Application Deadline: November 2, 11:59pm PT – Apply Here

Are you struggling to address mental health concerns, such as anxiety, depression, and trauma, affecting your congregants?

Would you like a deepen your engagement with the science of mental health to better help your congregation and community?

As part of the Science Engagement for Congregational Flourishing (SECF) initiative, the AAAS Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion (DoSER) program is pleased to offer a virtual workshop and $800 mini-grants to eight individuals serving in Christian congregational leadership to equip them to thoughtfully engage science in their ministry, pastoral care, and congregational life.

This opportunity includes an interactive half-day workshop in January 2026, as well as two follow-up cohort gatherings to provide continued support as participants develop and implement science engagement projects in their congregational contexts.

Workshop Theme: Mental Health and Congregational Life

This year’s workshop will center on the theme of mental health, an increasingly urgent area where scientific inquiry and religious life intersect in meaningful ways. Participants will explore how insights from neuroscience, psychology, pharmacology, sociology, and history – in constructive dialogue with scripture, theology, and pastoral practice – can deepen understandings of mental wellbeing and shape compassionate, informed responses to the needs of their communities.

The workshop will:

• Highlight key contributions from scientific fields in accessible and practical ways.
• Draw on historical perspectives to explore how dialogue between  science and religion has affected changing ideas about mental illness and health.
• Introduce promising science-informed practices for fostering resilience, reducing stigma, and strengthening ministries of care and compassion.
• Provide space for dialogue about how congregations are already engaging—or struggling to engage—questions of mental health, stigma, and human flourishing.
• Support the development of small-scale, practical science engagement projects tailored to participants’ congregational settings.

Eight selected participants will receive:

• Preparatory materials for mental health & ministry
• Participation in a half-day virtual workshop in January 2026
• Two virtual meetings to develop and reflect on congregational engagement activities
• An $800 mini-grant for a science engagement activity in their local context
• Learning and dialogue with scientists, theologians, and fellow ministry leaders
• Access to resources and support from the AAAS DoSER network

Eligibility

Applicants must:

• Be located in the United States
• Serve in an active leadership role (ordained or lay) in a Christian congregation
• Be able to attend the virtual workshop (January 15, noon to 5pm ET) and follow-up meetings (February 5 and May 7, 2-4pm ET)
• Commit to developing and implementing a science engagement activity in their congregation

The application form will ask:

• Name and Contact Information
• Congregational Role & Context Information
• What is your personal and professional interest in participating in this workshop and mini-grant opportunity?
• Given your congregation’s current culture with regard to science engagement and mental health, how do you envision this opportunity contributing to the thriving of your congregation and community?

Questions? Please email cbaxter@aaas.org or lcastren@aaas.org.

What is the Science Engagement for Congregational Flourishing project?

The “Science Engagement for Congregational Flourishing” (SECF) project will resource and equip congregational leaders, both clergy and lay, to engage with critical issues at the intersection of science and society within their congregations and communities. The projects initiated through SECF will foster theological reflection on critical questions raised by scientific and technological advances and enable them to foster to the flourishing of their communities through informed and impactful engagement with the issues that matter most, from food security to health to racial justice and more.

The SECF project will provide grants to continuing education providers to develop offerings that equip and resource congregational leaders to meaningfully engage with science in their ministry contexts. DoSER will provide connections with scientists and science resources to enhance continuing education offerings and will support grantees through workshops, cohort meetings, and networking opportunities. In addition, DoSER will directly support congregational leaders through a series of in-person and virtual workshops that provide tools and resources for leaders to engage forefront science issues within their ministerial contexts. Participants in these workshops, as well as participants in the continuing education programs developed, will also receive ongoing support from DoSER including science resources and networking opportunities with one another through both periodic virtual meet-ups and an ongoing online network for sharing questions, resources, and promising practices. DoSER will also provide mini-grants to congregational leaders to help kickstart science engagement programs within their ministry contexts. This project is funded through a grant from Lilly Endowment, Inc.

For congregations to thrive, they must be relevant to their communities by meaningfully engaging with the issues that are facing them while still remaining faithful to their theological traditions and practices. By providing resources and practical guidance in science engagement for congregational leaders, SECF will equip these leaders to shepherd their congregations through the challenges and opportunities raised by scientific and technological advancements that are shaping the world today.