About Edible Theology Project

Over the past two years, we’ve all watched as the waves of COVID-19 illuminated fears and fissures within our churches, families, and neighborhoods.  We’ve been confronted with the deep isolation, racism, sexism, and church abuse that plague our world.

You might be asking, “How can my faith ground me in these times? Is Christianity relevant anymore?”

At the Edible Theology Project, we believe the answer is found through food.

At the center of Christian practice is a table set with bread and wine. This meal, this bread, this broken body of Christ, tells an honest story about the nature of humanity, about our pain, our brokenness, our capacity to harm.

But this table and this bread also tell a story of God’s presence, God’s provision, and God’s promise to heal.

It points to a deep connection between our food, our bodies, our relationship to one another, and our relationship to God. 

Our goal at Edible Theology is to bring people together around the table to talk about these food stories, connecting the meal shared at the Communion table to the meals we eat throughout the week.

The Edible Theology Project was founded in 2021 by baker and writer Kendall Vanderslice. Our materials are born out of her research in the fields of food studies and theology at Duke and Boston University—including the research behind her books, We Will Feast (Eerdmans 2019) and By Bread Alone (forthcoming with Tyndale 2023).

For the past year and a half we’ve been testing all kinds of programs, which have been used by thousands of people around the world. The response to these programs has proven that the Edible Theology approach works. It taps into a spiritual hunger felt on a visceral level.

Now, it’s time for us to grow, by focusing our energy on the two areas that have resonated most: our church curriculum and our podcast. 

We want you to join us!

What’s Next

This August, Edible Theology will release a new curriculum for small groups, Sunday Schools, and groups of friends that focuses on storytelling around the table: it will cover the stories that Scripture tells about meals, the stories that bread tells about God, the stories our food tells about us, and the story Communion tells about what’s to come.

Can’t wait till August to see it? You can download a sample lesson here.

The framework behind this curriculum will serve as the foundation of all our programming moving forward. 

The next season of Kitchen Meditations will include interviews with pastors, food scholars, writers, and chefs, using the same discussion questions and conversation prompts found in the curriculum. 

We will also offer two free digital communities within the Edible Theology Mighty Network: 

• A group for podcast discussion, Advent and Lent programming, and recipe/photo sharing
• A cohort for leaders using the curriculum to ask questions and discuss what they’ve learned

Our goal is to place this program in 7500 churches across 7 denominations in 2023.
But we need your help to get there.

Our Needs

We are raising $50,000 to finish building this new curriculum. Your contribution will help cover:

• web development to support our sales growth
• videography
• curriculum design
• podcast production
• social media support
• Kendall’s salary for three months

If we raise beyond $50,000, we will be able to hire a full-time assistant for our founder and executive director—a much needed addition to our team!

The Impact

Edible Theology Project programming is exactly what is needed in the wake of Covid-19.
Whether you are a:

• person hungry for some kind of spiritual connection
• lifelong Christian suddenly unsure how Church fits into your life
• pastor worried about re-building community in your congregation

Our curriculum and podcast offer hope, addressing the deeply human need for community and connection as you cook and as you eat. These offerings provide a way to both grapple with the loss of the past two years, and to rebuild what has been broken apart by grief and isolation.

Risks & Challenges

Until March of this year, Edible Theology relied entirely on revenue from program sales to stay afloat. Our founder managed all of the web design, program development, and social media herself, with the help of a part time assistant.

After incorporating as a nonprofit, we were able to begin partnering with individual donors to support the growth of our organization. Since March, we’ve raised $15,000 in private gifts which has allowed us to bring in additional contractors to assist with social media and curriculum development.

We have additional pledges from private donors set to begin in September 2022, after we receive our 501c3 status and tax ID number. This Indiegogo campaign will cover our expenses in the interim.

If we don’t raise the needed amount during this campaign, we will put our web development, videography, and podcast production on pause for the summer while Kendall focuses her energy on further fundraising—delaying the release of our timely new program.

We are a small and creative team, able to make a huge impact with minimal resources. But we cannot roll out our latest curriculum without the professional support this Indiegogo fundraising campaign will allow!

Other Ways You Can Help

We understand that now might not be the best time for you to give financially. That’s okay! We are grateful for your support in any capacity. Here are a few other ways you can come alongside us in this season:

• Share about our campaign with your friends, family, and social media networks
• Tell your pastor or small group leaders about our programs
• Subscribe to our email newsletter and podcast
• Follow us on Instagram