• Upon full participation and completion of the Leadership Cohort, cohort members will be able to:
  • Form a deep theological understanding of CCD principles
  • Identify and explain their personal and career  strengths, with insight into how these shape their leadership and calling.
  • Experience and explain the purpose and value of a self-reflection paradigm in leadership and spiritual growth.
  • Analyze the relationship between their personal strengths map and the strengths/assets of their community.
  • Describe, apply, and teach principles of Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD), including how to identify, intersect & map personal & community strengths
  • Reflect on & challenge binary perspectives (e.g., individual vs. community, strength vs. need) to embrace a more inclusive, relational model of community leadership
  • Have a CCDA Cohort “Family”, increase your personal and professional network & be a part of a regional supersystem of CCD leaders
  • Recognize the importance of lived experience in leadership and articulate ways to lead authentically from one’s story and context.
  • Understand and teach how shalom & biblical justice overlap and how they foster community flourishing
  • Understand how mutual aid can reflect the CCD values of biblical justice and CCD principle of wholistic approach.
  • Contextualize, apply and teach CCD principles in faith, civic & community contexts (including the foundational work of describing what contextualized CCD looks like in their local community setting. Consider and describe how it informs CCD practice and its impact on community health, relationships, and power.)
  • Have access to future associational leadership opportunities
  • Have a greater personal and professional support network throughout the Southeast and beyond

• Applicants must be between 18 and 29 years old (18 years old and completed high school by July 1, 2025)
• Maintain an active membership in CCDA from the time of application through the culmination of the cohort
• Serve in a primary leadership capacity with a CCDA church/organization or a local community organization
• Have a history of participating in CCDA events or activities (i.e., attending the National Conference, Immersion, Workshop presentations, etc.)
• Nominated or referred by a CCDA member, Local or Affinity network member, or CCDA member organization (see recommendation letter requirements for more information)
• Applications must be accompanied by 3 recommendation letters, which should be emailed directly to Mary Beth Meadows at marybeth@ccda.org. The recommendations should be from each of the following:
  • a personal recommendation from someone who has personal knowledge of your ministry and serves in a primary leadership capacity in a CCDA member organization;
  • a pastoral recommendation (pastor, small group leader, or spiritual director);
  • a professional recommendation, that can also be a professor (or mentor for ages 18-24). Please instruct the letters to include the following email subject: Your Name – Letter of Recommendation, and send to Mary Beth Meadows

The Leadership Cohort is selected through a blind review process by a Cohort Selection Team.  The blind review process allows a focus on fairness, equity, and minimizing reviewer bias. This process ensures that selection is based on alignment with cohort applicant qualifications rather than personally identifiable information or relationships.

Applications will be accepted until all spots are filled!

First round applicants will be notified by email of their application status by October 10, 2025. Additional applications will be notified on a rolling basis of their status.

AL, AR, DC, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, WV, VA