Nehemiah Leadership Initiative

8-Month Fellowship Program

The Nehemiah Leadership Initiative selects a group of fellows to serve with Open Door Ministries from September through the first week of May each year. This gap year program focuses on discipleship, leadership development, and biblical justice education.

Why should I join the 8-month fellowship with Nehemiah Leadership Initiative?

Spend eight months learning, serving, and exploring your calling
Free housing in Denver’s downtown Capitol Hill area
Paid fellowship with monthly stipend
Actively learn about social justice, racial justice, and immigration from a biblical perspective with your NLI cohort
Discover and develop your spiritual gifts
Get practical, hands-on ministry experience!
Grow in healthy leadership habits
Opportunity to get hired on for open positions after successful completion of the fellowship
Cultivate intimacy in your walk with the Lord

NLI Fellows may choose to work in one or more of the following ministry opportunities:

Females only. Includes dinners with residents, assisting with day-to-day activities, informal relationships with residents, role-modeling healthy behaviors/relationships, coordinating events, and prayer. Learn and understand the cycles of abuse in domestic violence and trafficking, sexual exploitation, cycles of addiction and trauma informed practices.
Fellow works in our Preschool and/or Elementary Program. Kids range in age from 3 to 12. Fellowship includes teaching lessons, informal time with kids, going on field trips, food prep, food shopping, opportunities for evangelism and discipleship, and learning about the inner workings of an urban childcare center.
Males only. Fellow will serve in a faith based boarding home for men in need of various forms of assistance. Help with mentoring, chores, donations, Bible study, and community activities.
Fellow will be on the front lines of ODM, interacting with our homeless and transient community, assisting with receptionist responsibilities, and resource gathering for ODM's community outreach.
Fellow will help manage operations of the print shop: ensuring client orders are fulfilled, performing quality control, utilizing manual print press, doing life-on-life discipleship with our employees who are coming out of homelessness, addiction, and incarceration. Previous screen printing experience not required; fellow may assist with graphic design if qualified.
Fellow works in the ODM office alongside the Executive Team (administration, grant writing and fundraising). Duties include administrative tasks, grant writing, volunteer management, ministry and project oversight, event planning, statistics, and more.
Fellow works with our urban youth program (6th - 12th grade). Fellowship includes informal time with kids, going on day trips, one-on-one discipleship, food shopping and prep, overnight camps, relationship building, leading various youth activities and outreaches, and learning about an established youth ministry.