A pastor affiliated with both the Alliance of Baptists and Cooperative Baptist Fellowship has been named to Sojourners’ list of 10 Christian women shaping the church in 2022.
Aurelia Dávila Pratt serves as lead pastor of Peace of Christ Church in Round Rock, Texas. She earned both master of divinity and master of social work degrees from Baylor University’s Truett Seminary. She is president of the board for the Nevertheless She Preached conference, co-chair of the Religious Liberty Council for Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, and serves as co-chair on the Board of Advocates at Baylor’s Diana Garland School of Social Work.
Aurelia Pratt
This is the sixth year Sojourners has marked Women’s History Month by compiling a list of “Christian women who are bringing us hope and inspiring us to action.”
The announcement explains: “This year’s group includes pastors and poets, abolitionists and mothers, liturgists and storytellers; women who question authority, disrupt unjust systems, set boundaries, reimagine what’s possible, and pray. From advocating for prison abolition to restoring land to Indigenous people, these women are leading the way. Collectively, they are shaping the church into a more inclusive, bold, accessible, creative, and action-oriented community of believers who more fully honor the rhythms and identities within the family of God.”
Sojourners asked Pratt why she believes her work is important now. She responded: “Bad theology is responsible for so many of our societal harms, such as the hierarchical systems of patriarchy and white supremacy. People need safe spaces to wake up to these realities, to find healing from them, and to shift into liberative paradigms concerned with our collective wellness. Whether it’s in my local church context, through my writing, or online, I am compelled (with great urgency!) to create such spaces for those in need of it.”
Her vision for justice, she said, is this: “Sustainable justice work is grounded in a both/and understanding of imago Dei. When we fully acknowledge the image of God within ourselves, we can no longer neglect the imago Dei of the other. Our own healing and thriving supports our continued justice work, and neither should be neglected.”
In addition to her church and institutional leaders, Pratt is the co-creator and co-host of the Nuance Tea Podcast. She has a new book, A Brown Girl’s Epiphany, slated for release this year.
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