ICJS Fellowship for Congregations

Cohort Experience for Congregational Leaders

The ICJS Fellowship for Congregations is a five-month cohort experience for leaders from Muslim, Christian, and Jewish congregations to build understanding and relationships across those divides. Congregations must send 2-4 representatives to the fellowship, and at least one must have a leadership role at the church—either staff or volunteer. Fellows will develop an applied learning project to take back to their home congregation. Congregations receive a stipend for successful completion of the program.

The next fellowship will be from January–May 2027. If you or your congregation are interested in learning more, please fill out the interest form.

INTEREST FORM

Commitments & Expectations

Fellowship Benefits

Create space for learning and dialogue among Christians of all denominations
Support fellows in strengthening interreligious understanding within your own religious community;
Foster relationships between diverse religious communities;
Provide a Congregational Stipend for completing all fellowship commitments.

Fellowship Commitments

Attend 8 out of 10 cohort gatherings
Attend half-day retreat
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

Fellowship for Congregations Rosters

Voices by Fellow Alums

Congregational Leader Voices

I Didn’t Know What I Didn’t Know

Debbie Ingram Schmidt, Congregational Leaders Fellow alum

When I signed up to be part of ICJS’s Congregational Leaders Fellowship (CLF), I thought I had a pretty good understanding of the core beliefs and practices of the Jewish and Muslim faiths. I had read articles and attended lectures, and I have a few Jewish friends, some more religious than others. I’ve come to…

Congregational Leader Voices

Understanding Through Vulnerability

Mustafa Sharif, ICJS Congregational Leaders Fellow

Growing up, I developed a friendship with a child playing on the playground. As we grew older, we continued to gravitate to each other, noticing that we shared similar values. We didn’t allow ourselves to be negatively influenced by others. We both were stable and firm enough in our values that when peers attempted to…

Congregational Leader Voices

The Harmony of Interreligious Communication

Joanne Fritz Kraus, ICJS Congregational Leaders Alum

My mother was a logophile, a lover of words, who understood nuance even when she spoke directly. She taught her children to speak without the preparatory steps of babble and baby talk. It was a “sink or swim” technique. We developed burgeoning vocabularies and fluency, but I’m not sure that we learned to communicate beyond…

Congregational Leader Voices

When Interreligious Bonds Become Essential

Michael Sarbanes, Congregational Leaders Fellow Alum

As I wrap up the ICJS Congregational Leaders Fellowship, I reflect on experiences I had during one of the most difficult periods of my life that laid a strong foundation for my interreligious story and upon which the fellowship built years later. A journey of profound interreligious sharing began when my wife Jill was diagnosed…

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Contact Christine Krieger | Program Director for Congregations

If you want to learn more about ICJS’ work with congregations, contact Christine Krieger at ckrieger@icjs.org.