Prayer Leader (Shlichei Tzibur) Training Program
Empowering congregants to lead prayer and supporting their spiritual formation in small town Jewish communities nationwide.
“One who leads the communal prayers is called the messenger of the people; they must gather every good point that is to be found in each of the congregants.” (Likutei Moharan: 282:3)
Prayer Leader Training
- Understanding the origins and the role of the Shaliach Tzibur (emissary of the congregation)
- Understanding the structure and basic rubric of Friday evening and Shabbat Shacharit (morning) services (warm-up section, creation, revelation, redemption, closing prayers and songs) and the types of prayers (praise, petition, thanksgiving)
- Learning practical skills to lead services
- Learn Shabbat nusach
- Learn various melodies and settings for prayers and psalms
- Learn various niggunim (wordless melodies) for worship, shiva visits, song circles
- Learn basic techniques to engage others in communal singing
- Engage in conversations around questions like “What does it mean to pray?” and “Why do we pray?”
- Explore the spiritual dimension of our prayers
What is Prayer Leader Training?
Prayer Leader Training is a virtual training program designed to educate and empower lay congregants to lead prayer at various levels in their communities and to support their spiritual formation.
The program teaches practical prayer leadership skills to lay people in Jewish communities in small, rural, and remote parts of the country and supports their spiritual formation into prayer leaders who can provide necessary spiritual services to their congregation The program is divided into three modules. Each module is arranged thematically to cover Kabbalat Shabbat (1), Shabbat Shacharit (2), and Shiva (3). This program creates a dedicated space for lay leaders to:
- Learn and reflect on your role as prayer leader and its importance
- Understand the architecture of Jewish prayer
- Gain tools for leading with confidence, including voice and body stamina, how to teach new melodies, prepare a service outline, etc.
- Learn songs and melodies for prayers
At its core, the Prayer Leader Training is about skill-building, gaining confidence, and spiritual growth.
What’s Involved?
Participants join in weekly learning that includes instruction, discussion and training practical skills.
- Choose your module: We offer three modules: Kabbalat Shabbat (1), Shabbat Shacharit (2), and Shiva (3). Modules include one class per week of instruction, alternating between group class and tutoring and mentoring sessions, all conducted virtually. You can apply to more than one module.
- Group classes: Biweekly group classes are opportunities for learning and discussion led by Cantor Sheila Nesis or guest faculty. These group classes provide the foundational knowledge and meaning to the practical skills needed to lead prayer.
- Tutoring sessions: Biweekly small group (hevrutah style) tutoring sessions provide opportunities to work on practical skills based on each participant’s need (improve Hebrew, learn davening, practice old and new melodies and songs). Participants are paired according to similar prayer practices or prayer books. Tutoring times are scheduled directly with the assigned tutor. All tutoring sessions are conducted virtually.
- Annual in-person retreat in Maine (optional): A chance to connect with other lay prayer leaders, and practice leading prayer.
What Will I Gain?
Participants in the Prayer Leader Training will:
- Deepen understanding of their role as prayer leaders, and a deeper commitment to tending to their personal prayer spiritual lives
- Gain skills and tools to be able to lead with confidence
- Gain knowledge of many of the prayers that are part of the service
- Gain an understanding of the structure of prayer
- Be able to follow and create a service outline
- Be better equipped to solo or co-lead a service, if they have entered the program with previous experience
- Be able to co-lead or lead specific prayers, if they have entered the program with no previous experience leading will
- Acquire tools as a jumping board from where to continue building and strengthening their skills
Why This Matters
In small-town synagogues with limited clergy resources, empowering lay leaders to help support their solo or part-time clergy people by leading prayer is crucial for supporting the soul of small town Jewish communities.
The Prayer Leader Training strengthens not only individual leaders, but the future vitality of Jewish life in small and remote communities—helping ensure they remain spiritually grounded in Jewish prayer.
A Pluralistic Program
The program is designed with small progressive communities in mind—those who depend on lay leadership to run the day-to-day aspects of community life, as well as those who, although served by professional clergy, have a strong culture of lay leadership involvement. While the program focuses on a basic and common prayer rubric, it also hopes to address some of the most significant differences between Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist, Renewal, and non-denominational practices. The tutoring sessions are designed to support differences between worship styles and to provide individuals with the specific help needed based on the prayer style of their own communities.
