We're now Community Peacemaker Teams
Our new name reflects our growth as an organization with an unwavering commitment to nonviolent peacebuilding.
January 13, 2022
We have a new name. Christian Peacemaker Teams is now Community Peacemaker Teams.
For thirty-five years, CPT has committed itself to the transforming power of nonviolence through activism grounded in partnerships with local peacemakers worldwide. We are excited to announce this name change as it better reflects who we are. We have grown in membership and partnership, and after multiple years of consultation with our community and partners, we only thought it fitting to live into our growth.
We chose the word community because it reflects the diversity of our membership. Everyone at CPT is encouraged to bring their expression of spirituality or faith or what motivates them to the work of peacebuilding while grounded in our shared values of equality, human dignity, justice and peace. Community also reflects the essence of our work. It evokes a sense of togetherness and solidarity with our partners and within CPT while highlighting the openness and accountability central to our work.
Our name change also recognizes our journey of undoing oppressions. As an organization that seeks to address structures of power and privilege, it is important that our language be inclusive and life-affirming. In the CPT community, all are welcome to partner with us toward collective liberation.
Our mission remains the same: building partnerships to transform violence and oppression. We will continue the strategic work of long term relationships and partnerships with people and communities fighting for justice. Our commitment is unwavering in challenging and dismantling the systems of power, violence and oppression that prey upon the most vulnerable among us: this is the basis of our work.
We are excited about our growing membership and living into our diversity where the sacred is recognized and revealed in many traditions and tongues, identities and images, colours and cultures.
We’re grateful for our community that has supported us in finding this new name that embodies and reflects who we are and for walking with us into this new chapter.
We hope you are as excited as we are for a larger table where we can celebrate our partnerships and build new alliances as a community working together for justice and collective liberation.
Frequently asked questions
No, our mission and work remain the same: building partnerships to transform violence and oppression. We have been building long-term partnerships in all our programs and working alongside many people and communities who are fighting for justice. We see this name change as part of our ongoing work of undoing oppressions and is reflective of our growth.
For a long time now, CPT has welcomed members who do not identify as Christian and it has enriched our work and our partnerships across the globe. CPT seeks to reflect this shift into its name which better represents the diverse community we have become. This name change is part of our ongoing journey of undoing oppressions. We continue to recognize ways in which we as an organization perpetuate violence and oppression and we seek to transform our work and our presence, including the language we use.
Community speaks to building horizontal relationships with each other, expanding connections on the basis of equality, respect for diversity and standing in solidarity against the violence and oppression experienced by others and ourselves. This is written in CPT’s mission and vision statements.
The word “Community” reflects the essence of our work and evokes a sense of togetherness with our partners and within CPT. The word points to openness and accountability while also placing CPT within a vast web of human connections as part of the Global Community. The word “Community” is a large part of CPT’s language and used often in CPT communications. Making it a more central part of our name provides continuity while honoring CPT’s support communities, partner communities, and CPT’s collective past.
No, we are not leaving our Christian identity behind. In our journey of undoing oppression, we are expanding our identity to acknowledge other spiritual and faith-based peacemaking and acknowledging the harm that Christianity has done in many of our CPT contexts.
Absolutely! We invite people of all faiths and all backgrounds to be part of CPT. We are building a radical peace community that is inclusive and celebrates diversity. All are welcome at the table.
Absolutely! We want to maintain all of our relationships with congregations. We believe that the journey of peacemaking requires all of us to walk side by side and support each other. We want to work with congregations so we can resource each other in the quest for peace and justice. Our Outreach Coordinator is excited to arrange a speaker, preacher or a workshop for your congregation. Contact outreach@cpt.org to host a CPTer in your community or check out our workshop/training page to see what workshop is best for your congregation.
Yes! Many CPTers are doing this work from a Christian background – therefore we will still provide an alternative voice to the mainstream church. In addition, we will continue to do congregational outreach. This is what makes us different from other secular organizations, we have not given up on the churches and their call to be peacemakers.
Yes! CPT continues to be a place where congregations can follow the call to be peacemakers together. By participating in group delegations, congregations have the opportunity to learn and participate in meaningful acts of solidarity and peacemaking.
Absolutely! Each of us come to this work through different means and we welcome all who share in our values of equality, human dignity, justice and peace. We seek to create a space for everyone, unified around our mission of building partnerships to transform violence and oppression.
CPT is a distinct organization in mission, vision, and values as well as the partnerships that have been built over 35 years. This has not changed. What has changed is the name of CPT to reflect a long journey of learning and evolving. CPT encourages all to bring their expressions of spirituality, faith or what motivates one in the work for peace. CPT is as distinct from other organizations today as we have been in the past.
No. Each team will work within its context to implement the change and update their registration with the local government; in some cases, like in Iraqi Kurdistan, the process will take some time and the team will still function under the name of Christian Peacemaker Teams temporarily. In the Colombian context, CPT or ECAP will change to Equipos y Comunidades de Acción por la Paz.