The Center for Interfaith Relations recently welcomed the Rev. Dr. Lauren Jones Mayfield as its new executive director, following the long and successful tenure of Sarah Riggs Reed. Mayfield brings a wealth of experience in the areas of pastoral leadership and social justice, as well as a deep commitment to fostering interfaith dialogue and strengthening communities through common action. We recently caught up with her for a quick look backwards and forwards.
LEO: Can you tell us a little bit about your background, education, and early theological influences?
Lauren Jones Mayfield: “I grew up in a Christian family going to church several times a week. It was a rhythm that built not only my beliefs about God and people but also formed my social life and sense of Self. Graduating from a conservative Baptist undergrad institution and then attending an evangelical seminary, I did not meet a God that spoke to the realities of life outside of a fundamentalist Church. The folks I met at the attorney’s office I worked for in New Haven, CT who were applicants for Social Security Disability Benefits, challenged the privileges of my upbringing in an educated, mostly-white suburb just outside Cincinnati. I’m thankful that throughout my early years as a Christian, I was always able to question the work of God in the world. To challenge the cliché answers to deep theological musings. And to express my dissatisfaction with a God who did not care for the poor. I’m thankful for my doctorate from the Pacific School of Religion, a progressive institution that leans into the art of ‘faith-full’ exploration with bravery and solidarity.”
LEO: What drew you to the CIR?
Lauren Jones Mayfield: “CIR’s work of celebrating many faiths while uniting us in our one heart of compassion as we seek to engage common action in our communities inspires so many. CIR is a voice in Louisville, Kentucky, and well beyond that speaks prophetically about hospitality and inclusion. It brings religion out of the confines of the academy or isolated places of worship and onto the street corners to be a voice of imagination and hope for each of us, all of us. CIR’s unabashed commitment to preserving dignity and celebrating difference has the potential to revolutionize our city and even the country. I want to be a part of the revolution. I want to always be inviting others to join the work of revolution. CIR offers us a platform for this transforming work.”
LEO: Do you think your new role here creates more freedom for exploration and collaboration for you than other places might?
Lauren Jones Mayfield: “I absolutely have more freedom and room to explore and collaborate through my involvement at CIR than in former places of service. It is not an exception to partner with and listen to and learn from different voices, it is expected; it is the starting point, and it forms the fulcrum from which we engage our community. Further, when there is a voice at the metaphorical table that misuses power or denigrates our neighbors with less social power, I see CIR as an organization that works to humble power, create opportunities for brave exploration, and heal ourselves so that we can keep at the important work of justice and love.”
LEO: Why do you think public gatherings like the Festival of Faiths are
important in this day and age?
Lauren Jones Mayfield: “Public gatherings like the FoF remind us of our common heart while celebrating our differences. It’s in our unique perspectives and experiences that we find commonalities and fuel for greater compassion for our earth, neighbors, and selves. Often, I hear folks express skepticism about the word ‘faith,’ as if that word could ever speak authentically to their contemporary experiences. Time and again, what the Festival inspires is an opportunity for people of faith and no faith, skeptics and devout souls alike, to find their place in the larger web of humanity. Prophetic and public gatherings, like the FoF, challenge our preconceived ideas and fears through movement making, introspection and mindfulness, and the sharing of ideas that, again, provoke us toward a more holistic, compassionate version of ourselves and our neighbors.”
LEO: The world seems stranger than ever. What are your hopes for the
future?
Lauren Jones Mayfield: “My hope for the future is that amid our divisions we might find creative ways to continue wondering about one another. When it is unsafe for someone to listen alone in the presence of hate or dissent, may those with privilege stand in to do the listening. Like Sikh activist Valerie Kaur says in her book See No Stranger, ‘Listening does not grant the other side legitimacy. It grants them humanity and preserves our own.’ How do we bravely listen to one another in a way
that inspires small and tangible acts of resistance to the systems of bigotry and hate? How do we keep trusting that each individual revelation will swell into a reformation of heart, soul, mind, and body for our collective thriving and liberation? I want to be part of exploring the answers to these and similar questions. CIR is such a platform for discovery, practice, and prophetic leadership.”
This article appears in Dec 18, 2024 – Jan 16, 2025.