No Kings — What’s Next?
On No Kings Day, we stepped into the public square to say—together—“Power serves people, not the other way around.” The beauty of that witness wasn’t just the signs, chants, or clever slogans. It was the way neighbors became co-laborers. It was community, practicing resistance in public, refusing to be numbed by cynicism or bent by fear. That’s the quiet miracle of nonviolent protest: it builds capacity—skills, trust, relationships—while magnifying the issues that matter most.
In RESIST: Learning the Way of Jesus, I argue that resistance is not primarily a posture against people but a practice for the common good. No Kings Day embodied that. Below are a few reflections on what we just did together—and a concrete path forward so the momentum doesn’t fade.
What No Kings Day Accomplished
1) It reframed power.
No Kings is not a rejection of leadership; it’s a refusal of domination. In RESIST I write about the difference between coercive power and covenant power—the kind Jesus models (see the chapters on Faithful Witness and Rule of Life). Nonviolent protest publicly practices covenant power: we show up, tell the truth, and refuse to harm.
2) It enlarged “we.”
Movements don’t scale by outrage; they scale by belonging. No Kings Day connected people across churches, generations, and neighborhoods. In RESIST, the thread running through the book is that belonging is both the road and the destination: we form a people fit to carry one another and the work.
3) It grew community capacity.
Every demonstration is also a practicum: volunteers learn safety roles, legal observing, de-escalation, media messaging, chaplaincy presence, and accessibility planning. Those are transferable skills—useful for town halls, school-board advocacy, mutual aid, and everyday civic life. (See Practices of Resistance for the playbook mindset and Reconciliation & Resistance for how worship and public action interweave.)
4) It made issues visible without making enemies.
Nonviolence isn’t passivity; it’s disciplined moral force. The aim is to spotlight policy and practice, not to humiliate people. That distinction keeps the door open for conversion—of systems, yes, but also of hearts. RESIST insists that we never sacrifice the person to win the point.
The Nonviolent Center: How We Stay Grounded
Nonviolence is the operating system of Christian resistance. It demands preparation:
Truth-telling without shaming. Name harm precisely. Refuse caricature.
De-escalation first. Train a care team and a safety team; practice call-and-response calm.
Accessibility and consent. ASL interpretation, multilingual signage, clear routes, posted codes of conduct.
Pastoral presence. Chaplains on the perimeter. Water, snacks, and a quiet zone.
Joy as defiance. Songs, art, liturgy—these are strategy, not garnish (see The Fourfold Pattern: Reconnect, Revelation, Response, Reconciliation & Resistance).
What’s Next: From Protest to Practice
Here are concrete next steps so No Kings becomes a way of life—not just a date on a calendar.
1) Form a “No Kings Table” (4–8 people)
Meet biweekly for 8–10 weeks to pray, study, plan, and act. Use the Home Gathering / Rule of Life structure from RESIST:
Reconnect (10 min): Check-in and breath prayer.
Revelation (20 min): Scripture + a short reading from RESIST (start with Faithful Witness, Practices of Resistance, and Rule of Life).
Response (20 min): Choose one local action (letter, meeting, service).
Reconciliation & Resistance (10 min): Blessing + commit to one peacemaking practice for the week.
Deliverable: By week 4, your table adopts a micro-Rule of Life (three simple commitments):
One presence practice (weekly neighbor touchpoint),
One formation practice (daily prayer or Scripture rhythm),
One action practice (monthly advocacy or mutual-aid task).
2) Build a Local Issue Map
In RESIST, I outline “See–Judge–Act” as a simple discernment flow. Use it to create a one-page Issue Map:
See: What harms are most felt in our neighborhood (housing, food security, healthcare access, voter protection)?
Judge: What’s the policy root? Who holds the lever? What data do we need?
Act: What is the smallest faithful next step we can take in 30 days?
Deliverable: Share your Issue Map with two other groups; combine efforts where overlap exists.
3) Train for Roles (Capacity > Charisma)
Protest is the tip of an iceberg built on roles. Rotate and train:
Safety Marshals & De-escalation Leads
Press & Story Team (two core messages, one human story, one policy ask)
Accessibility & Care Team (water, first aid, quiet space)
Faith/Chaplains Team (presence, lament, blessing)
(See RESIST, Practices of Resistance and the Appendix: Roles & Run-of-Show—if you have the bonus materials.)
4) Pair Advocacy with Mutual Aid
Movements need the long breath. Choose one policy lane and one mutual-aid lane so hope has hands and feet:
Policy lane examples: tenant protections, living-wage standards, fair scheduling, public transit access.
Mutual-aid lane examples: grocery co-op support, community meals, court accompaniment, ride-share to council meetings.
Deliverable: Put dates on the calendar for both lanes for the next 90 days.
5) Practice Nonviolent Communication (NVC) Weekly
From RESIST: “We will not use violent words to pursue nonviolent ends.” Adopt a weekly NVC drill:
Observe (without judgment) → Name feeling → Name need → Make a clear request.
Role-play likely tensions (online comments, council Q&A, workplace conversations).
6) Create a “Belonging First” On-Ramp
Belonging is how people try on courage. Design one gentle entry point per month:
Community meal, “teach-in + tacos,” neighborhood cleanup + music, or a letter-writing party.
Guard the vibe: kind, organized, and 60–90 minutes max.
7) Set Movement Metrics That Match the Mission
If we measure only turnout, we’ll chase spectacle. In RESIST, I propose Belonging, Formation, Action metrics:
Belonging: How many newcomers found a role? How many cross-community partnerships formed?
Formation: How many completed a training or reading circle?
Action: What concrete policy meetings, testimonies, or mutual-aid projects happened?
Publish a short “No Kings Quarterly” scorecard to celebrate growth and name gaps.
A Liturgical Rhythm for Public Witness
Let your group adopt this simple monthly rhythm (adapted from RESIST’s worship pattern):
Reconnect: Community meal + check-in circle.
Revelation: Scripture + a 10-minute teaching (justice theme, local data).
Response: Skill training + plan the month’s action.
Reconciliation & Resistance: Blessing, sending, and a practice of repair (write thank-you notes to public servants who did the right thing; schedule a meeting with one opponent to listen first).
A Pastoral Word
No Kings Day was not a finish line; it was a threshold. The Way of Jesus calls us to a fierce gentleness—the steely refusal to harm and the stubborn commitment to love. Systems change when people do, and people change in communities that practice the future they proclaim.
If you carried a sign, carry a shovel. If you chanted, choose a role. If you marched, make a map. And if you prayed—keep praying, and put your prayer into policy, presence, and persistent love.
Quick “What’s Next” Checklist
☐ Join or host a No Kings Table (4–8 people).
☐ Draft a micro-Rule of Life (presence, formation, action).
☐ Build and share a one-page Issue Map.
☐ Pick one policy lane and one mutual-aid lane (90-day plan).
☐ Take one training (de-escalation, press, accessibility, chaplaincy).
☐ Schedule a belonging on-ramp event for first-timers.
☐ Publish a simple Quarterly scorecard (Belonging, Formation, Action).
For those reading along in RESIST, start with the chapters/sections on Faithful Witness, Practices of Resistance, Rule of Life, and Reconciliation & Resistance. They’ll give you a theological frame and a practical toolbox for the months ahead.
No kings. Just a people learning to love our neighbors with courage, creativity, and nonviolent power. Now let’s get to work.
