The Rev. Nikki Collins is coordinator of the 1,001 New Worshiping Communities initiative in the Presbyterian Church (USA.) The initiative, which began in 2012, aims to launch 1,001 new Presbyterian churches or ministries by 2022. Collins previously led one of these communities: Bare Bulb Coffee in Georgia.

Usama Canon is the founder of Ta’leef Collective, an organization for converts to Islam. He also serves as spiritual adviser to the Inner-City Muslim Action Network in Chicago.

Elan Babchuck is the founding director of Glean Network, which supports entrepreneurs seeking to create new ministries. He also serves as director of innovation for Clal, a think tank focused on the future of religion.

Bener Agtarap is the executive director of community engagement and church planting for the United Methodist Church.

Hugh Byrne directs the Center for Mindful Living, a meditation community in Washington, D.C. He is also a teacher for Insight Timer, a meditation app for smartphones.

Nalika Gajaweera is a cultural anthropologist who specializes in the intricate relationships between religion, race, gender, ethics and social justice, drawing on research conducted in Sri Lanka and the United States. She is assistant director of the Humanities Center at the University of California, Irvine.

Wakoh Shannon Hickey is an assistant professor of religious studies at Alfred University in New York. She serves as co-chair of the American Academy of Religion’s Buddhism in the West unit.

Scott A. Mitchell is a professor of Buddhist studies and dean of student and faculty affairs at the Institute of Buddhist Studies in Berkeley, Calif. He also serves as co-chair of the American Academy of Religion’s Buddhism in the West unit.

Caroline Starkey is a sociologist of religion at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom. She studies religious practice in Great Britain, religion and gender and contemporary Buddhism.