The Role of the Home Community
The support of the participant’s home community is vital for the participant to be able to get the most out of the program. The home communities serve as laboratories for cohort members to practice skills and tools within the culture and customs of their communities. We work closely with each participant’s rabbi to ensure that participants get to test their skills during the duration of the program by leading or co-leading services.
Tuition
We’re offering two price options — a price for those who can comfortably pay the majority of the cost of the program, and a price for those who can comfortably pay a basic access amount.
- Kabbalat Shabbat: $360 / $240
- Shacharit: $360 / $240
- Shiva: $180 / $100
The Center for Small Town Jewish Life is committed to programming that is affordable and sustainable. If neither of these options are viable for you, please contact Liz Soloway Snider at [email protected], to discuss financial assistance.
You can apply to more than one module. Payment will be requested upon acceptance into the program. If you belong to a synagogue, you may approach your rabbi or other leadership about supporting your participation in this program.
Interested in Learning More?
For information regarding the application process, please contact Liz Soloway Snider: [email protected].
For information regarding the curriculum and schedule, please contact Cantor Sheila Nesis: [email protected].
FAQ
Founded in 2015, the Center for Small Town Jewish Life at Colby College cultivates vibrant, socially equitable communities rooted in their own sense of place, nourished by transformational learning, and intertwined with the broader Jewish world. Based at Colby in Waterville, Maine, the Center provides a wide array of programs connecting members of every generation and socioeconomic status throughout Maine and now serves small, rural, and remote Jewish communities and their leaders in more than 10 states around the country with resources, connection, and learning.
This program is intended for lay leaders who want to learn prayer leader skills in order to serve their communities. The ideal candidate has a love for praying in community and is inspired to serve through prayer. Candidates should have an equal interest in learning the practical skills to be able to conduct prayer and in embarking on meaningful conversations about the spiritual dimension of prayer and their role as leaders.
The program is divided into three modules: Kabbalat Shabbat (1), Shabbat Shacharit (2), and Shiva (3). Modules include one class per week of instruction, alternating between group classes and tutoring sessions; all classes are conducted virtually. Applicants can sign up for one, two, or all three modules, depending on their needs and availability. Biweekly group classes are opportunities for cohort-based learning and discussion led by Cantor Sheila Nesis or guest faculty. These group classes provide the foundational knowledge and meaning to the practical skills needed to lead prayer. Biweekly tutoring sessions (small group, hevrutah style) provide opportunities to work on practical skills based on each participant’s need (improve Hebrew, learn davening, practice old and new melodies and songs). Participants will be paired in groups of two or three, according to similar prayer practices or prayer books, and will be assigned a tutor.
We will follow the following prayer rubrics:
Please note that different participants will finish the class with varying levels of comfort leading prayer depending on previous prayer and Hebrew knowledge, time dedicated to practice between lessons, and familiarity with congregational prayer.
Yes! The program is structured so that you can build your skills at the right level for you. If you have never led services before, this class will provide foundational tools to begin leading some prayer as you continue to refine your craft after the conclusion of each module. For people with no experience, we recommend enrollment in a maximum of two modules.
Yes! You will be able to deepen your understanding of the meaning of prayer and its structure as part of the group classes. If you have already mastered the basic prayers, the tutoring sessions will support you, refreshing what you know while adding leadership skills and tools, and new prayers and melodies to your repertoire.
In addition to class attendance (group classes and tutoring sessions) we encourage you to work independently each week on the prayers and recordings provided by your tutor. Practice makes perfect! Your ability to step into leading prayer at the conclusion of this course will be greatly impacted by the time you dedicate to practice between lessons, as well as by your finding opportunities to participate in leading prayer in your community.
About the Instructor
Cantor Sheila Nesis is Associate Director of Spiritual Music at the Center for Small Town Jewish Life and Cantor in Residence at Etz Chaim Synagogue in Portland, Maine. She is an alumni of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality’s clergy leadership program and member of their Hevraya program. Cantor Nesis seeks to cultivate awakeness through prayer, teaching, and song. Her writings appear in various Jewish publications, including The Times of Israel, Kveller, The Forward, and Ritualwell. Originally from Argentina, she lives in Cumberland Foreside, Maine, with her husband and two children.