Episcopal Divinity School Announces Nine Leaders Selected for Inaugural Innovating Beloved Communities Cohort

Episcopal Divinity School (EDS) has announced the selection of nine leaders for its inaugural Innovating Beloved Communities Cohort, led by the Rev. Canon Dr. Stephanie Spellers ’04. This year-long program aims to equip participants with the tools to discern, incubate, and launch ministries that advance a just, compassionate, and multicultural Beloved Community.

The cohort, running from May 2026 to June 2027, includes a diverse group of lay and clergy leaders from across the country. Participants will engage in mentorship, learning intensives, and community-building retreats. Every other month, portions of these virtual learning intensives will be open to the public, covering topics such as community organizing, missional innovation, and fundraising, all through an anti-racist, social justice lens.

“ These leaders are already doing the hard work of ministry on the ground,” said Canon Spellers. “We hope to encourage their deep thinking and experimentation to bring forth ‘God’s new thing’ – something the Church and the world desperately need, but have not yet seen.”

The Very Rev. Lydia Kelsey Bucklin, president and dean of EDS, emphasized the program’s alignment with the school’s history of creative pedagogy and its commitment to nurturing future church leaders. “The cohort is a forward-thinking investment in leaders who are ready to shape their ministries in response to how God is moving in our world today.”

The cohort will begin with an in-person retreat in Cambridge, Massachusetts, during EDS’ annual Kellogg Lecture and Alum Weekend. This retreat will be co-led by Canon Spellers and Dr. Courtney Cowart, executive director of the Society for the Increase of Ministry, a leader known for her work at the intersection of spiritual practice, innovation, and leadership development.

EDS is a seminary reimagined for a changing church and world. It is committed to providing ministers and leaders with opportunities for critical theological reflection and skills for leadership in their communities. Its offerings, including the Innovating Beloved Communities Cohort, are designed for those seeking deep theological reflection on pressing concerns and for those looking to build capacity for new forms of Christian leadership.

The Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers is one of The Episcopal Church’s leading thinkers around 21st-century ministry and mission. She has authored several books and recently completed nearly a decade as canon to the diocese of Washington, D.C. Her leadership in the cohort reflects EDS’s focus on equipping leaders to respond to contemporary challenges with faith and innovation.

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