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Congregational Leaders Fellowship

Cultivating Interreligious Belonging

Is your congregation looking for a way to deepen its work and learning around a civic issue? Do you want to partner with other religious communities to address this issue? 

If so, consider the Congregational Leaders Fellowship.

At a time of polarization and partisanship, we need to cross divides between communities—even our own religious communities. Now more than ever, we need religious leaders (both clergy and lay leaders) who are willing to engage and mobilize across religious, political, gender, racial, socioeconomic, and generational divides.

The Congregational Leaders Fellowship (CLF), led by Christine Krieger (Program Director for Congregations), is a 6-month cohort experience for leaders from Christian, Muslim, and Jewish congregations to build understanding and relationships across those divides. Fellows explore how each tradition strives to bring about a sense of belonging and flourishing for all people. 

CLF can extend and enhance your congregations’ current work that focuses on this vision. This work may include creation care, providing food for individuals experiencing food insecurity, or welcoming individuals who have been displaced due to war, natural disasters, etc. We know this work cannot be sustained if done in isolation, but is strengthened through partnerships. 

Participant Rosters

Commitments & Expectations

ICJS Commitments

  • Create space for learning and dialogue among Jews, Christians, and Muslims 
  • Support fellows in strengthening interreligious understanding within your own religious community;
  • Foster relationships between diverse religious communities;
  • Provide a Congregational Stipend ($2,000) for completing all fellowship commitments.

Fellow Commitments

  • Attend 8 out of 10 cohort gatherings (half will be in-person, half virtual)
  • Attend Storytelling Workshop & Retreat (in-person) 
  • Attend 2 religious services with congregations of faiths other than your own
  • Attend 1 correlated learning experience (e.g., ICJS courses or events, community events with other congregations, Interfaith webinars, field trips to religious sites) 
  • Write a reflection essay for ICJS “Voices” column
  • Complete  intercongregational, interreligious project and present summary to the cohort 

Why Join the Congregational Leaders Fellowship?