Written by Don Byrd
This is pretty exciting news. Next year, the BJC will launch its inaugural Fellows Program, a training program for young professionals who want to deepen their knowledge and skills in religious liberty advocacy. Ten Fellows will be chosen for a four-day intensive education program in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, July 29-August 2.
Would you like to become a religious liberty advocate? And a liaison between the BJC and your community? Or do you know someone who might be a good candidate? There is no application fee, and the program will cover lodging, meals and some travel costs.
The press release emphasizes that the BJC Fellows Program is about the future:
“Central to the Baptist Joint Committee’s mission is the critical need to develop the next generation of religious liberty advocates,” said BJC Executive Director J. Brent Walker. “While we continue to have great success connecting with groups through educational sessions in our Center for Religious Liberty and visiting campuses and churches across the country, we want to develop supporters who can educate others about these issues.”
After completion of the seminar, the BJC Fellows will serve as liaisons between the BJC and their communities, and they will be expected to use their skills to seek opportunities for public engagement, such as leading educational sessions, writing op-eds and using social media to advance the cause of religious liberty.
Walker noted that this program comes at a crucial time to prepare young leaders for what lies ahead. “When the BJC Fellows leave the storied Colonial Williamsburg area, they will possess the expertise and enthusiasm to be a religious liberty advocate in an increasingly post-denominational, religiously plural and politically polarized environment,” he said.
Baptist News Global reports on the program here.
Applications will be available January 5, 2015. Stay tuned.
