Learning together with other congregations from across the diocese
EHF Congregational Engagement provides peer learning opportunities on a rotating basis over a two-year time span to help ministry leaders organize and focus their efforts to have the greatest impact on their communities’ health.
If you are interested in learning more about how one of these cohorts may benefit your existing ministry, contact our Congregational Engagement Officers: Willie Bennett and Melodee Toles.
Holy Currencies
Holy Currencies is a model for developing congregational ministries created by the Kaleidoscope Institute (KI), part of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles. This model has been used internationally to strengthen the impact and sustainability of community-oriented ministries. It includes six “currencies”, or resources that, when combined, can lead to a more transformational ministry.
Episcopal Health Foundation's Holy Currencies Incubation Program
EHF is looking for Episcopal congregations within the Episcopal Diocese of Texas with either 1) existing ministries that they would like to expand or better connect to the community, or 2) clear commitments to future initiatives for which the Holy Currencies model could contribute to the impact and success of the initiative.
We expect to support, through the technical assistance of Kaleidoscope Institute, a cohort of up to six congregations to learn and apply the Holy Currencies model to incubate a congregational ministry. The cohort will begin in September 2026, with formal training concluding in February 2027. At the end of the cohort process, congregations will have developed a ministry plan for sustainable community partnership, including a roadmap for building relationships, exploring community partnerships, and building congregational leadership.
Applications for the 2026-2027 cohort are now open.
Applications are due May 31, 2026.
For questions, contact our Congregational Engagement Team.
Process Overview
If your application is accepted, we will help you incubate your ministry to become sustainable and more connected to the community. This program includes:
- Pre-orientation Webinar via Zoom
- Orientation Training at Artesian Lakes in Cleveland, TX
Recruit a team of six to eight leaders from your church and attend the Holy Currencies Incubation Orientation. The orientation will cover the currencies of gracious leadership and relationship
- Site Visitation
Kaleidoscope and EHF associates will visit your team early in the incubation program to learn more about your church and its ministries, learn about your community, and to establish coaching relationships.
- Four Webinars
Your church team is required to attend four, two-hour webinars over a four-month period covering the currencies of time and place, truth, wellness, and money.
- Congregational Ministry Development
Between webinars, your church team will be required to complete five assignments engaging the team and congregation in a discernment process.
- New Ministry Plan
Teams will complete the assignments and create a “business ministry plan” that strategically leverages the currencies, increases sustainability, and strengthens community connection. There may be additional opportunities to present the final ministry plan and action-plan with potential partners.
Key Dates
April 7, 2026
Application Released
April 21, 2026
Informational Webinars: 12 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
May 31, 2026
Applications Due
June 26, 2026
Selected Congregations Notified
August 25, 2026
Pre-Orientation Webinar
6:00–7:30 p.m.
September 18-19, 2026
Orientation Weekend
October 6, 2026
Webinar #1
November 4-10, 2026
Site Visits
November 10, 2026
Webinar #2
December 1, 2026
Webinar #3
January 26, 2027
Webinar #4
March 2, 2027
Holy Currencies Celebration
6:00–8:00 p.m.
Contact Us
We encourage you to consult with an EHF Congregational Engagement Officer to learn more about how Holy Currencies could benefit your existing ministry or if you are interested in future opportunities:
Sr. Congregational Engagement Officers
Eric Moen emoen@episcopalhealth.org
Willie Bennett wbennett@episcopalhealth.org
Transformation
Do you think it’s time for a change? Do you feel like your ministry is spinning its wheels? Are you feeling stuck in your ministry? Then the transformation cohort may be for you. This cohort is designed to help you take your outreach ministries to the next level of engagement with your community.
The Episcopal Health Foundation’s (EHF) Congregational Engagement Team is launching a Transformation Cohort to help congregations move from charity-focused, transactional ministries to more transformative, community-engaged ministries. The cohort will encourage congregations to engage in conversation and cultivate partnerships within their communities. The process will expose congregations to innovative ways to interact within their community.
EHF is committed to moving Episcopal Church ministries from a transactional/direct service approach to one that engages the community. Examples of transformational ministry are those that meet with members of the community to determine what is needed, involve them in decision-making, and/or participate as partners in the ministry.
Requirements
Your congregation should have a ministry idea or existing outreach ministry. You must also be willing to target and reach out to the community you are serving for conversation or for involvement in the ministry. The process will require a team with a minimum of three people to participate. At least two team members should attend per session, with one person attending all sessions. The cohort will include an orientation session and 4 one-and-a-half-hour sessions led by consultants with expertise ranging from Mental Health, Poverty Alleviation, Community Organizing, Community Development, Beloved Communities and more…
Contact Us
We encourage you to consult with an EHF staff member to learn more about how the Transformation Cohort could benefit your ministry or if you are interested in future opportunities.
Congregational Engagement Staff:
- Willie Bennett wbennett@episcopalhealth.org
- Melodee Toles mtoles@epicopalhealth.org
We encourage you to reach out to an EHF staff member to learn more about the Transformation Cohort and future opportunities. Please contact us at congregations@episcopalhealth.org.
Beloved Communities
Over nine months, congregational teams will join together with Project Curate to develop strategies and approaches to ministry that effectively respond to the recurring social issues brought about by injustice and inequity. In addition, the cohort will address ways that these issues intersect with issues of gender, sexual identity, and social class.
Throughout the process you and your team will be exposed to an innovative learning and network-building process designed to assist you and your church in understanding changing social-cultural contexts, build trust with communities of color, and contribute to the common good.
More specifically, this process is designed to:
1) Build and strengthen capacity among clergy and lay leaders for robust social/theological analysis of pressing social issues.
2) Facilitate leaders’ increased community and public engagement in ways that move them into zones of collaborative work towards more equitable and just realities for all.