Intentional Community.

Purposeful Living.

Ancient Faith.

Live purposefully as a follower of Jesus among - and for the good of - your neighbors.

Join a community committed to loving God and our neighbors.

The Good Neighbor Fellowship is an 8-month discipleship program for Christians in their 20s to early-30s who live and work in the Lancaster, PA area.

Intentional Community

  • Gather regularly for a Common Meal and discussion with your cohort

  • Attend a local Bible-teaching church

  • Engage with your neighbors through practices of hospitality and service

  • Participate in social activties with your cohort, church, and neighbors as you are able


  • Fellows gather every other week in a host home for a meal together. During common meals, fellows have the opportunity to:

    • build deeper relationships with one another

    • share their story

    • discuss reading and other assignments

    • ask questions

    • reflect on their learning & experience

    • gain leadership & hospitality skills

    Common Meals are on Thursday evenings from 6-9 PM.

    Contact us if you have allergies or dietary limitations so we can do our best to accommodate your specific needs.

  • Fellows will participate in various service opportunities throughout the year and have the opportunity to learn about needs and serice organizations in our community.

    By the end of the year, Fellows will determine how they will serve regularly in their community following the program.

Purposeful Living

  • Develop and follow a set of individual and community practices - a Rule of Life - that will form you into the image of Christ and push you outwards to love your neighbor

  • Complete assignments that serve as building blocks for life-long, transformative habits

  • Meet regularly with a mentor for individual guidance and accountability

  • Fellows follow a Rule of Life with their cohort that includes practices of Scripture reading, prayer, Sabbath, generosity, service and community.

    Fellows will customize their Rule of Life as they identify their personal growth areas.

    We expect Fellows to continue building and living out their Rule of Life after completing the program.

    Specific expectations include committing to a specific, regular pattern of local and church service.

  • Each fellow meets regularly with their mentor (at least once per month) on a schedule they determine together.

    Mentors are selected based on the applicant’s church, schedule, and other information provided in their application materials.

Ancient Faith

  • Study the ancient and true teachings of Scripture to guide your life as you seek to live among - and for the good of - your neighbors

  • Attend two weekend retreats each semester (Friday evening + Saturday) that include Biblical teaching, discussion, and experiential learning

  • Read assigned books (one per month) and articles and listen to assigned podcasts that will spark your curiosity and deepen your understanding of how to live out our ancient Christian faith

  • Four retreats are held each year. Retreats are not overnight. They include sessions or film screenings on Friday evening and sessions, lunch and activities on Saturday in Lancaster, PA.

    Applicants must able to commit to attending all retreats in order to be considered for acceptance into the program.

    2025-2026 Retreat Dates

    Module 1: September 19 & 20

    Module 2: November 14 & 15

    Module 3: January 23 & 24

    Module 4: March 20 & 21

  • Our reading list changes from year to year, but below is a list of some of our past books. Fellows read eight books (one per month) during the course of the program, along with selected articles, and discuss them during Common Meals.

    • The Narrow Path by Rich Villodas

    • Practicing the Way by John Mark Comer

    • Work: It’s Purpose, Dignity and Transformation by Daniel Doriani

    • Naming the Animals by Stephen Roach

    • The Ministry of Ordinary Places by Shannon Martin

    • How to Know a Person by David Brooks

    • Generous Justice by Timothy Keller

    • How Far to the Promised Land by Esau McCaulley

  • Our teachers are typically local to the Lancaster area where they work and serve in various capacities. Below are some of our past teachers.

    • Tom Becker, Director of The Row House

    • Aaron Brown, Executive Pastor at Manheim Brethren in Christ Church

    • Bruce Etter, Case Manager with Anchor Lancaster

    • Dr. Justin Harbin, Director of the Center for Teaching & Learning

    • Dr. Justin Hawkins, Post-Doctoral researcher at Columbia Medical School

    • Kimberly Ibarra, Nurse Practitioner

    • Luke LeDuc, Senior Pastor at Wheatland Presbyterian Church

    • Adam Nagle, Executive Director of The Factory Ministries

    • Zachary Northen, State Parole Agent for Pennsylvania

    • Rev. David Peck, Rector at Saint James Episcopal Church

    • Kaitlyn Schiess, author

    • Dr. Dan Spanjer, School Principal at Veritas Academy

    • Samuel Spatola, Director of Student Ministries & Outreach at Wheatland Presbyterian Church

    • Clint Watkins

    • Keith Winder, Associate Pastor at Wheatland Presbyterian Church

    • Kristen Zimmerman

Course of Study

Our program is divided into four learning modules. Each module includes reading, practical assignments, and a retreat with classes, discussion, and activities so that students are putting into practice what they are learning and gaining hands-on experience.

