Apply to CLI here: http://www.jotformpro.com/RabbisWOBorders/CLI15app. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. No applications will be accepted after May 15, 2015.
Focus: Visionary Leadership and Innovative Practice
Description: The Clergy Leadership Incubator (CLI) is a two-year program to support and encourage early career rabbis (years 2-10) in organizational leadership, change management and institutional transformation. The program is open to rabbis serving congregations or rabbis who have created or are in the process of creating new models of spiritual community. The program focus is on visionary leadership and innovative practice. The acronym—CLI—reminds us that clergy are intended to be human vessels that create sacred communities in which Jews can find meaning and purpose (klei kodesh). Participants will receive training from nationally prominent experts in these fields, and be supported by both an individual rabbinic mentor and by a peer cohort that will form an interdenominational community of practice. The program emphasis is on giving rabbis the confidence and tools to be visionary leaders in their communities with the skills to introduce innovations that can change the organizational culture. A strong premium is put on fostering an entrepreneurial spirit in order to establish spiritual communities that can be compelling to 21st century Jews. CLI is under the auspices of Clal and is directed by Rabbi Sid Schwarz.
Key elements of the program include: Two-year syllabus with monthly readings; monthly participation in a Community of Practice of rabbinic peers; monthly consultation with a rabbinic mentor with significant experience and success in the field; three retreats of three nights each in different venues around the country; coaching and training from nationally prominent practitioners in field of leadership, organizational change and synagogue transformation. For more details on the CLI program visit our website at https://cliforum.wordpress.com/.
Cost: $750/year
Dates:
Year 1 Retreat- October 26-29, 2015- Pearlstone Retreat Center, Reisterstown, MD
Year 2 Retreat- October 31-Nov. 3, 2016- Brandeis-Bardin Conference Center, Brandeis, CA
Closing Retreat- June 19-22, 2017- Isabella Freedman Retreat Center, Falls River, CT
Duration: Two years with July-August hiatus
Applications and timetable: Applications should be submitted on line at http://www.jotformpro.com/RabbisWOBorders/CLI15app. Final deadline for applications is April 30, 2015. Notification of acceptance will be made by June 1, 2015. Mentor matches will be made in the summer of 2015. The program commences in the fall of 2015.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Who can apply?
A: An ordained rabbi from any denomination or rabbinic training program who is serving a congregation, be it a traditional one or an alternative spiritual community. Regardless of age, eligible rabbis must be at least in the first year in their community with a mutual commitment (their own and the congregation) to continue for at least one more year. The most veteran rabbi we will consider will be in their ninth year serving a congregation. We will also consider applications from early career rabbis at least one year past ordination who are contemplating or in the process of launching an entrepreneurial spiritual alternative for Jews outside the context of a conventional synagogue.
Q: Who else will be in the program?
A: We will be selecting 20 rabbis for the two-year cohort. Our objective will be to create a cohort that is diverse in terms of gender and religious ideology across the denominational spectrum.
Q: What is the timetable for the program?
A: Applications are currently being accepted. No application will be accepted after April 30, 2015. Notification of acceptance will be on June 1, 2015. The opening retreat will take place Oct. 26-29, 2015 at the Pearlstone Retreat Center in Reisterstown, MD.
Q: What is the financial obligation for the program?
A: Participants will be asked to pay $750 for each of the two years of the program. That fee will include the costs for the three 3-day retreats, one in year one and two in year two. The fee also includes all program materials and access to a rabbinic mentor and a peer community of practice. Transportation to and from the retreat will be the responsibility of the participant though limited travel subsidies will be available.
Q: What if I change jobs or career path during the two years of the program?
A: We recognize that in rare cases a rabbi may choose to leave the congregational rabbinate in the midst of the two year program. Such a rabbi may complete the CLI program; we expect that there are significant leadership lessons that will be applicable to other professional settings.
Q: There are a growing number of programs available for rabbis today. What is unique about CLI?
A: CLI is less a study program than it is a boot camp for visionary leadership. It is very practical. It will help rabbis expand their human potential. It will help rabbis explore their particular leadership styles. It will help rabbis shape a vision that inspires others. It will help rabbis better understand how organizations work and how they can be change agents within those organizations.
CLI Forum 