Information About the Fellowship Program

The GreenFaith Fellowship Program:

The GreenFaith Fellowship Program is the first comprehensive education and training program in the US to prepare lay and ordained leaders from diverse religious traditions for religiously based environmental leadership. Through this program, GreenFaith is offering religious leaders a unique opportunity for educational, spiritual and vocational growth and skill development in religious environmentalism. Using insights gained by successful religious leadership development programs and resources developed through past religious-environmental initiatives, the program will educate leaders from diverse backgrounds to develop and implement plans to address environmental issues in their vocational settings.

The Fellowship Program consists of three three-day residential sessions in varied settings (one urban, one rural/semi-wild, and one suburban), conference calls, mentoring, an e-mail list serve, a Facebook group, networking both within the program and at each Fellows' local/regional level and reading/writing assignments before and after each retreat.

The Fellowship curriculum is designed to integrate historical perspectives, scientific information, socio-economic considerations, religious, ethical, spiritual and practical dimensions. It works with an expansive understanding of the "environment" which encompasses suburban, urban and indoor settings as well as wilderness or biodiversity-rich areas that are the focus of much traditional environmental work.

Initially, Fellows write a personal eco-theological statement, grounding their learning in their own religious self-understanding. This statement begins with writing an eco-autobiography followed by a theological reflection from the sources of one's tradtion. Fellows are also be immersed in educational programs which offer a broad-based introduction to the best thinking and practices in religious environmentalism. Later in the program Fellows design and implement their own religious-environmental leadership plans. Upon graduating, they join the Fellowship's alumni/ae network and mentor other emerging religious environmental leaders, building and taking part in a community of support that counters the isolation that affects so many current religious-environmental leaders.