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This week, Texas Impact’s Leadership Council met to elect our next Board of Directors, who will start their two-year terms in January. At their meeting, the Leadership Council also reviewed our organization’s work so far this year and set expectations for the future.
Incoming Board President Rev. Phil Dieke of Dallas said, “Working to be a bridge between local churches, cities, the state, and federal justice work. I want to make sure we continue to nurture the souls of all who do this work for justice as it is difficult and often frustrating work. Though a lot feels grim around us, we stand in solidarity with one another, embodying the love and compassion our various faiths call us to.”
The Texas Impact Leadership Council comprises delegates from the denominational bodies and other “sending organizations” that make up Texas Impact’s institutional membership, as well as at-large members. The Leadership Council sets the policy agenda and strategic direction for the organization, and its members serve as Texas Impact’s ambassadors to policymakers and faith communities across the state. You can find a current listing of Leadership Council members and Texas Impact's sending organizations on our website.
Also this week, Americans were shocked by in the shooting death of conservative leader Charlie Kirk. Common Ground USA is developing helpful resources for clergy and community leaders to talk about the shooting. The assassination intensified concerns about increasing political violence across the country, but despite immediate calls for civil discourse, the event so far has stoked political polarization.
Kirk’s assassination also comes at a time when political partisanship is rising because of the election cycle: candidates in Texas and across the country are launching their 2026 campaigns. In Texas, many elected officials are retiring or seeking other offices, so the field will include a lot of new faces and familiar faces in new spaces. Texas Impact encourages our members and all Texans to lean away from partisanship and assumptions, and to lean into conversations with community members and candidates with diverse views.
Finally, this week marked the official start of a key public policy process in Texas: The Sunset review of the state’s health and human services agencies. This Sunset review process is an important opportunity for policymakers and the public to engage in substantive discussion about how state agencies implement the legislature’s policy directions. Texas Impact is a frequent participant in Sunset reviews, and we look forward to participating in the health and human services review.
Our friends at Texans Care for Children have an excellent post on their blog about the impact the sixteen health and human services agencies have on the well-being of Texas children. Over the next several months, we’ll be highlighting the impacts these agencies have on specific groups of Texans—and on all Texans. We’ll be offering opportunities for you and your network to engage in the Sunset process, and we’ll equip you to start talking with your legislators early and often about making Texas a welcoming, nurturing community where every person can thrive. |
