The Charlotte Fellows Program is a nine-month Christian leadership program that equips college grads to live out their faith in every area of life. 

“So, what are your plans after graduation?”

If you're a senior in college or a recent graduate, you've probably heard this question a million times. 

And if you're like many of our former Fellows, you probably feel a bit lost, confused, and overwhelmed as you think about your post-graduation plans. Maybe you’ve thought about teaching. Or going on staff with a campus ministry. Or getting a job in the corporate world. But you're still left wondering: “God, what are you calling me to do with my life?”

But what if there was a program that helped you think well about life's biggest questions? The Charlotte Fellows Program is just that and much more. The program includes:

• a part-time professional job in your field of interest

• theological coursework

• Biblical study

• mentoring

• community service

• vocational training and discernment

• all within the context of community

Spend nine months as a Charlotte Fellow and discover how the Gospel shapes the way you engage your city, your career, your local church, and your personal relationships. Discover how the Gospel transforms every area of your life. 

LEARN HOW THE GOSPEL APPLIES TO ALL OF LIFE

Develop a fuller, more accurate understanding of the Gospel and how it transforms everything. 

FORM RELATIONSHIPS GROUNDED IN GRACE

Cultivate healthy relationships rooted in God's grace and actively engage in your community.

WORK WITH ETERNAL PURPOSE

Learn to use and cultivate your God-given talents for your neighbor's good and God's glory.

What Fellows Do

DEVELOP PROFESSIONALLY  

Fellows spend significant time focusing on the intersection of faith and work. They work three days per week in paid professional work placements, gaining valuable work experience in areas of focus such as marketing, finance, education, real estate, communications, marketing, start-ups, and non-profits. Through seminars, graduate-level classes, and individual coaching, Fellows learn how to add value to an organization, think strategically about work, and cultivate their own talents in a professional setting. 

GROW IN WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING

Much of the program is designed to help Fellows contextualize every area of life to the Gospel. On a weekly basis Fellows take part in small group studies, hear the spiritual journeys of men and women in various careers and life stages in the Charlotte community, and gather to process everything that they are experiencing. Fellows also complete two graduate-level courses: the first on redemptive history and personal spiritual growth and the second on the intersection of Gospel, career, and culture. 

WORSHIP TOGETHER WITH GOD'S PEOPLE

Fellows worship together weekly at our partner churches. Pastors, professors, and others meet with Fellows, helping them understand and experience the blessings of corporate worship.  

EXPERIENCE AUTHENTIC COMMUNITY

In addition to cultivating authentic, life-giving friendships with one another, Fellows build significant friendships with their host families, mentors, coworkers, church members, and people throughout Charlotte. By year's end, Fellows have a multi-generational community of friendships to enjoy for the rest of their lives. 

EXPERIENCE HEALTHY, CROSS-CULTURAL MINISTRY

In this day and age, our country is more divided than ever when it comes to issues of race and discrimination. To that end, Fellows spend a week in Chattanooga learning about healthy cross-cultural community development. What they learn can then be applied in any urban context. 

A Typical Week

Sunday. 

Worship in the local church. Rest. 

Monday. 

8:30AM - 12:00PM. Volunteering at a urban school.  

1:00PM - 4:00PM. Graduate-level coursework.**

**In the fall, Dr. Rod Culbertson teaches a course entitled "Redemption and Devotion" focused on tracing God's redemptive plan that is the Gospel through the Old Testament, giving Fellows a "big picture" understanding of all of Scripture. Fellows also study classics in devotional writings as they study Scripture to help deepen their relationship with God. In the spring, Pastor Mark Upton teaches a course entitled "Your Work Matters to God" focused on preparing Fellows for non-ministerial vocations. A focus will be placed on understanding culture – its origin, importance, and brokenness; on identifying our cultural posture, and on creating culture.

Tuesday. 

8AM - 5:30PM. Professional work placements. 

6:30PM - 9PM. "Fellows Life Together." Fellows cook dinner for one another, catch up, pray together, and engage in conversations centered around applying the Gospel to life. 

Wednesday. 

8AM - 5:30PM. Professional work placements. 

Thursday.

8AM - 5:30PM. Professional work placements. 

7PM - 9PM. "Round Tables." Men and women from the Charlotte community eat dinner with the Fellows and share their life stories, focusing on how following Jesus has impacted their personal and professional life. 

Friday. 

9AM - 12PM. Visits with local nonprofits.

Saturday. 

Free. 

Special Events. 

Over the course of the year, Fellows take part in weekend retreats, events, conferences and seminars hosted by the Charlotte Fellows and other organizations like The Fellows Initiative, The Barnabas Center, Hope Community Church Youth Ministry, Brookstone Schools, Project 658, Hope for the Inner City, and YoungLife.