Interfaith Councils and Interfaith Dialogues: What They Do and How to Form Them

This presentation is made up of four different demographic communities discussing how their individual interfaith council and/or dialogue group was formed; what each group envisions and accomplishes; and gives suggestions on how to form a similar structure in your own setting, small or large. The organizations participating are all associated within a relatively close proximity enabling them to work together periodically: The Carbondale Illinois Interfaith Council, home of Southern Illinois University; the Metro-East Interfaith Partnership located in the smaller Illinois communities across from St. Louis, Missouri; the Interfaith Partnership of Greater St. Louis encompassing the City of St. Louis, St. Louis County, and its peripheral counties; and finally, the Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs in the Archdiocese of St. Louis which for many years has had extensive involvement in ecumenical and interfaith matters and relations.