Cohort Model

What is included in a 9-month cohort experience?

  • Each participant will be assigned to a group of four pastors/leaders to journey with throughout the year with intentional guided discussion and topics

  • 2 meals at the Kitchen at Middleground Farms each embedded with worship practices, meal preparation and guided discussion with assigned cohort group.

  • 2 half-day retreats that include a meal and time in cohort groups (9 am-2 pm)

  • One 24-hour solitude retreat (select dates and locations provided)

  • Soul care resources given quarterly based on the themes of nourish, rest, connect and shalom

  • A spiritual director to meet with during the 9-month period (*additional cost)

The tentative dates for 2024-25 cohort (must be present for all four):

  • Quarter 1: October 21st

  • Quarter 2: January 16th

  • Quarter 3: March 14th

  • Quarter 4: May 19th

  • The theme of this first gathering is Nourish. Leaders will gather to be nourished through the preparation and sharing of a delicious meal, communal practices, and small group conversation at The Kitchen at Middleground Farms—a local farm-to-table dining experience in which those attending (often strangers) gather, prepare a meal together and share in an evening where, in the end, strangers become friends. Leaders leave this evening assigned to a small group they will journey with for 9 months. Participants are also invited to sign up for a 24-hour solitude retreat at a local retreat site included in the price of the program.

  • The theme of this gathering is Rest. Participants will gather at The Setting Inn for a half-day retreat that will include time for solitude. and will conclude with a shared meal. Leaders will engage in small group discussion with their assigned cohort of four. Before they leave, additional resources for the quarter will be offered to leaders. There will also be an option to stay overnight for those interested.

  • The theme for this third gathering is Connect. Participants will gather at the Trappist Abbey in Carlton for a half-day retreat focusing on the importance of connection to others and to God in or a guided half-day retreat that concludes with lunch. Additional resources for the quarter will be offered to leaders.

  • Leaders conclude their cohort time by gathering around the table again and will engage in conversation about the peace and wholeness offered through a life connected to the Source of Shalom. They will share a delicious meal, communal practices, and small group conversation at a private residence on a vineyard in Newberg. The evening is also a 3-hour meal and program where leaders will share their stories and engage in communal and worshipful practices.