A Strong and Flourishing Community
What are the characteristics of a strong and flourishing community?
As we near the end of our first cohort of Public Life Fellows and launch the application for the 2024 Class of Fellows, this is a question I’ve been asking myself personally and one that I have been asking professionally in the context of our programs as well.
In June, we held the second retreat of our Public Life Fellowship, marking the halfway point of the full fellowship program. (If you missed it, read Michael’s reflection on the first retreat.)
Our Public Life Fellowship is a nine-month intensive with twelve individuals coming from different Christian traditions, civic sectors, political backgrounds, and geographic locations.
CCPL provides access to world-class mentors and life-changing resources for spiritual formation that bring life with Jesus into contact with the challenges and opportunities of public vocations.
Public Life Fellows have a proven track record of faithfulness in public life and an established commitment to public service. Some of our current fellows’ recent announcements are powerful examples: Cece Jones-Davis was selected for the inaugural Obama Foundation’s Leaders USA program; Tara Isabella Burton just published Self Made: Creating Our Identities from Da Vinci to the Kardashians; Kaitlyn Schiess releases her second book The Ballot and the Bible this month; and Marlon Brown was just tapped by the Governor of Michigan to serve as acting director of the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs.
At CCPL, “the Christian resources in which we have confidence are not new or novel, but shared and found true by Christians across time and context. We advance not a parochial faith, but look to promote the contributions of various streams and expressions of the creedal Christian faith,” (Who We Are).
We seek to reflect this perspective in our programs, including our upcoming summit, and we believe it is a source of strength, especially in times of such division.
Richard Foster is one of several theologians and thinkers who informs the way that we teach and equip around spiritual formation. His book Streams of Living Water presents the core Christian traditions as six streams that give us a complete picture of the characteristics of life with God.
It is easy to find one’s natural expression of faith and worship in one or two of the streams. That’s the beauty in the way that these streams are presented. It is also easy to quickly identify one of the streams that may be an area of less comfort, or perhaps even discomfort. These growing edges are places to lean into, but more importantly, to learn from others.
At our last retreat, I watched our fellows come alive as they brought their full selves, sharing the expressions of their faith and tradition that they felt most comfortable and confident in, and listening with a posture of learning and humility as others shared their own experiences and traditions. This has many implications in public life — both in terms of the open posture toward learning and differences, but also in how a deepening of Christian practice leads to a more authentic representation of faith. For example, practices of solitude and contemplation strengthen movements of social change.
Another distinctive (and what has surprised me most about the fellowship) is how it has served as both a vehicle and model for friendship. The relationships fostered in this program are ones that honor and recognize personhood over politics. They are ones where the quick response is a curious question, rather than a reactive statement. They are relationships where the heartfelt desire is to learn. And they are also relationships where fellows are quick to laugh, encourage, and offer a comforting word.
Our hope and belief are that the relationships formed here are for all of life, nourishing our fellows personally and professionally. And while the idea of friendship may feel far too simple, the practice requires commitment and vision beyond the present moment. A commitment to friendship is ultimately one that transcends a myriad of differences and honors the way that our backgrounds and experiences contribute to our whole person.
Applications for our 2024 Public Life Fellowship program are now live. We encourage you to apply or invite someone to apply who you think might both benefit from and add benefit to the program.