Applied Interspiritual Leadership
Welcome to the Applied Interspiritual Leadership Pathway
After Interspiritual Foundations, students can choose a year of Applied Interspiritual Leadership. Here, students prepare to bring spiritual awareness, ethical responsibility, and compassionate presence into the many places leadership unfolds—organizations, movements, communities, and institutions. Graduates earn a One Spirit Certificate in Applied Interspiritual Leadership.
Program Length: 6 months, starts Jan 2027
6 weekends online + optional 4-day Intensive
Application Opens:
Sept, 2027
Applied Interspiritual Leadership Certificate
Applied Interspiritual Leadership Pathway
Rooted in One Spirit’s understanding of the sacred and interconnected nature of all life, this pathway invites participants to explore leadership as a practice of relationship, responsibility, and service to the whole.
In the Applied Interspiritual Leadership pathway, leadership becomes an expression of spiritual maturity: the ability to recognize the sacred within oneself, others, and the living world, and to act in ways that support collective wellbeing.
Participants enhance their ability to lead with awareness, humility, and care while fostering environments where compassion, belonging, and ethical responsibility can thrive.
In this approach, leadership is generative—it aims not only to guide communities but also to create the conditions where others can discover and develop their own gifts for service and leadership.
The pathway builds on the Interspiritual Foundations year and may be taken alongside another pathway: ministry, chaplaincy, spiritual direction, or sacred transitions doula training.
Returning students from OSLA Seminary or ISCC are welcome to join this six-month leadership curriculum.
These dedicated cohort options also allow professionals, activists, educators, clergy, and organizational leaders to engage this pathway as a focused leadership formation experience.
Applied Interspiritual Leadership Curriculum
Grounded in One Spirit’s ethos of interspiritual wisdom and shared responsibility for the web of life, the program invites participants to explore how spirituality can inform leadership across many contexts—from nonprofit and community work to education, organizational culture, social movements, and mission-driven enterprises.
Through reflection, dialogue, and applied practice, participants develop the awareness, skills, and vision needed to bring spiritual depth and ethical clarity into leadership wherever their work unfolds.
Sample Areas of Exploration:
Spiritual Awareness in Leadership
contemplative practices for grounded leadership
cultivating awareness of the sacred in everyday decision-making
humility, discernment, and ethical responsibility
leadership rooted in reverence for the interconnected web of life
Relational and Community Leadership
creating communities of belonging
facilitating dialogue across differences
mentoring and cultivating emerging leaders
collaborative and shared leadership models
Ethical and Compassionate Organizations
cultivating cultures of compassion, integrity, and accountability
addressing power, responsibility, and ethical decision-making
leadership for ecological awareness and planetary care
Applied Leadership in the World
guiding communities through change and transition
integrating spirituality with justice, service, and collective wellbeing
spiritual leadership in nonprofits, organizations, and social movements
Certificate
Upon graduation, students receive an Applied Interspiritual Leadership Certificate.
The next cohort for the six-month Applied Interspiritual Leadership pathway starts in January 2027.
The program runs Jan-June 2027, meeting once per month for 12 educational days.
Application starts:
September 1, 2026
Application deadline:
Nov 30, 2026
The program year ends with an optional in-person 4-day intensive in May/June in the NY area.
Elective requirements: 2 workshop credits per year, plus volunteer hours of choice.
Investment: $4,400
Plus costs for intensive.
Payment plans and limited scholarships are available.
Applied Interspiritual Leadership is one of several pathways in the One Spirit Applied Interspirituality Program
After the Interspiritual Foundations year, students choose a pathway that resonates with their inner calling and vocational focus.
Students who choose the Applied Interspiritual Leadership pathway earn a One Spirit Applied Interspiritual Leadership Certificate upon completing their assignments and graduating.
Students at One Spirit build their own educational path.
After completing the build-on pathway of the Applied Interspiritual Leadership, a student might choose to add the Interfaith Seminary pathway to become an Ordained Minister.
Former graduates of OSLA Seminary or ISCC are welcome to add pathways to their Seminary ordination or ISCC certificate!
The Interspiritual Seminary ordination pathway is the former One Spirit Interfaith/Interspiritual Seminary, now offering the option to earn Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) credits.
The Spiritual Direction & Companioning pathway is the former One Spirit Interspiritual Counseling & Companioning (ISCC) program.
