Inviting a Larger Conversation About How Religion Can Be Faithful to Its Purpose Today

In our society, there is a longstanding dedication to religious traditions and institutions. At the same time, a diverse range of people are exploring new forms of spiritual identification and practice. This reflects the changing nature of faith and spirituality.

In scanning this broad and sacred space, two Harvard Divinity School graduates have been identifying “decentralized communities that thrive beyond institutional edges.” Angie Thurston and Casper ter Kuile, founders of what has become the How We Gather project, have been working with groups, projects, and programs in the United States that are spiritual in nature and “blossoming just outside the denominational landscape.”

At Fetzer, we are deepening our collaboration with many partners to explore the many ways people gather spiritually. Our vision focuses on supporting individuals in their spiritual journeys through small and large communities. We are committed to learning from and working with initiatives that build the infrastructure for belonging and spiritual support among those seeking social connection and guidance.

One of their early efforts is to pair emerging leaders who seek mentorship with established religious and spiritual counterparts who can share their experience leading spiritual communities. In doing so, they also create a broader multi-religious and intergenerational learning community. They are also working with more traditional religious institutions that find themselves living “in the dance between past and present,” seeking ways to embrace institutional transformation in this world.

In their effort to stimulate a larger conversation “about how religion can be faithful to its purpose today,” How We Gather is bringing on board Rev. Sue Phillips to take the lead on fostering innovative community leaders around the country and engaging religious institutions in flourishing in the emerging community. Sue was most recently the New England Regional Lead for the Unitarian Universalist Association. She brings decades of organizational and pastoral leadership and an intimate familiarity with the work of innovation from within existing systems.

Our friends Krista Tippett and the On Being team are also deepening their collaboration with the How We Gather project by joining as core partners. They will keep hosting meetings at On Being Studios on Loring Park in Minneapolis. They will support the Alt*Div learning lab for moral and spiritual leadership. And, they will launch a group of ten On Being Fellows. The fellows will strengthen the connections among emerging community leaders.

We are excited about this adventure and the many connections and thoughtful collaborations it may bring. And we want to hear from you! Is there a spiritual community you are nourished by?

To stay in touch with How We Gather, sign up for their emails. To learn more about their work, download their latest report, "Faithful."