What is Congregational Development?

Congregational Development is the development of congregations of all sizes, locations, and conditions into more faithful, healthy, and effective communities of faith that are:

  • focused on their unique purpose as congregations to be local expressions of the body of Christ: With God’s help, to gather people, deepen people’s engagement with their baptismal identity and purpose, and send them into the world as witnesses to and agents of transformation;
  • connected to and expressive of the best of their unique ecclesial tradition, ethos, and character;
  • self-renewing and responsive to the challenges and opportunities before them by building the internal capacity to do so;
  • working toward greater sustainability and integration in terms of a “fit” between the elements of their organizational life (identity, ethos and spirituality, vision and goals, leadership, resources, organizational culture, size, property, relationship to context, partnerships, etc.);
  • fostering a culture of transparency, collaboration, listening, trust, courage, forgiveness, openness, and flexibility in which the congregation is discerning a path forward guided by the Holy Spirit and in which the congregation has a greater sense of choice.
Aims
  • healthy, faithful, and effective congregations fulfilling their calling to be the body of Christ in a particular place and time and among a particular people
  • congregations throughout the Province grounded in a robust identity that is rooted in an Anglican ethos and spirituality
  • a common language and community of practice around congregational development in the diocese and province
  • the creation of useful training programs that can be shared freely and used by others in the broader Church
Objectives
  • leaders who are more committed to deepening their practices of prayer & worship, study & learning, life in community, and action & service, inviting others to do the same
  • leaders who are more self-aware and who are both self-defined and connected to their communities of faith
  • leaders who are more culturally competent, who are able to respect and support people from a variety of cultures, and can foster more diverse, equitable and inclusive congregations
  • leaders who make use of a variety of models and facilitative tools to engage the people in their congregations to respond to the challenges and opportunities before them.
  • leaders who build the capacity of the congregation to discern its future under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and to take action over time and in changing situations
  • leaders who build stronger connections throughout the Province for the purposes of learning, community, mutual encouragement, and inspiration
  • leaders who take, contextualize, implement, and teach what they learn, in service of God's mission in the world
Forming Your Diocesan Team

Each Diocese throughout the Ecclesiastical Province of British Columbia & Yukon strives to send at least two teams each year to the School. As one team enters its second year, the Diocesan Bishop sends a second team to start the school. The following are the School's guidelines for selecting prospective teams:

  • 3 to 5 people, a mix of laity and clergy (this helps to develop relationships in the leadership team, while developing a common language and understanding that they can use in their home context)
  • Team members should have pre-existing positive relationships with one another 
  • Team members might be from one parish; they could just as easily come from parishes working together in a Regional Ministry; 
  • Members should be ready and willing to develop skills that will help them to deepen their leadership, and to apply their learnings in their home context
  • Participants should be able to attend both in-person and online sessions 
  • All participants require access and ability to effectively use Zoom for online sessions
Program History

The School was first proposed at a November 2023 Summit of leaders representing each diocese in the Ecclesiastical Province of BC & Yukon. We piloted the program the following year with 5 trainers and over 30 participants. Since then, many more have joined the program with each successive year.

The School's curriculum has been adapted for the Canadian context from material used in the Episcopal Church's College for Congregational Development.

Hear From our Alumni

The Provincial School equips congregational leaders with needed knowledge, practices, skills, and tools to become healthier, more faithful, and more resilient in their ministry.