VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 01/23/2025)—American Baptist Home Mission Societies (ABHMS) is pleased to announce that the Rev. Dr. A. Roy Medley, general secretary emeritus of American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA), is the 2025 recipient of the prestigious Edwin T. Dahlberg Peace and Justice Award. The award will be presented formally during the ABCUSA Biennial Mission Summit in Omaha, Nebraska, in July.
Named after the Rev. Edwin T. Dahlberg, an American Baptist minister and past president of ABCUSA renowned for his unwavering commitment to social justice and peacemaking, the award recognizes individuals whose lives and ministries exemplify these lofty ideals. Past recipients include iconic leaders such as the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., former President Jimmy Carter, and civil rights activist and lawmaker John Lewis, underscoring the significance of the accolade within the denomination.
Reflecting on his selection, Medley admitted to feeling shocked at the news. “Edwin Dahlberg is revered in American Baptist history for his prophetic and principled work for peace,” he said. “From early adulthood until now, 2 Corinthians 5:18—‘All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation’—has fueled my passion and work for racial reconciliation, interfaith dialogue, and now peace with justice in Burma. I am truly honored and humbled by this recognition by my beloved denominational family.”
For more than four decades, Medley has carried forward through his ministry the principles reflected in the Dahlberg Award, inspiring countless others with his advocacy for peace, justice, and reconciliation. While general secretary of ABCUSA, from 2002 to 2015, he spearheaded the denomination’s Transformed by the Spirit initiative, urging congregations to engage in prayerful discernment and embrace transformative action in their communities. He emphasized that the church must not function as a “gated community” but as a force for justice, mercy, and peace in a broken world.
Also a pioneer in fostering interfaith dialog, Medley has brought together leaders from diverse faith traditions to champion human rights, religious liberty, and mutual respect. He has led three national dialogues between Baptists and Muslims and co-founded Shoulder to Shoulder, a coalition of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim faith groups combatting Islamophobia in the United States. In addition, he has represented Baptists at key global events such as the unveiling of the Marrakech Declaration in Morocco and its follow-up interfaith gathering, the Alliance of Virtue, in Washinton, D.C.
Medley has similarly extended his advocacy to Southeast Asia, specifically addressing the persecution of Christian and Rohingya Muslim communities in Burma. His work there has included visiting refugee camps along the Burma-Thailand border and meeting with figures such as Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, then state counselor of Myanmar, to address systemic injustices.
The Rev. Dr. Jamie Washam, president of the ABHMS Board of Directors, praised Medley, likening him to Dahlberg as someone who made fomenting peace with justice a way of life. “As general secretary [of ABCUSA],” she said, “he led our denomination with vision and humility. In ‘retirement,’ he continues to work toward racial reconciliation and foster respectful interfaith relationships with his characteristic gentle spirit and subtle wit. His ministry of reconciliation and mercy stands as a harbor in tumultuous times.”
The Rev. Dr. Jeffrey Haggray, executive director of ABHMS, likewise celebrated Medley for his achievement, considering the Dahlberg Award as a fitting tribute to a lifetime of steadfast dedication to peace and justice. “Always advocating for the marginalized and oppressed, Dr. Roy Medley exemplifies the Christ-centered leadership that our world desperately needs,” said Haggray. “He peaceably brings people together across lines of faith, culture, and identity, touching lives from refugee camps in Burma to interfaith councils in Washington, D.C.”
Beyond his tenure with ABCUSA, Medley has served in ecumenical leadership with the National Council of Churches, Baptist World Alliance, and Friendship Press, continuing to inspire with his passion for justice, his courage to confront oppression, and his deep faith in God’s reconciling power.
To attend the Biennial Mission Summit and witness Medley’s receipt of the Dahlberg Award, visit the ABCUSA website.
American Baptist Home Mission Societies partners with American Baptists to promote Christian faith, cultivate Christ-centered leaders and disciples, and bring healing and transformation to communities across the United States and Puerto Rico.
American Baptist Churches USA is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with approximately 5,000 congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.
VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 01/23/2025)—American Baptist Home Mission Societies (ABHMS) is pleased to announce that the Rev. Dr. A. Roy Medley, general secretary emeritus of American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA), is the 2025 recipient of the prestigious Edwin T. Dahlberg Peace and Justice Award. The award will be presented formally during the ABCUSA Biennial Mission Summit in Omaha, Nebraska, in July.
Named after the Rev. Edwin T. Dahlberg, an American Baptist minister and past president of ABCUSA renowned for his unwavering commitment to social justice and peacemaking, the award recognizes individuals whose lives and ministries exemplify these lofty ideals. Past recipients include iconic leaders such as the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., former President Jimmy Carter, and civil rights activist and lawmaker John Lewis, underscoring the significance of the accolade within the denomination.
Reflecting on his selection, Medley admitted to feeling shocked at the news. “Edwin Dahlberg is revered in American Baptist history for his prophetic and principled work for peace,” he said. “From early adulthood until now, 2 Corinthians 5:18—‘All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation’—has fueled my passion and work for racial reconciliation, interfaith dialogue, and now peace with justice in Burma. I am truly honored and humbled by this recognition by my beloved denominational family.”
For more than four decades, Medley has carried forward through his ministry the principles reflected in the Dahlberg Award, inspiring countless others with his advocacy for peace, justice, and reconciliation. While general secretary of ABCUSA, from 2002 to 2015, he spearheaded the denomination’s Transformed by the Spirit initiative, urging congregations to engage in prayerful discernment and embrace transformative action in their communities. He emphasized that the church must not function as a “gated community” but as a force for justice, mercy, and peace in a broken world.
Also a pioneer in fostering interfaith dialog, Medley has brought together leaders from diverse faith traditions to champion human rights, religious liberty, and mutual respect. He has led three national dialogues between Baptists and Muslims and co-founded Shoulder to Shoulder, a coalition of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim faith groups combatting Islamophobia in the United States. In addition, he has represented Baptists at key global events such as the unveiling of the Marrakech Declaration in Morocco and its follow-up interfaith gathering, the Alliance of Virtue, in Washinton, D.C.
Medley has similarly extended his advocacy to Southeast Asia, specifically addressing the persecution of Christian and Rohingya Muslim communities in Burma. His work there has included visiting refugee camps along the Burma-Thailand border and meeting with figures such as Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, then state counselor of Myanmar, to address systemic injustices.
The Rev. Dr. Jamie Washam, president of the ABHMS Board of Directors, praised Medley, likening him to Dahlberg as someone who made fomenting peace with justice a way of life. “As general secretary [of ABCUSA],” she said, “he led our denomination with vision and humility. In ‘retirement,’ he continues to work toward racial reconciliation and foster respectful interfaith relationships with his characteristic gentle spirit and subtle wit. His ministry of reconciliation and mercy stands as a harbor in tumultuous times.”
The Rev. Dr. Jeffrey Haggray, executive director of ABHMS, likewise celebrated Medley for his achievement, considering the Dahlberg Award as a fitting tribute to a lifetime of steadfast dedication to peace and justice. “Always advocating for the marginalized and oppressed, Dr. Roy Medley exemplifies the Christ-centered leadership that our world desperately needs,” said Haggray. “He peaceably brings people together across lines of faith, culture, and identity, touching lives from refugee camps in Burma to interfaith councils in Washington, D.C.”
Beyond his tenure with ABCUSA, Medley has served in ecumenical leadership with the National Council of Churches, Baptist World Alliance, and Friendship Press, continuing to inspire with his passion for justice, his courage to confront oppression, and his deep faith in God’s reconciling power.
To attend the Biennial Mission Summit and witness Medley’s receipt of the Dahlberg Award, visit the ABCUSA website.
American Baptist Home Mission Societies partners with American Baptists to promote Christian faith, cultivate Christ-centered leaders and disciples, and bring healing and transformation to communities across the United States and Puerto Rico.
American Baptist Churches USA is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with approximately 5,000 congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.