Introducing CEDAR

About CEDAR

In March of 2025, Forward Movement announced that it been awarded a $4 million grant from the J. C. Flowers Foundation to fund the development of transformational discipleship resources for the Episcopal Church. With this grant, Forward Movement is launching the Center for Discipleship and Renewal (CEDAR). CEDAR’s work will be fully integrated with Forward Movement’s other ministries and resources, and its mission to inspire disciples and empower evangelists. Over the four years of grant funding, CEDAR will:

• create and curate high-quality multi-platform resources for making disciples and deepening discipleship practices in an Episcopal context
• provide robust wraparound support for implementation, leader/facilitator training, and marketing of these resources, as well as measuring their impact quantitatively and qualitatively 
• spark conversation about Christian discipleship and congregational renewal in the Episcopal Church across multiple communication channels
• become a hub of connection, learning, and innovation for lay and clergy leaders by hosting online and in-person gatherings and events

The centerpiece of this work will be a major video-based discipleship course aimed at those who have an introduction to the Christian faith but who wonder what’s next on their journey as a follower of Jesus Christ. This flagship course will serve as a follow-up to a basics course such as Alpha or Forward Movement’s Transforming Questions. CEDAR at Forward Movement will also create smaller courses on prayer, scripture study, and other subjects for churches of all sizes and contexts, as well as chaplaincies, church plants, and other worshipping communities. 

In June of 2025, Forward Movement announced the hiring of the first team members for the Center for Episcopal Discipleship and Renewal at Forward Movement. The Rev. Robert Hendrickson, formerly rector of St. Philip’s in the Hills in Tucson, AZ, was named Chief of Discipleship Initiatives, and the Rev. Dr. Regina L. Walton of Harvard Divinity School was named Editor and Content Developer for Discipleship Initiatives. The team will expand over time to include additional staff to liaise with congregations, plan events, and produce and edit video content. 

The CEDAR team will begin by reaching out to clergy and lay leaders across the Episcopal Church as part of a larger assessment of current discipleship-formation practices, resources, and curricula. Our hope is that at the conclusion of the four-year grant period, the courses and related resources will become a sustainable part of Forward Movement’s work.

We are tremendously grateful to Chris and Anne Flowers for their visionary generosity. The J.C. Flowers Foundation also supports people returning home from prison in New York City, and works towards malaria elimination with Anglican dioceses in Southern Africa. The foundation is led by executive director Rebecca Vander Meulen, who will work with Forward Movement on this project.

Forward Movement is a non-profit ministry of the Episcopal Church with offices in Cincinnati, OH and staff across the United States. Our work is funded by sales, donations, and grants. Founded in 1935 “to reinvigorate the life of the church,” we give thanks for this new opportunity to inspire disciples and empower evangelists in our ninetieth year and beyond.