The Leader’s Way

January 19, 2023

Berkeley Divinity School at Yale invites Episcopal clergy leaders to a pilgrimage for transforming ministry. Join the Inaugural Class of Fellows.

We know our Church needs leaders who can reimagine how the Holy Spirit is moving in our midst. Beginning with six days on the Yale campus June 19-24, 2023 and continuing with six months of online learning, The Leader’s Way supports those Episcopal clergy leaders who are poised to be catalysts who inspire their communities to bear witness more effectively to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We seek 24 leaders to be Fellows in our inaugural 2023 Leadership Certificate Program.

Our holistic program will address the theological, cultural, and organizational dimensions of leadership training. Berkeley is the only Episcopal seminary imbedded in a great university, and this program will draw intentionally on the resources of Yale. In addition, a set of compelling “case studies” of transformation from Episcopal communities will animate the program; cases will offer inspiring examples of re-creation and re-imagination to prompt reflection by participants about how change might be ignited in their own community. 

Bold Reimagination Together
The Leader’s Way is a pilgrimage for the soul, a hope-filled laboratory for experimentation, and a daring incubator for new possibilities in ministry. We seek clergy leaders eager to stand courageously at the intersection of faithfulness and innovation in the service of creating more vibrant Christian communities. Employing an adaptive leadership framework, distinguished Yale faculty will help Fellows mine our theological past and present for resources that can inspire us to meet today’s challenges in fresh ways. By the end of the residential component of the program, each Fellow will have identified an innovative project he or she wishes to pursue to help propel the parish and/or larger community.  Peer groups and mentors will support Fellows personally and professionally in addressing this challenge by applying the learnings from the program. 

Personal Spiritual Pilgrimage

This learning pilgrimage of spiritual renewal also provides opportunities to slow down, pray, and rest in ways that can be difficult in daily life. Through communal prayer, contemplative practice, and collaborative reflection, we’ll listen deeply for how we are being called, nurtured, and guided by the Spirit. And, we’ll do all this by co-creating spaces of belonging where we can laugh, share honestly, and develop authentic connection.

Online Skill Building, Integration, and Coaching
Following the six-day residential program, the Program will continue with monthly online learning since we know that leadership programs are most successful when there is intentional continuation where concepts can be united with active practice. Thus, Fellows will meet in mentor-led peer groups to support their particular project and to delve into skills-based advanced management topics. We will canvas participants to select the workshop topics that are most needed. They could range from advanced practices in change leadership and team building to fundraising, adaptive leadership, inspired risk taking, crisis management, social enterprise, and conflict transformation.

Fulfilling the Promise
There are no easy answers to the urgent challenges facing the Church and the world today. The climate crisis, racial injustice, epidemic loneliness, and the reality that many people struggle to understand the relevance of faith in daily life constitute an opportunity for profound reflection, reimagination, and recommitment for spiritual leaders everywhere. If you are ready to choose a hopeful future where inspiring communities of faith are fulfilling their promise to be catalysts for compassion, justice, and human thriving, we invite you to join our mission at Berkeley at Yale, and we’ll join yours.

This program is made possible through the generosity of our donors along with seminal support from Trinity Church Wall Street Philanthropies and the Lilly Endowment Inc.

Program Summary
The Leader’s Way is a three-part immersion Certificate Program for Episcopal clergy who have been in ministry for 5+ years:

1.      June 19-24, 2023, The Leader’s Way begins with a  six-day residential program in the heart of Yale that integrates practical skill building, spiritual formation, and theological reflection. Yale’s renowned campus and rich resources will spark participants’ imagination–from a visit to the Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking, stargazing at the Yale Observatory, to viewing the collection at Yale Art Gallery for an exploration on deep looking as a spiritual practice. The multi- dimensional and multi-disciplinary learning will include:

·      Inspiring Case Studies. We’ll study innovative examples where Episcopal faith communities have been formed and transformed as we contemplate what makes for durable change and imagine what innovations the Spirit might be inspiring in participants’ own communities.

·      Theological Reflection. Drawing on Yale’s distinguished faculty, we will explore fresh insights from recent scholarship that speak directly to the reality of parish life today. 

·      Personal faith pilgrimage. This learning pilgrimage is also an intentional retreat for the heart and mind as we create the needed space for contemplative practice, silence, reflection, and communal prayer.

2.     July 2023-February 2024: Online monthly large group sessions follow for six months, with particular focus on advanced management skills that will propel effective change in communities.  Sessions will be held via Zoom on July 25, September 12, October 10, November 14, December 12, January 9, and February 13 from, 10 am-noon EST. Sessions are synchronous but will be recorded for those with conflicts.

3.     Mentoring and small group meetings provide support around the innovative project that Fellows have developed to meet an adaptive leadership challenge from their current ministry.

Tuition: $3500
Berkeley Divinity School does not want the cost of the program to be a disincentive to any Episcopal clergy in attending. We have need-based financial aid available in the form of 8 full scholarships, several partial scholarships, and limited travel reimbursements. Funding is limited and awarded on a rolling need basis, so we warmly encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

Application Process
Please complete the following application, and we will notify you of your admission once our committee has reviewed your application. We are accepting applicants on a rolling basis so the sooner you complete the application, the better.

Frequently Asked Questions

Registration

Apply to join the inaugural cohort of Leader’s Way Fellows. 
Nominate a clergy leader to join our cohort.

For questions, see the FAQ page or email Brandon Nappi, Executive Director of Leadership Programs, at brandon.nappi@yale.edu.

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