  • Understand God’s vision for the good life and be transformed through disciplines of grace.

  • Reframe your work to find meaning and purpose in all of your paid and unpaid labors as we consider how our vocation and work relationships can be part of God’s redemptive story.

  • Invest in the people and places nearest to you with a vision for their flourishing.

  • Seek the common good of all people, giving special attention to the poor, oppressed and marginalized.

FAQs

  • In order to facilitate intentional community our cohorts are limited to 12 participants.

  • An $1,800 inclusive fee covers all retreats, books, shared meals, and other expenses associated with your participation in the program.

    Payment plans are available upon request.

    Please contact us if cost is a concern for you! Need-based scholarships are available.

  • Housing is not provided. Our participants typically live in, or within 20 minutes of, Lancaster city. If you are relocating to Lancaster, we may be able to assist you in locating temporary or permanent housing.

    • In your mid-20s to early-30s (about ages 22-34)

    • Employed and living in the Lancaster, PA area (or plan to be by the start of the term)

    • Able to commit to fulfilling all program requirements, including attending all common meals and retreats

    • Able to affirm their Christian faith and alignment with the Apostle’s and Nicene Creeds

    • Participants cannot be enrolled in any other schooling while in the Fellowship

  • This program is designed for individuals who believe in the saving work of Jesus Christ. We teach from a historically Biblical viewpoint and adhere to the ancient statements of faith - the Apostle’s Creed and the Nicene Creed. Participants do not need to belong to a specific denomination, but will be required to attend a Bible-teaching church while in the program.

  • The Fellowship is designed with the understanding that most participants are working full-time. Anticipate committing an average of 5 hours each week to the program.

    The program runs from September to May. Request more information to receive a calendar.

    Classes are taught during four weekend retreats (Friday evening & Saturday) held throughout the year. Attendance at all retreats is mandatory. Please review the dates carefully and add them to your calendar.

    Students gather every other Thursday from 6:00 - 9:00 PM for a Common Meal and focused discussion with their cohort. Fellows are expected to attend all meals.

    Students meet twice per month with their assigned mentor on a schedule they choose.

  • We expect that our participants will be working at least part-time (and most people full-time) in the Lancaster area. We do not provide job placement services.

    Our schedule is built to complement a traditional full-time work schedule with all events happening in the evenings or on Saturdays.

    The workload is also built with the understanding that most students are employed full time.

What Participants Are Saying

  • Through the people and the work in this fellowship, I've seen God work in amazing ways to challenge and grow my faith… [I’ve learned that] to be a good neighbor is to seek God's redemptive plan for my life and for the world around me. It is to care and to love those around me, to seek ways to help and engage others, even (and especially) when it is inconvenient or hard.

    In the last 3/4 months, I really have felt part of a community and encouraged to grow. I wouldn't be where I am today (spiritually) without this fellowship and this program.

    - Vivi, class of 2025

  • I am learning to accept that spiritual rhythms are best practiced when in a community, rather than privately. Having a community that meets regularly has been helpful towards keeping me accountable on the goals set towards developing a rule of life, and growing in an understanding of spiritual rhythms in community. 

    Tim, class of 2025

  • I’ve learned that God cares about all parts of life in ways that I did not think about as much before, even the mundane daily parts of our lives. He wants us to invite him into our places of work and redeem even the little things. …The GNP has challenged me to re-establish the importance of finding meaningful moments and healthy rhythms… I realize that who we are becoming is influenced by thousands of small decisions we make in our daily lives.

    - Luke, class of 2025

  • It's been wonderful to have a group of young adults who are learning about the same things, attending workshops together, eating together, and generally spending time together. …I've come to realize that sharing meals and conversation around a table should be a large part of our spiritual formation. Looking back on the rest of my life, lots of my formation has taken place around a table with other people. There's something mystically beautiful about that.

    - Carter, class of 2025

You May Also Be Interested In…

  • Good Neighbor Suppers

    Each month we encourage our community to invite others into their home to share a meal and build relationships as a practice of generosity and hospitality.

    Sign up for our email list below to receive monthly seasonal recipes, conversation starters and a playlist!

  • Fireside Chats

    Ask Questions. Share Ideas. Build Community.

    Bring a friend or neighbor to sit and chat around a campfire or fireplace. Our Fireside Chats have a discussion topic or question to get the conversation started and space for you to ask questions and share your ideas around that topic.

    Fireside chats are geared towards people in their 20s and 30s.

    Visit our Events page to join us!

  • Film Nights

    Bring a friend or neighbor to watch a movie and spend some time discussing it in a casual environment.

    Visit our Events page to join us!

Events