Statement process
This statement process was approved by Call To Action’s Vision Council (VC) in spring 2021. To increase transparency and empower our membership, we are making it publicly available.
Our Values:
Call To Action values the free and open exchange of ideas and clarification of thought, through which we grow and learn as an organization and a movement. Because of our commitment to anti-racist/anti-oppressive, non-hierarchical, participatory governance, any individual or group within the CTA community is welcome to speak and/or write about issues of concern to CTA, the Church, and the world.
There are many channels through which people in CTA can share our ideas: the Perspectives blogs, various listservs, etc. However, it is important to note that not all of these channels carry equal weight, and sometimes a statement representing CTA's official position on an issue or event is desirable. Therefore, the Communications Committee introduced the following process for the creation and affirmation of statements from CTA as a national organization.
Some notes:
Under this process, statements from CTA as a national organization would be approved by the Vision Council and then distributed by the staff where and how they see fit.
This process does not change CTA’s method of signing on to letters and coalition initiatives, which falls to the Executive Director.
The Communications Committee believes that all statements should be written through a collaborative, consultative, and consensus-based process that centers the voices and lived experiences of those most directly affected by an issue.
In order to be open to the Spirit’s movement in our lives, the Communications Committee proposes that we adopt this process for six months, at which time the committee will re-assess the process and discern if the Spirit is calling us in a new direction.
For Rapid-Response Statements Written by a Member of the CTA Community:
Any person in the CTA community, whether they serve on the VC or not, is welcome to propose, via email, a rapid-response statement they have written for the Vision Council to approve as an official CTA statement. CTA community members proposing a rapid-response statement should give a deadline for Vision Council response; the Vision Council asks for at least 48 hours to consider a statement prayerfully and carefully.
A proposed statement will become an official CTA statement if:
One-third of the Vision Council affirms the statement within the requested deadline.
No member of the Vision Council blocks the adoption of the statement.
Three members of the Anti-Racism Team affirm the statement moving forward within the requested deadline.
No member of the Anti-Racism Team blocks the adoption of the statement.
If the statement is not approved as drafted, the VC can suggest changes to the person(s) who drafted the statement. The author(s) are then free to rewrite the statement.
For Longer-Process Statements That a Member of the Community Would Like the VC to Consider Writing:
The Communications Committee welcomes all creative proposals for official CTA statements, and we would like to note that we feel that the following types of statements are particularly important at this moment in CTA's history
Statements that express God’s preferential option for (and CTA’s solidarity with) the poor, the oppressed, and the marginalized.
Statements that say something new, charting a new path or taking CTA in a new direction.
Statements that re-affirm a core CTA belief that has "fallen to the wayside" (something we believe that the public may not know we believe).
Statements where CTA may have a unique voice, lending our perspective to the movement for Catholic social justice instead of simply "joining a chorus."
Any person in the CTA community is welcome to propose the creation of an official statement to the Vision Council, who will first come to consensus (using our Affirm/Block/Stand Aside method) to decide if an official statement on the proposed topic is prudent and in service of CTA's mission.
If the Vision Council comes to consensus and affirms the writing of an official statement, the person or persons who proposed the statement are welcome to 1) draft the statement themselves, 2) invite members of the VC to draft the statement, and/or 3) invite other members of the CTA community to draft the statement.
After the statement has been drafted, the VC and/or statement writers will propose a deadline and use the rapid-response process to approve the statement. If the statement is not approved as drafted, the VC can suggest changes to the person(s) who drafted the statement. The author(s) are then free to rewrite the statement.
