One-Year Church Identity Cohort

A: Any senior minister of a local congregation is welcome to apply. If you are not the senior minister, let that person know about the cohort. The program only works if the leader of the local congregation leads their team through the process.

A: Based on costs and group dynamics, each senior minister will be able to include 4 additional leaders from the church. You are strongly encouraged to select church leaders for all 4 spots.

Your meetings will also include your CPT mentor and possibly a CPT staff member.

A: We expect many qualified churches to apply for the cohort. We are limited to 6 total churches per year. If your church is not accepted for this year, we can hold on to your application materials and you can apply again the following year.

Strong applications will express how the topics of eccelsial and pastoral identity are pertinent to your church in this season. The cohort is an ideal opportunity to deepen your leadership team’s understanding of the role of the pastor and the church. It is also designed to help your team build ministries which express a deep theological understanding of the church and catechise the people of God in that understanding.

The cohort is not a good setting to work through deep relational strain within your leadership team. We encourage you to seek out ministries that help churches with conflict resolution before applying for this cohort.

Other factors the CPT will consider in the application process will include - a diverse group of church traditions across the 6 cohorts, stability within the senior minister role, and the pairing of churches with CPT mentors.

A: As the senior minister in your church, you are best equipped to make that decision. For many larger congregations, it could make sense for your cohort to include only pastoral staff members. In other situations, key lay leaders or elder/board members could be a good fit for your cohort. We suggest selecting the leaders who would be most invested in implementing a vision for the theological identity of the church within the ministries of your church. Also consider the leaders who are positioned and willing to support you as the senior minister as you lead the process during and after the cohort process.

A: We understand that the life of a pastor is very busy. While this cohort requires your full preparation and engagement for all scheduled meetings, the program is designed to remove any significant planning work from your schedule.

CPT is creating the primary resource materials for your team to read, including discussion questions for each of your meetings.

There are a few meetings for you to schedule with your mentor and your team before the retreat, but your mentor will in touch with you to make sure those are scheduled.

Your main assignment will be the completion of the output documents (listed above) after the retreat in order to present them at the May Program Presentation Meeting.

Upon acceptance into the cohort, a CPT staff member will contact you to talk through the entire calendar and schedule with you, and to review the reading materials.

A: The primary role of the mentor is to support the senior minister. The mentor will have one online meeting with the full cohort before the retreat (to discuss the readings) and will interact with the cohort throughout the retreat. The rest of the mentor’s role is to help the senior minister to 1) plan and process discussions with the cohort and 2) draft and finalize the output documents.

A: The CPT will decide which churches/pastors are paired with which mentors. We aim to match churches with mentors from a similar tradition and background.

We understand the importance of shared theological perspectives, and it will be a significant part of the acceptance and matching process.

There is space on the application to make a particular request, but that cannot be guaranteed. Your church’s acceptance in contingent on your willingness to work with the mentor assigned to you. If you do not feel that your church can work with your selected mentor, you have the option of relinquishing your spot to another church (upon acceptance) and reapplying in a future year.

Links to information about each each or our mentors are can be found above.

A: Your commitment begins upon confirming your participation after notice of acceptance in early November. The cohort ends with the May Program Presentation meeting for senior ministers and mentors. The rest of the cohort’s official commitment ends with the March retreat. 

There is the  possibility of a second year, focused on implementation, which will be announced later in the program.

A: Many of the expenses of the cohort are fully covered: 

• Books and other resources (mailed to your church)

• Many retreat meals (breakfasts and dinners)

• Lodging during the Retreat

Travel to and from the retreat works on a group reimbursement:

After paying for transportation for your team, your church can submit receipts for a single reimbursement payable to the church and not to exceed $600 per person. Any reimbursement beyond that amount will be your church’s responsibility.

Your team or church is responsible for any other incidental expenses:

• Lunches during the retreat

• Other food or incidentals during travel (i.e. before or after the retreat)

• Taxi or ride share services from the airport to your lodging

• Food or incidental expenses you choose to provide during your cohort meetings

• You will need the ability to host video conferences with your mentor. You can use any service you prefer.

A: Here are the most significant retreat details:

• Retreat Location - The retreat will be held at Calvary Memorial Church - 931 Lake St., Oak Park, IL 60301

• Accommodations - Lodging for your team will be provided by the CPT in the area. This could be in a host home, a residential rental, or a hotel, based on various circumstances. Accommodations may involve some shared living space. Special accommodations based on need will be arranged upon acceptance into the cohort.

• Schedule - The retreat will begin on the afternoon of Wednesday, March 4, 2026 and finish by 12pm on Friday, March 6

• Food - During the retreat, all dinners and breakfasts will be provided. Participants are responsible for lunches during the retreat and any meals during their travel to and from the retreat.