advance not a parochial faith, but look to promote the contributions of various streams and expressions of the creedal Christian faith.
We are convinced of the centrality of spiritual formation for civic renewal.
We believe Christians have much to contribute to the effort to build a healthy, inclusive civic pluralism in 21st century America.
We believe politics is prudential, not dogmatic; penultimate, not ultimate; important, but not sufficient.
Christian public participation ought to be oriented toward the public good. We hold to the confident hope that public life and politics does not have to be a place of conflict and antagonism, but can instead be a forum for love and service.
Our Staff
Founder, President and CEO
Founding Board Member
Michael Wear
Michael Wear is the Founder, President and CEO of the Center for Christianity and Public Life, a nonpartisan, nonprofit institution based in the nation's capital with the mission to contend for the credibility of Christian resources in public life, for the public good. For well over a decade, he has served as a trusted resource and advisor for a range of civic leaders on matters of faith and public life, including as a White House and presidential campaign staffer. Michael is a leading voice on building a healthy civic pluralism in twenty-first century America. He has argued that the spiritual health and civic character of individuals is deeply tied to the state of our politics and public affairs.
Michael previously led Public Square Strategies, a consulting firm he founded that helps religious organizations, political organizations, businesses and others effectively navigate the rapidly changing American religious and political landscape.
Michael is the author of The Spirit of Our Politics: Spiritual Formation and the Renovation of Public Life, a paradigm-shifting book that advances a vision for spiritual formation in the context of political life. Michael’s first book, Reclaiming Hope: Lessons Learned in the Obama White House About the Future of Faith in America, offers reflections, analysis and ideas about the role of faith in the Obama years and what it means for today. He has co-authored, or contributed to, several other books, including Compassion and Conviction: The AND Campaign's Guide to Faithful Civic Engagement, with Justin Giboney and Chris Butler. He also writes for The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Catapult Magazine, Christianity Today and other publications on faith, politics and culture.
Chief of Staff
Senior Advisor
Phebe Meyer
Phebe Meyer is the Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor for The Center for Christianity and Public Life, building the organizational structure and designing the programmatic direction and strategy for the organization alongside the President and CEO. She brings with her a wealth of experience establishing partnerships between unlikely allies to promote the common good; consulting start-up organizations and initiatives on their vision and brand; and working across corporate, nonprofit, and philanthropic sectors to co-create high-impact cause campaigns. Phebe has worked with major family foundations, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and Annie E. Casey Foundation, building partnerships with conservative faith organizations and center-right political organizations to further economic opportunity and mobility policy issues.
Before CCPL, she was a Senior Associate at The Clapham Group, a social impact agency working at the intersection of politics, faith, and culture. Phebe is also a founding partner of We Own Now, an organization founded by Grammy Award-winning artist, Derek Minor, that exists to celebrate Black ownership and shrink the racial wealth gap through storytelling, education, and policy advocacy.
Phebe is a graduate of the College of William & Mary, with a B.A. in Socio-Cultural Anthropology.
Chris Butler
Director, Christian Civic Formation
Chris Butler is a pastor, community organizer, and political strategist with over 25 years dedicated to public service at the intersection of faith and civic life. As the Director of Christian Civic Formation at the Center for Christianity and Public Life, Chris leads efforts to equip Christians for thoughtful and transformative engagement in the public square, creating resources and spaces that encourage spiritual and civic formation for the common good.
Chris has pastored at Ambassador Church (formerly Chicago Embassy Church Network) for nine years, where he has revitalized the congregation, developed a strong outreach and engagement ministry, and mentored emerging leaders to carry forward a vision of faith-centered community impact. Before going into pastoral ministry, Chris pursued an active career deeply involved in electoral campaigns and advocacy efforts, championing policy reforms and mobilizing grassroots communities. His roles spanned organizing, consulting, and strategic planning, all rooted in his commitment to advancing justice and opportunity for the marginalized.
An experienced speaker and writer, Chris co-authored Compassion (&) Conviction: The AND Campaign's Guide to Faithful Civic Engagement (InterVarsity Press, 2020), a resource guiding Christians in the pursuit of civic and political engagement rooted in biblical principles. He also served on the Leadership Council and Executive Committee of the AND Campaign, an organization dedicated to advocating for justice and compassion in public life from a Christian perspective.
Chris holds a Bachelor’s degree in Civic and Political Engagement from Northeastern Illinois University and a Master’s in Bible and Theology from Northwest University in Kirkland, Washington. He has been married to his wife, Aziza, for 17 years, and together they are raising six remarkable children.
Heather McGeachy
Programs & Operations Fellow
Heather McGeachy is the Programs & Operations Fellow. She is a recent graduate of the University of Florida with a B.A. in Psychology and minors in Economics and African American Studies. She is currently in the Capital Fellows Program, a leadership and discipleship program for recent graduates. Through the Capital Fellows Program, Heather will volunteer at Cornerstone School, take classes at Reformed Theological Seminary, and lead a high school small group at McLean Presbyterian Church alongside her work at the CCPL.
Our Board
James Catford
Founding Chair
James Catford was responsible for a number of public figures as well as the adult work of C.S. Lewis, during a career in commercial publishing in London. For fourteen years he was leader of the British Bible Society where he established Theos, the think tank on faith and society. A frequent visitor to China he served for ten years as vice-chair of the Amity Printing Company, the largest producer of Bibles in the world. More recently he has been Chair the spiritual formation effort Renovaré and of SPCK, the third oldest publisher in the UK, founded in 1698. He currently serves as literary advisor to the Dallas Willard estate.
Dr. Nicole Martin
Founding Board Member
Dr. Nicole Martin serves as the Chief Impact Officer at Christianity Today. She is the founder and Executive Director of Soulfire International Ministries, which accelerates thriving for pastors, churches, and younger leaders. She is also active in her local congregation in Maryland at Kingdom Fellowship AME Church where she supports the Discipleship Ministry. Dr. Martin is a gifted writer and author of Made to Lead: Empowering Women for Ministry and Leaning In, Letting Go: A Lenten Devotional. She serves on the boards of the National Association of Evangelicals and the Center for Christianity and Public Life and has been inducted into the esteemed Board of Preachers at Morehouse College.
Chris Crawford
Founding Board Member
Chris Crawford is a policy advocate at Protect Democracy. He previously worked as a senior program associate at Democracy Fund, where he managed a portfolio of faith-based initiatives focused on promoting pluralism in the United States. Chris began his career doing political organizing at Susan B. Anthony List, the nation’s largest pro-life political organization. He is a graduate of The George Washington University and earned a master’s in nonprofit administration from The University of Notre Dame. His writing has appeared in Our Sunday Visitor, America Magazine, Real Clear Politics, and other secular and religious publications.
Sarah Feinberg
Board Member
Sarah Feinberg is a Finance and Operations leader with over 15 years of driving operational excellence and delivering on financial and strategic goals. Ms. Feinberg most recently served as the Chief Financial Officer for National Journal and Bradley Media Holdings. She has a decade of experience leading innovation in the media and journalism industry and is now focused on redemptive impact investing and the deployment of capital to philanthropic efforts. Previously a Marine Corps Officer, she transitioned to management consulting after a combat tour in Iraq and earned an MBA at Wharton. Feinberg is an active member of Church of the Resurrection on Capitol Hill, residing in Alexandria, VA, with her husband and 3 children.