For Religious Leaders in Training
The Emerging Religious Leaders Intensive (ERLI)
The Emerging Religious Leaders Intensive (ERLI) is a week-long residential immersion experience in interreligious learning and dialogue for Christian, Jewish, and Muslim seminary students training for leadership roles.
For the past decade, ERLI has filled a key gap in seminary education as few institutions offer such in-depth interreligious learning through study and experiences.
Details
- Week-long residential
- Pearlstone Center, Reisterstown MD.
- Program, travel, food, and lodging costs covered by ICJS.
What to Expect
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Engage in rigorous interreligious learning through presentations, reflections, and small group study.
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Learn how religious communities read, interpret, and embody sacred traditions differently.
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Develop lasting friendships.
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Potentially earn course credit (Not guaranteed, but we will work with your institution to help you receive credit).
How to Apply
Contact your school’s ERLI coordinator or email erli@icjs.org
Alexander Lee, Fuller Theological Seminary
Left to right: ERLI participants Arif Rahman and Alexander Lee. Photo by ICJS’ Angela Cava
“I’ve learned that I can and need to show up—I can show up in my full religious formation and that the world needs that, our society today needs that.”
Jaz Twersky, Hebrew College
Left to right: ERLI participants Rivka Nechemya Thrope, Jaz Twersky, and Rev. Gwen Van Velsor. Photo by ICJS’ Angela Cava
“I expected to learn about other religions, but I was surprised to feel like I also learned things about my own religion.”
Arif Rahman, The Islamic Seminary of America
Left to right: ERLI participants Rachel Wyffels, Arif Rahman, and Michelle Katz. Photo by ICJS’ Angela Cava
“This is the first time I came in contact with my fellows from other religions where there’s sufficient time to exchange not only views, but also see each other as a human.”
Building Bridges Through Dialogue: Reflections on the ERLI Interfaith Workshop
A beautifully insightful recap of the Emerging Religious Leaders Intensive (ERLI), where Jewish, Christian, and Muslim student leaders came together in June 2025 to engage in meaningful dialogue, build lasting connections, and foster mutual understanding.
Over the course of five days, I came to see that human-to-human connection through honest dialogue and shared experiences is essential to building understanding between people of different faiths.
Emerging Religious Leaders Intensive Rosters
Attending this service, which was based off of Episcopalian liturgy and texts, and seeing in English the exact words that I say in my daily prayer was deeply moving.
Yeshivat Maharat
ICJS is an affiliate of The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS).