Around the Table Initiative fosters faith formation through cohorts
Applications for 2025 and 2026 are now open
“The church is changing, and we, as a denomination, can be leaders in finding new ways of teaching faith formation,” said Kim Ness, a Christian educator with decades of experience. Ness is offering her experience and her skills as a certified coach to others through the Around the Table Initiative, a Lilly Endowment Inc.-funded initiative through the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
Ness is one of five coaches leading test cohorts in this coached cohort model that is a hallmark of the Around the Table Initiative, along with the creation of resources and skill-building webinars. “Our initiative is dedicated to creating vibrant, intergenerational communities where meaningful conversations about faith can flourish in everyday life with children and youth at home,” said the Rev. Neema Cyrus-Franklin, director of the Around the Table Initiative. “These cohorts are designed to strengthen the role of households in nurturing lifelong faith and discipleship in Jesus Christ.” The Around the Table Initiative will offer two waves of online learning cohorts: the first beginning in August 2025 and the second in August 2026. Cohorts will meet in person once during a regional kickoff gathering and then online seven times for 90 minutes over 9-18 months. Applications are now being accepted. Participation is free, and each faith community that actively engages and completes the cohort will receive $1,500 to host a concluding intergenerational retreat.
“I love the sense of community that comes from bringing folks together in cohorts,” said Ness, who serves two Presbyterian churches in Georgia. “These cohorts are more than just opportunities to learn about spiritual practices and brainstorm how to help families practice faith at home. They are reminders that we are not alone in ministry.” Ness describes the cohort she leads as comprised of leaders in churches with large numbers of active children and youth. The majority of cohort members are Christian educators and ordained pastors that serve in seven states, from Florida to Michigan.
The Rev. Dr. Sarah Erickson began with the initiative in August 2024 at a training retreat at Highlands Presbyterian Camp and Retreat Center in Allenspark, Colorado. Erickson, who is retired from the Center for Lifelong Learning at Columbia Theological Seminary and who is involved in the Presbyterian Older Adult Ministry Network, leads a cohort of grandparents active in the faith development of the younger generation. The cohort, which has five individuals and a couple whose members hail from Georgia, Virginia, Colorado, Texas and Mexico, has met monthly since the cohort launched in October 2024. The group is faithful to the curriculum set out by the Around the Table Initiative using the Faith Practices Toolkit, which highlights key spiritual practices such as hospitality, prayer, service, storytelling and retreat.
Listening to each other share their stories about the faith practices in their context is its own source of learning in the cohort led by Madeline Alvarez. Alvarez leads one of three test cohorts of Spanish-speaking members. Members of her cohort include pastors originally from Colombia, Venezuela and Puerto Rico who are serving in New Jersey, Georgia, and Puerto Rico, as well as ruling elders and educators from three other Spanish-speaking contexts. Together their cohort reflected on the question: "How can the act of listening to the stories of others deepen your empathy and understanding of God’s work in their lives?"
“Every story is a window into the unique challenges, achievements and faith journeys that shape people's lives,” said Alvarez. Around the table, faith formation practices can be as formal as lighting Advent candles or saying prayers together or as informal as sharing stories.
“By listening to people’s stories, we learn to approach others without judgment and to be curious rather than critical,” Alvarez said as she described the insights her cohort had while reflecting on storytelling as a spiritual practice: “This practice helps us recognize how God’s love and purpose unfold in diverse and beautiful ways. A story that is truly heard brings us closer to understanding and honoring human dignity.”
Janny Franken coaches a cohort of professional and volunteer ministry leaders who “have a passion to make queer people feel abundantly welcome in our churches.” Franken worships in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America and coaches individuals in diverse contexts from churches to business schools. She heard about the Around the Table Initiative through a colleague and was excited about working with ministry leaders focused on the LGBTQIA+ community. She said that although some language in the ELCA and PC(USA) differs, she has not felt this to be a barrier in focusing on the faith formation resources of the Around the Table Initiative and its cohort learning model. Her group has plans to meet three more times in 2025 in order to complete the six Sabbath practices laid out in the toolkit. While the group has enjoyed exploring various practices, one insight Franken held up from the group stretched beyond the efficacy of practice and into the reality of relationship with the divine. Franken passed on this wisdom from her cohort: “Prayer is a continual awareness of God.”
The PC(USA)’s Office of Christian Formation is hosting an information session about the 2025 and 2026 Around the Table Cohorts during a Community Circle at 1 p.m. Eastern Time on Feb. 19. Register to receive a link.
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