Apply to be a BJC Fellow

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The BJC Fellows

BJC Fellows come from diverse educational, professional and religious backgrounds to learn in an intensive education program that equips them for advocacy to protect religious liberty. Hear from the 2021 class in this video.

We are now accepting applications for the 2023 class. Scroll down for details. You must submit all materials by February 20, 2023, to be considered for the 2023 class.

Since 2015, BJC has offered the BJC Fellows Program, providing young professionals the opportunity to deepen their historical, theological and legal understanding of religious liberty and develop skills to advocate for the cause throughout their careers.

Not only were we Baptist, we were Episcopal, Church of God in Christ (COGIC), Muslim and nonreligious. I am glad that we were a diverse crowd. There’s nothing worse than having conversations with people that are the same kind of different as you. We each brought varying perspectives that carried our dialogues and gave each of us new insights.

Brittany Graves
2019 BJC Fellow

“I know that this is just the beginning of a journey of advocating for religious liberty in my community and with the other BJC Fellows. I am excited to begin to invest more in my local government and advocacy efforts, hoping to bring my knowledge of religious liberty to my local context.”

Ashton Wells
2016 BJC Fellow

“I was encouraged to step outside of my comfort zone and engage in advocacy work and the promotion of religious liberty for all Americans; not just the black Baptists in my local congregation, but every denomination represented in these great United States, including the non-believer.”

Corey Mitchell
2017 BJC Fellow

“As we explored the history of our nation, the Baptist tradition and religious liberty in general, freedom was a constant theme. Freedom is often thought of too narrowly and individually. If we are to achieve true religious freedom, we must look beyond ourselves and lift up the most marginalized among us.”

Kat Kimmel
2021 BJC Fellow

Apply to the 2023 class

Apply to be a BJC Fellow

The BJC Fellows Program is open to all individuals between the ages of 25 and 45. There are no religious requirements. Applicants must submit the materials listed below, and they must commit to attending the entire seminar in Colonial Williamsburg.

BJC Fellows Seminar in Colonial Williamsburg: August 2-6, 2023
Application deadline: February 20, 2023

How to apply:

Apply via Google Form by clicking the button above. If you do not have a Google Account, email [email protected] for an alternate method of entry.

You will submit the following documents via the application form:

Cover letter expressing interest in the program
CV or resume
Responses to three questions

Your application also requires two letters of recommendation, which must be submitted via email by the writer to [email protected].

To be considered for the 2023 class, all materials must be received by February 20, 2023, at midnight Eastern Time. For additional questions, contact us at [email protected]

Meet the BJC Fellows

“[I]n seeing how different each participant was, I found hope that despite our differences, we were committed to religious liberty for ALL.”

Kristan Pitts / 2021 BJC Fellow

Read “Bring all of who you are, spiciness and all”

“As a BJC Fellow, I have access to resources, experiences, and a network in which I too can respond and advocate for the protection of religious liberty for all.”

Erika Perez / 2018 BJC Fellow

Read “Circles of Religious Liberty”