“The only way to get it together is… together!”

—Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi z’’l

Welcome to the 2026 Program Year

The Institute for Deep Ecumenism invites you to explore the transformative practice of genuine interspiritual dialogue and collaboration. In our increasingly interconnected yet divided world, Deep Ecumenism offers a pathway beyond superficial tolerance toward authentic relationships and collective action.

This year, we're excited to offer our foundation courses in an accessible three-week format, providing essential grounding in the principles and practices of Deep Ecumenism. These introductory sessions will be complemented by a dynamic series of workshops that bring theory into practice, featuring the voices and experiences of clergy, educators and practitioners from diverse faith traditions who are already living out this work.

Through these workshops, you'll discover how Deep Ecumenism shapes pastoral ministry, enriches spiritual communities, and creates spaces where people of different faiths can address shared concerns with wisdom drawn from multiple traditions. Whether you're a religious leader, lay practitioner, or simply someone seeking to build bridges in a fractured world, you'll find tools and inspiration for the vital work of finding common ground on the pressing issues facing our global community.

Join us in discovering how the deep wells of our various traditions can flow together toward healing, justice, and hope.

Upcoming IDE Events

What is Deep Ecumenism? 

Deep Ecumenism is a theology of inter-faith and intra-faith coexistence. Coined by Reverend Matthew Fox, Deep Ecumenism is not a solitary practice but requires partnership, empathy, and dialogue with people from diverse faiths, cultures, ideologies, sects, and traditions.

Central to Deep Ecumenism is the understanding that while discovering similarities is important, it is equally, if not more important to celebrate our differences. Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi z’’l described it as an organismic model: just as the body cannot survive on the lungs or kidneys alone, the world requires all its traditions and cultures to sustain a healthy human ecosystem. As he often said, “You can’t get all of your vitamins from one source.”

Participating in Deep Ecumenism is an act of deep faith. It requires the willingness to recognize the "right-ness" of another tradition on an equal level with one's own, without fearing the loss of one's identity. It requires faith that, no matter what changes may occur in the process, you are exactly who and what you are meant to be.

It is also an act of good faith. You cannot engage in dialogue believing that you and your ideology will always be right in the end, or by comparing the perfect ideal of your heritage with the messy reality of your partner’s.

Who is Deep Ecumenism for?

Our institute is for you if:

  • You are called to lead your community into deep and profound encounters with ‘the other’, seeking to transform relationships heal our broken world.

  • You are an educator, spiritual or lay leader, artist, or healer, seeking to develop more meaningful relationships in which differences are better understood and joyously celebrated.

  • You are a chaplain, seeking to improve your knowledge and skills when working in multi-faith environments, such as hospitals, hospices, workplaces, and many more.

  • You are a social justice activist seeking to deepen your work by transcending divisive perspectives and discovering shared solutions rooted in wisdom from diverse traditions

Meet The Faculty