In remarks at the State Department in announcing the establishment of the office, Secretary of State John Kerry said that after discussing at length the global impact of religion with leaders from around the world who are involved in interfaith efforts, it’s time to do more than “just to talk about a better dialogue. I think we have to stand up and deliver one.”

“We need to recognize that in a world where people of all faiths are migrating and mingling like never before, where we are this global community ... we ignore the global impact of religion, in my judgment, at our peril,” Kerry said.

More than a dozen federal agencies, ranging from the Department of Education to Homeland Security and the Corporation for National and Community Service, have offices intended to help form partnerships between the agency and faith-based and neighbourhood organizations.

A white paper produced by the State Department-created Religion and Foreign Policy Working Group last fall warned that ignoring or minimizing the important role religion plays “because we are uncomfortable with them, or do not have time or interest to understand them in context, is no longer an option for U.S. policy.”

Kerry also announced that the office would be headed by Shaun Casey, professor of Christian ethics at Wesley Theological Seminary. Casey holds degrees that include a master of divinity, a master of public administration and a doctor of theology, all from Harvard University.

Kerry said engagement — which he described as a two-way street — is the goal of the office.

“Our job at the State Department is not just to proclaim or to stand up and pontificate about the things that we want. We have to listen to people about the things that they want.”

The new office is “seeking to multiply the engagement with religion that already exists across the bureaus and offices of this great organization,” said Casey.