How to Apply for the Among Program


Among Update: We regret to inform you that we will not be accepting applications from new congregations to the Among program for the Fall of 2024. Our current Among congregations will continue for their second (or more) year of the program. Additional updates will appear in this space when they are available. Please contact us at belovedconversations@meadville.edu with any questions or concerns.


In the meantime, you are welcome to fill out an interest form and we will send you a PDF version of the application to download for your perusal. 

Filling out the application for Among is an important part of the preparation for engaging in the program. It provides an opportunity for an honest assessment of your congregation’s anti-racism and systemic change work and gives us a better understanding of how best the program can serve your congregation. Thank you in advance for the commitment that completing and submitting this application signals.  

REMINDER: The Among program is for congregations prepared for or currently engaged in congregation-level systemic, anti-racist change work. This application should be filled out by someone who is representing a congregation and accountable to its leadership, after consultation with congregational leadership and other Within alums from the congregation. It must be a collective and transparent decision to apply.

If you are an individual Within alum who is interested in Among, but other members of your congregation, including key leaders, have not done Within, we encourage you to organize other folks from your congregations to take Within, so that you can apply as a congregation in the future. In the meantime, we would welcome you in another term of Within.  

Why is there an application for Among?  

We are excited to work with congregations that are looking to transform! And we are committed to setting congregations up for success in that endeavor. With that aim in mind, congregations joining the program must have a demonstrated commitment to anti-racism, a history of learning and action around issues of racial justice, a majority of key lay and professional leadership who have done some personal learning and taken at least one term of Within, and can point to ways their congregation has been accepting of change. We believe these factors, among others, will help congregations create effective, healthy, transformative change and make moves to eradicate white supremacy culture and racism in their congregational systems. We also want to know more about the congregations that choose to engage our Among program, so we can match them with an appropriate Coach who will be a good companion, guide, cheerleader, and accountability partner on the journey.  

 

Interested in Among and want to work on the questions offline?

Click here to receive a PDF of the application form questions. When the application is open and your congregation is ready to submit it, please come back here and click the button above to enter your data and submit the application.