The Fellowship
A U.S.-based nonprofit Christian fellowship and relationship network connecting political, business, religious, and civic leaders through prayer, Bible study, and informal diplomacy.
Last updated August 26, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
The Fellowship, legally incorporated as Fellowship Foundation and also known as The Family or the International Foundation, is a U.S.-based nonprofit religious organization whose work centers on confidential relationships among political, business, civic, and religious leaders. It describes its purpose as creating a forum where decision makers can study the Bible, pray, worship, receive spiritual support, and develop relationships based on the teachings of Jesus. Rather than operating primarily as a conventional denomination or congregation, it has historically worked through small prayer groups, private meetings, residential communities, and leadership networks. The organization was founded in April 1935 by Abraham Vereide, a Methodist minister and social organizer. Its origins lay in prayer meetings that Vereide began organizing in 1934 and in his opposition to aspects of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal and the influence of organized labor. Vereide's model brought business and civic leaders together in informal, nondenominational groups. These gatherings were intended to foster trust, personal spiritual renewal, and cooperation rather than public religious campaigning. By the late 1930s, hundreds of prayer-breakfast groups had appeared in Washington State, and the model began spreading across the United States and Canada. The Fellowship Foundation was incorporated in 1942. In the same period, Vereide expanded the network into congressional prayer meetings and established a Washington, D.C., base known as Fellowship House. The organization later used names including International Christian Leadership and International Foundation as its national and international work developed. An associated umbrella network, the International Council for Christian Leadership, was formed after a 1947 conference in Zurich and was incorporated separately in 1953. The Fellowship has maintained a deliberately low public profile. Members and participants have often treated their involvement as private, and the organization has historically emphasized confidentiality. Supporters argue that discretion allows people from different parties, countries, and faith backgrounds to meet without the pressures of public political positioning and can facilitate sensitive personal or diplomatic conversations. Critics have argued that secrecy, access to senior officials, and limited public accountability give the organization disproportionate influence over public life. Its best-known public activity was the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., an annual event attended by U.S. presidents, members of Congress, foreign officials, business leaders, and representatives of religious and humanitarian organizations. Every president from Dwight D. Eisenhower onward had participated in at least one National Prayer Breakfast during his term, according to the referenced account. The Fellowship's role in organizing that event continued for decades, with Doug Burleigh becoming a central organizer after the death of his father-in-law and longtime leader Doug Coe. The organization announced Katherine Crane as its current president in the referenced material. The Fellowship presents its theology in broad relational terms, emphasizing love of God and love of others, reconciliation, prayer, and practical support. It has been criticized by some conservative Christian organizations for being too inclusive and insufficiently doctrinal, while investigative accounts have portrayed it as an elite network that places unusual emphasis on political power, personal loyalty, and relationships among influential men. The organization became widely known outside religious and political circles through Jeff Sharlet's investigative work and the 2019 Netflix documentary series The Family. It remains best understood as a private Christian leadership network and ministry rather than a consumer-facing product brand or a conventional church.
History
The Fellowship traces its origins to Abraham Vereide, a Methodist clergyman who began organizing prayer meetings in San Francisco in 1934. Vereide subsequently developed a network of informal gatherings for business, civic, and religious leaders, initially in the Pacific Northwest. The movement emerged partly from his opposition to the New Deal and organized labor, and it was shaped by a belief that social influence could be exercised through small, trusted groups rather than public institutional campaigns. In April 1935, Vereide and Major J. F. Douglas invited 19 business and civic leaders to a prayer breakfast. The format spread rapidly: by 1937, hundreds of similar groups had reportedly been organized in Washington State. In 1940, Vereide convened a large prayer breakfast for Washington governor Arthur Langlie. The groups were nominally nondenominational and combined Bible study, prayer, personal testimony, and relationship-building. The Fellowship Foundation was incorporated in Chicago in 1942. That year, the network included groups in major U.S. and Canadian cities, and Vereide began organizing small prayer breakfasts for members of the House of Representatives and Senate. The organization also established Fellowship House on Massachusetts Avenue in Washington, D.C., which became an important base for its congressional and leadership outreach. In 1944, Vereide held an early joint Senate–House prayer breakfast. His philosophy of small spiritual cells was later expressed in the book Together, which he co-wrote with John G. Magee in 1946. International expansion followed. A 1947 conference in Zurich helped create the International Council for Christian Leadership, an umbrella structure for related national fellowships in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Norway, Hungary, Egypt, and China. The council was incorporated separately in 1953, while the U.S. organization continued under names including International Christian Leadership and International Foundation. By 1957, the network claimed 125 groups in 100 U.S. cities, including 16 in Washington, D.C., as well as a comparable number of groups in other countries. Douglas Coe joined Vereide as an assistant executive director in Washington in 1958. Vereide died in 1969 after more than three decades of leadership, and Richard C. Halverson succeeded him as executive director. Halverson and Coe worked alongside one another until Halverson's death in 1995. Coe then became the organization's most recognizable modern leader and a principal figure associated with the National Prayer Breakfast. Under this model, The Fellowship cultivated relationships with members of Congress, presidents, corporate executives, ambassadors, religious leaders, and humanitarian figures. The organization has consistently emphasized privacy and informal association. Its supporters regard secrecy as a means of protecting candid prayer, personal vulnerability, and sensitive diplomatic contact. Critics, including investigative writer Jeff Sharlet, have argued that the same privacy enables powerful participants to avoid scrutiny and makes the organization's political influence difficult to measure. Public discussion has also focused on the organization's inclusive approach to Christian identity, its connections across party lines, and its theories of leadership and power. The National Prayer Breakfast became the organization's principal public-facing event. Every U.S. president from Dwight D. Eisenhower onward participated in at least one such breakfast during his presidency, and the event regularly attracted domestic and international political figures. Doug Burleigh took over much of the organizing role after Coe's death. The Fellowship was profiled for a broader audience in the 2019 Netflix documentary series The Family, which drew on Sharlet's earlier book and reporting. The referenced material identifies Katherine Crane as the current president.
