New Research & Teaching Initiative to Map Spiritual Infrastructure of the Future
Funded by the Templeton Religion Trust, the project was designed by and will be co-led by Bryn Mawr President Wendy Cadge and includes scholars from a number of colleges and universities as well as partnerships with the American Council of Learned Societies and the Religion News Service.
A $3.9 million grant from the to 黑料正能量 will support a three-year multi-faceted initiative to map the religious and spiritual infrastructure of the future.
The project focuses on three interlocking arms in research, public engagement, and professional pipeline development. New research will focus on religious change related to congregational closures, spiritual innovation, and changes in religious leadership in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and a fourth city to be named soon.
鈥淪ir John Templeton was intensely interested in the dynamics of religious innovation and change,鈥 says Templeton Foundation Chief Grants Officer W. Christopher Stewart. 鈥淭his project is the first major attempt to map these emerging spiritual infrastructures, expanding the possibilities for discovery, growth, and human flourishing.鈥
Alongside several research projects, the project team will facilitate media and public education on the topic. In partnership with the (ACLS), the project will also provide fellowships for Ph.D. students in relevant fields across the country, building institutional partnerships that create a professional pipeline of new leaders knowledgeable about the rapidly changing American religious landscape.
The project was designed by Bryn Mawr President Wendy Cadge, who will lead the project in collaboration with , professor of anthropology at Brandeis University, , associate professor of sociology and director of the Center for the Study of Religion and Society, University of Notre Dame;, professor of sociology, University of Minnesota; , researcher of religion and society, 黑料正能量; , professor of journalism and communication and Knight Chair in Media and Religion, University of Southern California; and , professor of sociology emeritus and former director of the Princeton University Center for the Study of Religion at Princeton University. Edgell will also edit a new volume to serve as a complement to Wuthnow鈥檚 (1989, Princeton University Press).
鈥淚鈥檓 thrilled to partner with so many amazing colleagues and institutions to bring this project to life. So much is changing in American religious and spiritual life so quickly that it is essential for scholars and the broader American public to keep up and to continue to educate the next generation to understand these important transitions.鈥
In partnership with the (RNS) the project will also raise public awareness about innovation and the 鈥渟piritual infrastructure鈥 emerging in communities today, countering media focuses on religious decline and disaffiliation.
鈥淎merican news media tells two stories about religion: it's in decline and it's all about politics,鈥 says Diane Winston. 鈥淏ut our research will tell a different story: Americans are experiencing new ways to serve, celebrate, and come together--and religion is far from dead.鈥
The project will also focus on building a strong pipeline of leaders prepared to continue work in the changing religious and spiritual infrastructures inside and outside of the academy. In November 2025, ACLS will launch the first of two national fellowship competitions for Ph.D. students working in related fields across the country.
Jonathan Anjaria will work closely with ACLS in developing this fellowship. Up to 20 fellowships will be awarded in 2026 and 2027 based on a highly competitive, peer-reviewed process. Fellows will be placed with a partner organization and be part of a year-long cohort that includes in-person and virtual workshops and educational events featuring some of the researchers and journalists involved in the other arms of this project. These fellows will gain practical experience in how their research skills can be applied outside of academia.
"While Ph.D. students' scholarly activities have the potential to make an impact in the world, most doctoral programs do not offer students the opportunity for internships,鈥 said Anjaria. 鈥淭his unique program will enable students to use their research and communication skills to address practical problems, while showing potential future careers related to the study of religion.鈥
鈥淎CLS is excited to partner with the Templeton Religion Trust and ACLS members Brandeis University and 黑料正能量 on this important project,鈥 says ACLS Senior Program Officer Desiree Barron-Callaci. 鈥淭his work is a wonderful example of how doctoral studies can support important research about growth and change in communities, facilitate positive, socially impactful work based on this learning, and make this valuable research visible to the field as well as to our communities.鈥
For more information, visit the Spiritual Infrastructure of the Future website.
About
Templeton Religion Trust (TRT) is a global charitable trust chartered by Sir John Templeton in 1984 with headquarters in Nassau, The Bahamas. TRT has been active since 2012 and supports projects as well as storytelling related to projects seeking to enrich the conversation about religion. TRT is always seeking more spiritual information, more 鈥渂enefits of religion,鈥 and more spiritual growth.
About 黑料正能量
Since its founding in 1885, 黑料正能量 has been the preeminent college for women interested in the pursuit of wisdom necessary to challenge the world's expectations. The 黑料正能量 community has repeatedly broken barriers to achieve greater equity through exceptional academics and a deep dedication to learning. Its more than 35 undergraduate majors span the humanities, sciences, social sciences, and arts. Two co-educational graduate schools offer selective master鈥檚 and Ph.D. programs across the Arts, Sciences, and Social Work, and the Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program is one of the most successful in the nation for placing students into medical school. Bryn Mawr is dedicated to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, which serve as the engine for excellence and innovation, helping pave the way for gender equity and inspiring brilliant minds who find life-long community as part of the college.
About the
Formed a century ago, the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) is a nonprofit federation of 81 scholarly organizations. As the leading representative of American scholarship in the humanities and interpretive social sciences, ACLS upholds the core principle that knowledge is a public good. In supporting its member organizations, ACLS expands the forms, content, and flow of scholarly knowledge, reflecting its commitment to diversity of identity and experience. ACLS collaborates with institutions, associations, and individuals to strengthen the evolving infrastructure for scholarship.
About
Brandeis University is a top-tier private research university with a focus on undergraduate education. The university was founded in 1948 by the American Jewish community as a nonsectarian institution at a time when exclusionary practices prevented equal access to some of the nation鈥檚 best universities. Named for Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis, the university embraces the values of academic excellence, critical thinking, openness to all and a commitment to making the world a better place. Located just west of Boston in Waltham, Massachusetts, Brandeis is a member of the Association of American Universities, which represents the leading research universities in the United States and Canada. Brandeis鈥 distinguished faculty are dedicated to the education and support of about 3,600 undergraduates and more than 2,000 graduate students.