The Leader’s Way

Berkeley Divinity School at Yale invites Episcopal clergy and leaders from all denominations to a pilgrimage for transforming ministry.

Apply to become a Leader’s Way Fellow. 

Nominate a clergy leader to join our cohort.

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 17-22, 2024 and continuing with six months of online discussion, mentoring, small group reflection. The Leader’s Way supports those Episcopal clergy and leaders from all denominations who are poised to be catalysts who inspire their communities to bear witness more effectively to the Gospel. We seek 24 leaders to be fellows in our 2024-2025 Leader’s Way cohort.

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. 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 ministry and management topics.

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 for Episcopal leaders and Christian clergy who have been in ministry for 5+ years:

1.      June 17-22, 2024, 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. 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 2024-February 2025: 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 from Noon-2:00 pm EST on July 23, 2024, September 24, 2024, October 22, 2024, November 19, 2024, December 17, 2024, January 21, 2025, February 18, 2025.  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.  Admission to the Leader’s Way will be communicated on October 15, December 15, February 15, March 15, April 15, and May 15. The final application deadline is June 1.

Registration

Apply to become a Leader’s Way Fellow. 
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.

Generous funding of the Leader’s Way is made possible by: