Author

Dori Baker

Author and consultant

The Rev. Dr. Dori Baker is an author and consultant working at the intersection of faith communities, young adult leaders and emerging ritual that heals the wounds of patriarchy and white supremacy.

Baker is the founder of Our Own Deep Wells: Bringing Soulful Practices to Campus, an immersive learning journey that equips facilitators to integrate soulful practices into leadership with young adults. She is an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church and is the author of “Girl Friend Theology” (revised edition) coming out in 2023. 

Dori Baker: Teens behaving strangely

By Dori Baker Author and consultant

When her teenage daughter and friends began tuning in to the Sunday sermon, prepping for midweek lectionary study and bandying about words such as “eschatology” and “quadrilateral,” a mother realized that something exciting was happening in her congregation.

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Lilly Endowment Inc. announces Exploring Christian Practices Initiative

The Exploring Christian Practices Initiative aims to multiply opportunities and increase access to settings that help individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds explore and engage in Christian practices to address their spiritual interests and questions, find and build community with others, nourish their religious lives and grow in faith. 

In this open and competitive initiative, the Endowment invites charitable organizations to submit proposals for grants of up to $2.5 million each that may be used for up to a five-year period to develop new and/or enhance existing programs that present promising strategies for advancing the aim of the initiative and provide compelling and thoughtful responses to its guiding questions. The Endowment anticipates awarding approximately 60 grants and announcing grant awards in December 2026.

The Endowment will host four virtual information sessions (February 17, 19, 24, and 25) to discuss the Exploring Christian Practices guidelines for submitting a proposal. An Interest Form and Letter of Interest are due March 25, 2026. Complete proposals are due May 18, 2026.

Learn More and register for information sessions