Enlightened Life Fellowship Church brings Zen off the cushion and into the chaos. We are a modern Church of Applied Zen guided by defiant awareness, fierce compassion, and lived truth. Our lineage is a registered non-profit in Colorado founded by Sensei Diehl and Reverend Charter in 2013. We honor tradition while being unapologetically current. We don’t chase perfection, we practice presence in the real world with real lives, real identities, and real mess.
Over the years, this lineage has been shaped by bold ministers:
Sensei Joël S. Diehl (2013–2020), was the founding teacher of Enlightened Life Fellowship and the philosophical architect of Applied Zen. During the 1980s, Sensei Diehl undertook a series of pilgrimages throughout the Middle East, where he encountered engaged Buddhist traditions. These experiences deeply informed his understanding of presence as a lived, active practice. He later ordained and devoted his life to the Buddha Way. Sensei Diehl brought a charged viewpoint to modern Buddhism drawing from religous history, scientific discovery, and queer experience. After returning to the United States, he studied under Dr. Louise Hay and earned a master’s degree in Eastern Philosophy. Before his passing in 2020, he was a doctoral candidate in Transpersonal Counseling and Theocentric Psychology laying the intellectual and spiritual groundwork for the Fellowship’s future.
Reverend Gregory H. Charter (2013–Present), Sensei Diehl’s student of fourteen years and co-founder of the Fellowship has been studying Zen since the age of seven after discovering a book by Ram Dass in his basement. Informed by decades of practicing presence, Reverend Charter teaches from lived fire, not borrowed calm by encouring a curious exploration of reality. As the Fellowship’s first ordination, he continues the lineage of Applied Zen, seeing potential in ordinary people, honoring the sacred in the broken, and daring to share a form of Zen capable of meeting the modern world as it is. In 2025, Reverend Charter revived the church after several years of dormancy following the COVID 19 pandemic.
Reverend James A. Bealer (2014–2015), brother of Sensei Diehl and beloved spiritual leader held a Docterate of Divinity and brought a Christian voice to the early days of the Fellowship. He helped lay the foundation for our interfaith spirit and inclusive theology before his passing in 2015. His lessons centered on compassion over doctrine, real forgiveness, and faith that met people in their darkest hour.
Reverend Cathy M. Miller (2015–2020), contributed hundreds of poetic and inspiring devotionals that continue to nourish our community today. Her mystical, new-thought writings emphasize gratitude, free will, and personal alignment with divine presence.