Join the Playmakers Community: A Curated Cohort of Experts Shaping Place-Based Ministry

Co-design cohorts, connect your work to church networks and funders, and learn alongside 30–50 national practitioners—while Community Playbook handles all the infrastructure.

Apply to Join

What is the Playmakers Community?

The Playmakers Community is a selective network of practitioners, researchers, and thought leaders who are actively shaping how churches engage neighborhood economics across housing, youth development, mental health, education, economic mobility, and more.

We call you Playmakers because you don't just theorize—you design models, equip leaders, and move churches from scattered charity to coordinated transformation.

As a Playmaker, you:

Co-design cohorts with Community Playbook around your expertise, reaching 15–25 churches, nonprofits, and networks per cohort.
Share your work through expert interviews, case stories, and webinars tied to our 22 proven playbooks.
Build peer relationships with complementary experts in quarterly learning calls and collaborative projects.
Earn revenue through optional honoraria (1k–2.5k per cohort) or referral fees (10% of closed Accelerator deals you source, capped at 5k/year).
Leverage infrastructure: We handle recording, editing, outreach, enrollment, CRM, and billing—you focus on teaching and connecting.

Membership is by invitation only. We're building a cohort of 30–50 experts, not an open network, so peer quality and collaboration are paramount.

Who We're Looking For

We invite experts who meet at least 4 of these 6 criteria:

✅ Domain Authority

Recognized practitioner, author, or researcher in one of our 22 playbook domains (youth, housing, education, health, economic mobility, etc.).

✅ Faith-Rooted Practice

Your work is explicitly connected to church, theology, or faith-based community development.

✅ Network Access

You can name 3–5 networks, denominations, or funders you already work with or influence.

✅ Story-Driven

You have real examples and case stories you can teach from, not just theory.

✅ Collaborative Posture

You're willing to co-design, share credit, refer peers, and learn in community.

✅ Capacity to Engage

You can commit to 3–5 touch points per year: recordings, cohort co-designs, peer calls.

Not sure if you qualify? Apply anyway. We review every submission and will let you know within 5 business days if it's a fit.

What You'll Do and Gain

What You Contribute
(3–5 touch points per year)

→ 1–2 expert interviews or webinar recordings (30–45 min each)
→ Co-design 1–2 cohorts around your expertise (planning call + live facilitation)
→ Attend 3–4 quarterly Playmakers Community peer calls (90 min each)
→ Optional: make warm introductions to networks, funders, or peer experts in your sphere

What You Gain

★ Visibility – Featured on Community Playbook site, in cohorts, and events reaching 100+ networks and funders annually
★ Peer learning – Quarterly calls with 30–50 national practitioners; first access to research, tools, and co-design opportunities
★ Revenue – Optional honoraria (1k–2.5k per cohort co-design) and/or 10% referral fees from Accelerator deals you source (cap 5k/year)
★ Leverage – We do all logistics (tech, marketing, enrollment, billing) so you focus on your expertise and relationships
★ Network effects – Get introduced to complementary experts for consulting, speaking, research, and partnership opportunities outside Community Playbook

🎁 Community Rewards & Recognition

Throughout the year, we celebrate active Playmakers with surprise gifts, resource toolkits (premium tools for content creation, social scheduling, course hosting, and more), spotlight features, and referral bonuses. Stay engaged, refer peers, and co-create—you'll be recognized.

How It Works

Apply

Submit the short form below (5 min). Tell us about your expertise, networks, and what excites you about peer collaboration.

Fit Interview (20 min)

If your application looks strong, we'll invite you to a brief exploratory call to assess mutual fit—no obligation.

Formal Invite

If it's a match, we'll send a formal invite and Alliance Agreement (1 page) outlining terms, IP, and revenue structure.

Onboarding (30 days)

30-min onboarding call to map your expertise to playbooks and identify target networks. Record your first expert conversation (we edit into clips and a case page).

Ongoing Engagement

Quarterly peer calls (learn, share, co-design). 1–2 cohort co-designs per year. Monthly updates and peer intros via email or Slack.

Grow Together

As the community matures, Playmakers co-create new cohorts, refer each other to networks, and build a national ecosystem of place-based ministry practitioners.

Meet a Few Playmakers

Dr. Maria Gonzalez

Affordable Housing & Community Land Trusts

"The Playmakers Community connects me to peers doing kingdom work I'd never discover on my own."

Rev. James Carter

Youth Development & Mentorship

"Community Playbook gave me a platform to share what we've learned and earn revenue doing it."

Pastor Lin Chen

Small Business Support & Economic Mobility

"Being a Playmaker means my church's model reaches 20+ networks I could never access alone."

More Playmaker profiles coming soon. These are examples—replace with real members as you onboard.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is there a cost to join?

A: No. Membership is by invitation and free. You may earn revenue through cohort honoraria or referral fees.

Q: How much time does this require?

A: 3–5 touch points per year: 1–2 recordings, 1–2 cohort co-designs, 3–4 quarterly peer calls. Total: ~10–15 hours/year.

Q: What if I don't have a big platform or network?

A: That's okay. We're looking for practitioners with real stories and at least a few key relationships (3–5 networks or funders). You don't need to be famous.

Q: Can I refer other experts?

A: Absolutely. Peer referrals are one of the best ways we grow the community. Share this page with colleagues who fit the criteria.

Q: What's the revenue structure?

A: Optional. You can choose:
• Cohort honoraria: 1k–2.5k per co-designed cohort.
• Referral fees: 10% of first-year revenue from Accelerator deals you source (cap 5k/year).
• Or participate without compensation if you prefer visibility and peer learning.

Q: What if I apply and don't get in?

A: We review every application within 5 business days. If it's not a fit now, we'll let you know and may stay in touch for future opportunities.

Q: How is this different from being a "speaker" or "consultant"?

A: You're not hired per gig. You're part of a peer community with recurring touch points, co-design opportunities, and long-term relationships with networks and fellow experts.

Q: What denominations or traditions are represented?

A: We're cross-denominational and multi-ethnic. Playmakers come from Black church, mainline Protestant, Catholic, Pentecostal, and independent church backgrounds.

Q: What happens if I need to step back for a season?

A: Life happens. Just let us know. We'll mark you "dormant" and reconnect when capacity returns.