Cohorts

We heartily invite you to join us in learning and action through a diverse menu of options, ranging from high commitment curriculum to introductory workshops.

These include everything from tailored ninety minute trainings and all-day or weekend-long “studios” to intensive incubators, multi-week classes, and even multi-year congregational or organization training cohorts; and from ongoing regional network collaborations to national/international think tank events.

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Cohorts

The Black Mountain School began its mission of public theological education with a generous collaborative grant from the Lilly Foundation to support our vision to train congregations and organizations through teams of their professional and organic leaders with Montreat Conference Center.

We constructed a cohort process that we have continued to refine and has produced dynamic results (scroll to the “Impact” section for narratives). Bringing together teams of leaders (lay and clergy) from each congregation, community, or organization, cohorts experience a common curriculum while fostering friendship, camaraderie, and the sharing of wisdom with other teams as they pursue the practices of learning in their own specific context.

We continue to find the structure of cohort learning to be a powerful frame for congregations, communities, and ministry organizations.

Congregational Cohorts

Our congregational cohorts are based on a two-year Theological Action Research process designed to help your congregation or community thrive.

The two-year process includes four to five concentrated trainings yielding approximately three to four “work seasons” (of approximately six months each) for teams to deploy their training and begin an action research campaign.
Teams typically include five to seven leaders (clergy and lay leaders) from each congregation. These teams actively recruit other leaders in their congregation to support the work by participating on site in the work seasons.
Teams are trained in skills of community organizing; research action tools which include qualitative observation and interviewing, popular education, and participatory appraisals; discernment relying on spiritual disciplines and qualitative data analysis; and strategic action derived by principles of organizing and action research.
Congregational teams learn collaboratively in a cohort of other congregational teams that includes monthly coaching and planned site visits by our faculty to support the gathered, concentrated trainings.

*The generosity of sponsors and funding partners defrays most costs to congregations other than their travel to gathering trainings.

Community Organization Cohorts

Cohorts of community organizations (unions, organizing groups, advocacy groups, etc.) follow similar patterns to that of congregational cohorts (above). Tailored adjustments can be made to best fit organizational calendars and the availability of key leaders.

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