- 2019
The Family documentary released
[1]Netflix released a documentary series examining the organization's history, theology, secrecy, and political relationships.
- 1969
Vereide dies; Halverson succeeds him
[1]After Vereide's death, Richard C. Halverson became executive director, working alongside Coe.
- 1958
Douglas Coe joins the organization
[1]Douglas Coe joined Vereide as assistant executive director in Washington, beginning a long leadership association with The Fellowship.
- 1953
International Council for Christian Leadership incorporated
[1]The international umbrella organization was incorporated separately from the U.S. Fellowship Foundation.
- 1947
International council formed
[1]A Zurich conference led to the creation of the International Council for Christian Leadership, linking related fellowships in several countries.
- 1944
First joint Senate–House prayer breakfast
[1]Vereide held an early combined prayer breakfast for members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.
- 1942
Fellowship Foundation incorporated
[1]The organization was incorporated in Chicago as Fellowship Foundation, Inc., while congressional prayer groups and Washington outreach expanded.
- 1935
The Fellowship is founded
[1]Vereide and Major J. F. Douglas organized an April prayer breakfast for 19 business and civic leaders, establishing the movement's characteristic format.
- 1934
Early prayer meetings begin
[1]Abraham Vereide began organizing prayer meetings that became the immediate precursor to The Fellowship's leadership network.
Products and positioning
A discreet, relationship-centered Christian ministry and leadership network that brings influential decision makers together for prayer, spiritual fellowship, and informal dialogue.
Public religious and leadership event
National Prayer Breakfast
The Fellowship's best-known public event was an annual Washington, D.C., gathering bringing together U.S. political leaders, foreign officials, business executives, religious representatives, and humanitarian figures for prayer, speeches, and fellowship. Every U.S. president from Dwight D. Eisenhower onward participated in at least one breakfast during his term. Doug Burleigh became a central organizer after Douglas Coe's death.
Religious fellowship service · 1935
Prayer and Bible-study groups
Small, generally informal groups are the core operating format of The Fellowship. Participants meet for prayer, Bible study, worship, personal testimony, spiritual affirmation, and mutual support. The network has historically included legislators, executives, diplomats, clergy, and civic leaders and has operated across party and national boundaries.
Faith-based leadership network · 1947
International leadership fellowship
Through the International Foundation and related International Christian Leadership structures, The Fellowship developed relationships and affiliated groups beyond the United States. Its stated approach is relational rather than denominational, seeking to connect leaders around reconciliation, Christian teaching, and support for vulnerable communities.
Controversies
2019
Public controversy surrounding The Family
The Netflix documentary series The Family renewed scrutiny of the organization's political relationships, theology, leadership model, and connections to influential officials. Reporting also examined controversial remarks attributed to Douglas Coe concerning historical authoritarian leaders, which supporters described as metaphors for commitment.
2008
Investigations into secrecy and political influence
Jeff Sharlet's book and related reporting portrayed The Fellowship as a highly private network whose access to political leaders and emphasis on confidentiality limited public accountability. The organization and its supporters have defended discretion as necessary for candid spiritual and diplomatic work.
Brand decisions
1947
Build an international fellowship structureStrategyBackground
Related prayer networks had emerged in multiple countries, creating demand for coordination beyond the U.S. organization.
Action taken
A Zurich conference established the International Council for Christian Leadership as an umbrella body for national fellowship groups.
Aftermath
The organization developed a multinational leadership network while retaining separate governance for the U.S. and international structures.
1942
Expand from local prayer groups into national congressional outreachStrategyBackground
The Fellowship's early prayer-breakfast model had spread across the Pacific Northwest and Canada, creating a basis for broader civic and political engagement.
Action taken
The organization incorporated as Fellowship Foundation, moved its national center to Chicago, established Washington's Fellowship House, and began holding prayer breakfasts for members of Congress.
Aftermath
This created the institutional foundation for the organization's long-term relationships with U.S. political leaders and its later role in the National Prayer Breakfast.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/the-fellowship · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled