Leadership Cohorts to Strengthen the Soul and Structure of Congregational Life

Across the country, congregational leaders are navigating a landscape marked by complexity, urgency, and opportunity. Too often, clergy and lay leaders are stretched thin—carrying the weight of their communities without the structures, partnerships, or support systems that leadership demands. These three distinct but complementary cohort experiences are designed to meet that need. Each offers a practical, purpose-driven approach to building leadership capacity—whether by identifying and nurturing new lay leaders, transforming lifeless committees into joyful and effective teams, or aligning senior leadership around shared purpose and collaboration. Whether you're looking to deepen your bench, invigorate your teamwork, or foster alignment across your leadership, these experiences will help you strengthen the spiritual and organizational foundations of your community.

Identifying and Developing Engaged Leaders 

At the core of any thriving congregation and communal organizations are engaged and capable lay leaders. As rabbis, identifying and developing leaders can be a full-time job. Who has time for that? This mini-training series will serve as an accelerator for your capacity to support leaders to feel acknowledged, encouraged and nurtured. Before we gather for three group Zoom calls each participant will meet with 1:1 with Rabbi Ross to diagnose the state of leadership development, identify areas that are thriving and those that need attention, both for the organization and for the rabbi participant. The two group sessions will be interactive, with some work (1-2 hours) between sessions.

Building Teams & Vanquishing Committees

Building teams as a secret sauce for making things happen, growing leaders, deepening spirit, strengthening community, and actually enjoying the process.

The problem: A primary way congregants are engaged in synagogue life is through committees and most committees are soul sucking. They are assiduously avoided by talented leaders as places ideas go to die. Clergy avoid forming them and dread running them. They are too often aimless and boring, and little is accomplished. At best they are tolerated, at worst they are disheartening and discourage future involvement. Last but not least, the food is generally horrible. 

The opportunity: Lead teams animated by a shared sense of purpose,followan intentional and iterative process, enjoy lots of laughter and curiosity, and create space where friendships are cultivated, cohesion to the institution is strengthened, and leaders are animated ambassadors for the work.

All Together Now / A Collaborative Cohort for Congregational Leadership Teams

In today’s volatile and demanding landscape, congregational leadership has never been more challenging—or more essential. Amidst political polarization and the relentless pace of congregational life, clergy, executive directors, and lay leaders are carrying extraordinary emotional, spiritual, and logistical burdens. Too often, these leaders operate in silos, without a shared vision, common language, or clear framework for collaboration. The result is misalignment, miscommunication, and burnout—conditions that can quietly erode trust and vitality within a congregation. Thriving congregations require high-functioning teams: leaders who are aligned in purpose, clear in their roles, and committed to working collaboratively across differences. Investing in team alignment is not a luxury—it is a strategic and spiritual necessity. Now more than ever, we must build resilient, adaptable leadership teams capable of navigating complexity with clarity, care, and shared conviction.

YOUR FACILITATORS

  • Rabbi Benjamin Ross

    Benjamin Ross has spent 25+ years partnering with others to build their personal, spiritual and organizational power. From 1996 to 2011 he worked as a community organizer in Harlem and Brooklyn and served as the Chief of Field Operations for Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice. Benjamin's passion for Jewish practice and values led him into Jewish mindfulness which ultimately served as a springboard into rabbinical school. After being ordained by Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 2016 Benjamin served as one of the Rabbis at Leo Baeck Temple in Los Angeles from 2016-2022. Returning to NY in the summer of 2022 Rabbi Benjamin Ross launched a leadership and team building consulting practice and directs the adult engagement at Temple Shaaray Tefila in NYC.  Benjamin is also a spiritual director, teaches a spiritual leadership course at HUC-JIR and serves on the board of directors of PICO California and the Institute for Jewish Spirituality. Most importantly, Benjamin is married to Liz Bennett and they have two boys who are 10- and 12-years old.

  • Rev. Cameron Trimble

    Rev. Dr. Cameron Trimble is the CEO of Convergence, an international leadership and congregational development organization. She began her ministerial career as a congregational developer, starting two new congregations and then heading church development for the United Church of Christ. She also owns a real estate company and a software company. She has been a pastor of four congregations in Atlanta, Georgia. Rev. Dr. Trimble has served as a seminary professor teaching leadership development and transformation with the Pacific School of Religion, Brite Divinity School, Auburn Seminary and Chicago Theological Seminary. She has authored 6 books and is a commercial pilot. She holds an undergraduate degree in English from Georgia State University and a master's and doctoral degree in Divinity from Emory University.

  • Barri Waltcher

    Barri Waltcher is a career advisor and non-profit leader who is passionate about empowering people towards greater self-awareness so that individuals and organizations can achieve better alignment with their missions. After a decade spent helping women relaunch their careers after taking a parenting break, Barri looked to combine her professional expertise with her commitment to Reform Judaism. She served as the Placement and Employment Search Services Specialist for the Central Conference of American Rabbis from 2019-2021; now working independently again, she remains a trusted career resource for CCAR rabbis in a private capacity. A Trustee of Temple Shaaray Tefila in New York City since 2010, Barri was President of the congregation from 2016-2019, and she continues to play a significant role in leadership development and programmatic innovation. An experienced presenter, Barri has led classes and presentations at 92NY and the JCC-Manhattan. She also has facilitated private group career development cohorts and taught career development courses in NYU’s Career Planning and Development program.

Questions?

Email Rabbi Ross