Dwight J. Friesen

Associate Professor of Practical Theology at The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology, United States

Dwight has been leading or training people to lead grassroots faith-based community groups since 1996. He is active with UN-Habitat, Urban Thinkers Campuses, and participates in World Urban Forums. The focus of Dwight’s research and collaborations is the localization and implementation of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), via the “New Urban Agenda” and “The City We Need Now” by mobilizing neighborhood-based religious communities to activate the SDGs through their respective faith, scared texts, narratives, and sustaining practices. 

Roughly 85% of the world population self-identifies as religious; Dwight is joining with and convening diverse thought leaders and influencers from across the world’s religions to stimulate grassroots change as meaningful expressions of their respective faith commitments and values. Not only are local religious communities vital contributors to the gift economy of every village, neighborhood, and city on our planet, but religious organizations and their constituents steward significant resources. Socially speaking, the neighborhood is the building block of the city; sustainable change of individual and collective practices may necessitate mobilizing through deeply held convictions, stories, and rituals enacted by local faith communities. 

Dwight is the author of numerous books, including: 2020s Foresight: Three Vital Practices for Thriving in a Decade of Accelerating Change; and The New Parish: How Neighborhood Churches are Transforming Mission, Discipleship, & Community. He is the co-founder of the Inhabit Conference, a founding board member of Parish Collective, has served on the National Council of Churches’ “Faith & Order Commission,” and engages in multifaith dialogue unto the common good. You can learn more at DwightFriesen.com.

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NOTE: if this bio is too long or too short or if you sense your constituents need a different emphasis I am more than happy to revise or craft something even more tailored for your group. 

 dwightjfriesen@gmail.com – 206.276.3992