The Diocese of Washington’s Church Development Institute

In 2011 we will shift from the Church Development Institute to a new program -- Shaping the Parish.

The program is six weekends, over about 16 months. Participants complete readings and six projects between and after the weekends. Shaping the Parish equips lay and ordained leaders to develop and nurture healthier parishes.

Shaping the Parish assumes that vibrant, faithful churches will flourish as leaders and parishes improve their own:

Spiritual practice
Emotional and social intelligence
Change theory and methods

There is a focus on immediate, tangible improvements while building long-term health. We think it's a significant improvement on what we've been doing in CDI (which from the evaluations we've received is seen as very useful by participants).

Here's an overview of the weekends (this is likely to be revised a bit before we begin in 2011) http://www.shapingtheparish.com/weekends-assignments/

For more information on Shaping the Parish: http://www.shapingtheparish.com/

Learning Agreement: All participants enter into an agreement as they begin the program. http://www.shapingtheparish.com/learning-agreement/

Required Readings: http://www.shapingtheparish.com/reading-list/ Please note three of the books will not be available until early in 2011 In Your Holy Spirit: Traditional Spiritual Practices in Today’s Christian Life, Michelle Heyne, Ascension Press, 2011; In Your Holy Spirit: Shaping the Parish Through Spiritual Practices, Robert A. Gallagher 2011, Accession Press; and Interventions: Methods and Processes for Building Healthier Parishes, Michelle Heyne & Robert Gallagher, Ascension Press, 2011

Location: Church of the Redeemer, Bethesda

Registration: Mail the completed registration along with tuition to the address on the from. Download the registration form. [pdf]

Costs (half due with registration, half by the second weekend, May 6)

Team of four from your congregation: $2000
Team of three from your congregation: $1800
Team of two from your congregation: $1500
Individual fee: $1000

Dates: Shaping the Parish 2011 - 12
The whole program is six weekends. The first and sixth weekends are longer than the others.

1 - Feb 18-21
2 - May 6-7
3 - Sept. 16-17
4 - December 2-3

For 2012
5 - March 2-3
6 - May 4-6

Below are the times we are assuming for now.
Weekend #1
Friday 2:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Saturday 9:00 a.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Sunday 2:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Monday 8:30 - 11:00 a.m.
Weekends #2 - 5
Friday 10:00 a.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Saturday 9:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Weekend #6
Friday 10: a.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Saturday 9:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Sunday 2:00 - 6:30 p.m.

Training Staff

		Bob Gallagher has been an organization development consultant and trainer since 1970, providing services to nonprofit organizations and small businesses. He has also served as the vicar of several urban parishes and as the Congregational Development Officer in the Diocese of Connecticut. He is a member of the Order of the Ascension. Bob is the founder of the Church Development Institute program and the director of the Seattle CDI. He has conducted CDI's in several dioceses. Bob is also a trainer with LTI (Leadership Development Institute)

		Susan Burns is the rector of The Church of the Redeemer, Bethesda, Maryland. Susan has completed CDI Seattle and is an Intern Trainer for CDI and the Leadership Development Institute. She has led her congregation through a period of rebuilding, revitalization and significant growth.

		Michelle Heyne is the chief compliance officer for a Seattle based company. She attends Trinity Church, Seattle and has served as treasurer and on the vestry in another parish. She co-authored a short paper with Bob Gallagher on aligning the role of a vestry with the needs and realities of parish churches. She is also an intern trainer with the Leadership Training Institute (LTI).

Last Update: 08/15/2010