Photo: People in an EP dialogue
Renew hope where you live, work, worship, and learn

We give people the means to strengthen relationships, deepen belonging, and renew hope in their communities.

Our Impact

Fostering Open Dialogue in Evangelical Congregations

“Essential Partners has been indispensable. I thought John was going to briefly review our dialogue designs. Instead, we looked at every question, every situation, for every dialogue. He provided exercises that helped people learn to listen and speak differently and to strip away stereotypes.”

  • The dialogue setting created an environment where people weren’t afraid to open up and share those things that they might not always share out loud. It made us feel closer and provided a stronger sense of trust. It allowed me to be vulnerable to people outside of my community and to be open to sharing.

    Becca Humphries ’21
    Cary Academy, NC
  • I learned a lot about myself from others’ perspectives—it was comforting to hear similar values and ideas expressed, yet really eye-opening and intriguing to hear very different philosophies.

    Undergraduate Student
    Dartmouth College, New Hampshire
  • EP's approach is flexible enough to support educators working across diverse contexts and parallels work that they are already doing to support students' social-emotional development, create trauma-sensitive classrooms and schools, and differentiate learning experiences to meet the needs of all learners.

    Allyson Bachta, K-12 Educator and Administrator
    Massachusetts

An Evening of Inspiration, Connection, and Hope

Join us on December 10th to celebrate EP's 35th Anniversary! Our virtual gala will feature Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Charles Duhigg in conversation with EP's John Sarrouf, three inspiring Founders Award recipients, the premier of an inspiring new video, and more. Tickets are available with a suggested donation of any amount.

Image: 35th Anniversary
Photo: Student protests

News: Blaming faculty when protests erupt ignores how we teach

“In a polarized climate where adherence to one side of an issue can seem to demand the complete rejection of opposing views or the people who hold them, complexity can be an unwelcome reality. University classrooms are precisely the places where students encounter and meet such complex challenges.” 

Jill DeTemple, EP Academic Associate and faculty member at Southern Methodist University, highlights the role that college professors play in fostering open-mindedness and critical thinking in their students in the Dallas Morning News.

Recent Partners

Image: Cary Academy logo
Image: Share Our America logo
Image: Starts With Us logo
Image: Southern Methodist University name and seal
Image: South Sound YMCA logo
Image: Carnegie Library logo
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Interfaith Photovoice logo
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Bridgewater College logo
Winthrop Rockefeller Institute
Image: Newburyport Public Schools logo
Image: Roundabout Theater Company logo
Logo: The Colossian Forum, Michigan
Image: Cody WY School District logo
Image: Miami Dade College logo
Image: Shenandoah logo
Image: Revolutionary Spaces Logo
Image: Ravenscroft School logo
Image: Mass Humanities logo