J. Bennett Guess

Executive Director of the United Church of Christ’s historic media justice arm, the Office of Communication, Inc.

RCCongress 2010 Workshop:

Join the Coalition: Media Justice is Social Justice

The Rev. J. Bennett Guess is the executive director of the United Church of Christ’s historic media justice arm, the Office of Communication (OC), Inc. Since 1959, OC, Inc. has been a leading advocate on FCC-related public policy issues on behalf of the 1.2-million member United Church of Christ.

A journalist, activist and pastor for more than 20 years, Guess has worked in the national setting of the United Church of Christ for seven years, first as minister for communication for the UCC’s Justice and Witness Ministries and, later, as editor of its denominational publication, United Church News, and as news director. He has served as the acting director of communications since August.

Guess is chair of the news and media relations committee of the National Council of Churches Communications Commission; a member of the board of governors of the Religion Communicators Council; and a member of Associated Church Press and the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association.

Since taking over the helm of United Church News in 2003, Guess has won more than 60 journalistic awards and citations. He was the 1997 recipient of the UCC’s Just Peace Award, presented at the UCC’s biennial General Synod.

After completing his B.A. degree in journalism from the University of Kentucky School of Journalism (1988), Guess began his career as a journalist for The Daily News in Bowling Green, Ky. Feeling called to both social policy and ministry, he studied Public Administration and Policy at Western Kentucky University and Murray State University, and also enrolled full time at Vanderbilt University Divinity School in Nashville. He received his M.Div. degree in 1991, and completed a D.Min. in preaching from Chicago Theological Seminary in 2001.

Join the Coalition: Media Justice is Social Justice

“So We Might See” is a new interfaith coalition on media reform. Come hear about the coalition’s web-based campaign and learn how your faith tradition can join the movement for grassroots media reform.

Co-led by the Rev. J. Bennett Guess and Cheryl Leanza, United Church of Christ Office of Communication, Inc.