Samir Selmanovic

Learning to love well, God, myself, people, and all of life.

Samir Selmanovic, PhD, grew up in an intellectual urban atheist milieu in the capital of Croatia in a European Muslim family. In his youth, he was immersed in existentialist literature and has produced modern theater projects with system-subversive overtones such as the works of Bertolt Brecht and George Orwell’s Animal Farm.

During an obligatory service in the communist army, his quest for counter-cultural ideas led him to join a Christian church through an underground network of believers. After he returned home from his army service, he was shunned by social circles, disowned by his family and expelled from his home for several years. He was able to work his way back into his family and social network through emotional, intellectual and spiritual struggle. Through these challenges he found strength in the depths and beauty of faith in God while learning to value the worldviews of the people who opposed it.

After coming to the United States and completing graduate degrees in theology and religious education, Samir pastored a multi-ethnic church in Manhattan for six years. This ministry experience provided him with an understanding of professional urban America, Western attitudes toward Christianity and how monotheistic religions and their opponents can work together for the good of the world. His experience in Manhattan includes the events of 9/11 and a number of projects helping the city in its aftermath. Aspects of his work were reported in an article in San Francisco Chronicle. In 2002, he was honored by the organization, Muslims Against Terrorism, for his contribution to interfaith understanding and cooperation.

Over the last four years, Samir has been a speaker, seminar presenter and member of the core leadership team of re-church, a supporting network of pastors meeting for a yearly conference for theological exploration (New York 2002 entitled Loving Babylon devoted to postmodernity and urban ministry, Los Angeles 2003 entitled Dancing With God devoted to spiritual practices, Philadelphia 2004 entitled Micah 6:8 devoted to social justice, and Columbus 2007 entitled Mission and Innovation).

Over the last eight years, Samir has published articles about the role of church and Christian faith in postmodernity and their relationship with culture, evangelism and leadership. He has been a speaker at seminars, conferences and colleges around the country. He has also taught classes about faith development, leadership development, family ministry and spiritual nurture in a theological seminary. He is a contributor to book Emergent Manifesto of Hope (to be published by Baker in 2007). Currently, Samir is writing a book for Baker to be published 2007/2008 entitled Losing My Religion and Discovering the Kingdom of God.

Since 2005, Samir serves on the Coordinating Group for Emergent Village and has been appointed as their representative on the Faith and Order Commission of the National Council of Churches in 2006.

For the last four years, Samir has been a teaching pastor at CrossWalk, an innovative and growing church in Southern California.

Samir has helped many of his church members and students move from apathy and doubt about the integrity and relevance of their religion into a path of contemplation and pursuit of social justice. He has also guided a number of secular people into taking another look at faith to the point where they have gained a new interest in spirituality and a new hope for religion in the West.

With his wife Vesna and their two daughters Ena and Leta, Samir is preparing to move to New York City and start an urban interfaith community.