School of Neighborhood Life

A learning community will engage a one-year journey that helps leaders: 1) move from living above or apart from place to rooting deeply into the life of their neighborhood; 2) clarify and articulate the deepest values of their faith community; 3) enrich and deepen their life together by exploring and embodying shared practices; and 4) thoroughly examine and excavate their neighborhoods to join God’s work of shalom in their place.

The SNL Cohort will include:

• Three 2-day, in-person gatherings and an immersive neighborhood experience
• A monthly, online peer group with a pastor/mentor to facilitate learning, embody practices, and identify the localized invitations of the Spirit.
• Reading and reflection, assignments, presentations, and shared practices.

At the end of the cohort, SNL alumni will have the opportunity to continue their journey as part of a growing spiritual community that commit to a shared rule of life with fellow sojourners across the country.

Church is not a building, event, or institution but rather a community of Jesus followers (Christ’s body).

Neighborhood is an identifiable, walkable, human-sized, place that’s “large enough to live a lot of life, [yet] small enough to be a known character in the story of the place” (Sparks et al., The New Parish 2014).

Parish is what emerges when the church (a community of followers of Jesus) moves from living above or apart from place to having a faithful presence in a neighborhood.

The church as parish in a defined neighborhood certainly receives the tangible benefits of their shared life in God, but they also seek the commonwealth of all who live there, paying special attention to the most vulnerable and oppressed.

If this resonates with you, we are currently accepting applications for our 2025 cohorts.

Interested parish leaders are asked to submit a one- page Letter of Intent by January 31, 2025, describing: 1) how the SNL journey might be helpful and transformative to you in this season; 2) the nature and stage of your community; 3) what in our description of SNL resonates with your own desire for a eucharistic table community in your neighborhood, and; 4) what challenges you think might need to be addressed.

Participation is largely based on a faith community’s willingness, readiness, and capacity to innovate, risk, and reimagine church as a transformational community sharing life together to embody Christ’s love in their neighborhoods. Additionally, participants’ overall well-being (financial, relational, spiritual, physical) will be assessed to ensure they have the bandwidth and margin to commit to this investment of time, energy, and funding. Currently, SNL is backed by a grant covering the tuition costs of the learning community, totaling $2,500 per participant. Participants will be responsible for their travel and lodging expenses. An additional Equity Scholarship is available for people with marginalized identities and those in need (limited to 25% of registrants). Participants who have more than enough resources to cover their costs are encouraged to donate to support increased access to our program through the Equity Scholarship.

Interested? Any parish leader interested in learning more and possibly submitting a one-page Letter of Intent, can schedule a 15-minute information session with the cohort lead or simply email their Letter to snl@sustainablefaith.com.