One Spirit also offers Sacred Transitions Doula Training as a professional pathway, earning students a Doula Certification.
The pathway Applied Interspiritual Leadership readies students for spiritual leadership in any industry, earning students a Certification in Applied Interspiritual Leadership.
The “Deeper Curriculum”
The most meaningful learning and growth happen in safe environments that also challenge us to ask important questions, reflect honestly, and go beyond our current ways.
At One Spirit, we invite you to bring your unique experiences and challenges. We will support and nurture you as we encourage your spiritual growth.
Your deep transformation, supported by your peers and our experienced faculty, allows you to serve others with love and spirituality.
The One Spirit “Deeper Curriculum” has helped many students like you reach their highest and most meaningful goals.
The One Spirit Learning Experience
Classes
Interspiritual Seminary classes are taught one weekend per month by facilitating deans and expert teachers who shepherd growth and learning, deliver lectures, pose transformative questions, and lead group work.
Online Education
We value our global community and offer live video conference training to our diverse students from around the world via our online class portal.
Student Study Groups
Our Interspiritual Foundations students take part in student-led study groups.
These groups promote community, facilitate discussions among diverse group members, provide an opportunity to explore spiritual practice, and engage in ritual and ceremony.
Facilitating Deans
Each year, you'll be assigned a Facilitating Dean who is responsible for supporting your educational progress and spiritual formation through your seminary experience.
Your Dean is available to assist you with educational, personal, and spiritual concerns, and to help explore and resolve issues that may arise during your studies. In our Kaleidoscope teaching model, most deans also participate in facilitating your Seminary classes to support your sacred journey safely.
Sacred Homework
Homework assignments include essential texts, inspiring questions, personal reflection, life reviews, and the design of ceremony and ritual.
They are designed to deepen your understanding, improve your thinking, and expand your sacred experience.
Teachers & Presenters
Our faculty members are among the most experienced educational staff in Interspiritual Education. Teachers will follow your journey throughout the Seminary year, and Presenters share their profound expertise.
Year-End Intensives
Each year culminates in a four-day intensive in the NYC area. We bring our students together from around the world, which always leads to profound personal and collective transformation.
The intensives leave sacred space for certification and ordination ceremonies.
Sacred Service
Our seminary students give at least 20 hours of volunteer service each year of training, although many give much more.
Spiritual Care Team
At One Spirit, we support each other. Students may choose a graduate mentor who will be available to serve as a sounding board and spiritual friend, and a spiritual care team is available throughout the school year.
Kaleidoscope Teaching Model
At One Spirit, we believe ministry formation should be as dynamic and sacred as the life it prepares you to serve.
Guided by One Spirit’s Kaleidoscope Pedagogy, learning develops through leadership that draws from diverse lived experiences, hands-on practice, and the collective wisdom of the community.
Students don’t just study ministry—they engage in presence, listening, and discernment in real time, discovering how spiritual insight transforms into compassionate action.
Qualifications for Enrollment in One Spirit’s Programs
We are committed to diversity and welcome all qualified adults to apply. All applicants are given full consideration regardless of age, gender identity, race, religion, ethnic background, national origin, socioeconomic status, disability, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by law.
Each applicant will be assessed individually, and acceptance into the program is based on alignment with the program’s interspiritual perspective and program objectives, as well as personal engagement with a deepening spiritual maturity.
Additional Requirements
English fluency: All course materials are in the English language. As a result, written and spoken English fluency is required.
Technology: A computer or laptop with a webcam, microphone and stable internet connection are needed to participate in online classes and meetings via Zoom. You will also need them to access the online student portal (ClanEd) for course communications and learning content.
A Community of Practice for a Changing World
At One Spirit, we believe that the wisdom of the world’s spiritual traditions points toward a profound truth: life is interconnected and sacred.
Our programs cultivate this awareness and translate it into real-world service, care, and community leadership.
Through shared practice, dialogue, and skill-building, students learn how to:
Accompany people through life’s most meaningful transitions
Offer spiritual care across traditions and cultures
Build communities of belonging and compassion
Bring spiritual wisdom into activism, organizations, and everyday life
Integrate spiritual practice with justice, service, and collective wellbeing
This is where the sacred meets the work of everyday life.