Chris Stedman

Chris Stedman (he/him/his), Research Advisory Board

Chris is a writer and community organizer. “As a writer, I explore how and where people find meaning and belonging. As a community organizer, I try to support nonreligious people as they seek connection and fulfillment in life.” The author of Faitheist: How an Atheist Found Common Ground with the Religious and IRL: Finding Realness, Meaning, and Belonging in Our Digital Lives, Chris also is founding director of the Humanist Center of Minnesota, which seeks to understand the needs of the religiously unaffiliated in Minnesota and beyond. 

“I want to help people better understand themselves and one another, and to embrace curiosity and uncertainty,” says Chris. “I’ve spent the last decade doing so as a chaplain for the nonreligious, but whatever form it takes, this is probably my biggest motivation in life. I’m a product of a Lutheran university, and accordingly I feel deeply shaped by the idea of discerning a vocation that sits at the intersection of one’s interests and skills and the world’s needs. I strive to do what I can with what I have to make the world a more just place for all people—one in which everyone has the means and ability to consider what gives their lives meaning, and then pursue it.” 

On a more personal level, Chris says, “I have a dog named Tuna who is a very big part of my life, ha. I’m also close with my family. I help take care of my stepdad, who has Alzheimer’s, and am close with my two nephews and niece.”