The Beloved Community Leadership Cohort, presented by Stephen Styles, is a new, congregation-based initiative designed to help churches build authentic relationships across racial and denominational lines.
Grounded in Christian faith and guided by social research, the program engages leaders from six Fort Wayne, Indiana–area congregations — three historically Black and three historically White — for a shared, 13-month journey of learning, worship, and community engagement.
Through guided small-group conversations, intercultural development assessments, and shared worship services, participants learn to listen, understand, and act together in ways that strengthen trust and foster unity. Each cohort gathers quarterly for joint worship and shared meals, and culminates their experience by joining voices in two special community concerts — a Good Friday concert honoring the work of justice and reconciliation, and a Christmas musical celebration focused on hope, generosity, and homebuilding.
Developed in partnership with theologians, DEI experts, artists, and researchers, the
Beloved Community Leadership Cohort is more than a dialogue program — it’s a living model for how churches can practice reconciliation that lasts. By pairing faith, the arts, and data-driven learning, the project offers a replicable, scalable framework that can be adapted to various regional contexts - to heal division and build the kind of beloved community Jesus envisioned.