The College for Congregational Development is a comprehensive training program that originated in the Diocese of Olympia in 2009 and has since expanded to many other dioceses.
The College seeks to nurture and develop congregational development practitioners from within existing parish lay and clergy leadership. Drawing on congregational and organization development theory and practice, it focuses on developing healthy, responsive leadership, facilitation skills, and teamwork, through understanding of Anglican/Episcopal ethos, culture, spirituality, and ways of being the church today.
The program includes a two-year curriculum.
Year A and B. Participants are invited to start with either year.
Year A focuses on the spiritual life, self‑awareness, and internal capacity of congregational leaders and communities, establishing the theological and relational foundations necessary for effective congregational development and adaptive change. Participants will work on facilitation skills, transformational listening processes, organizational systems, understanding who they are as leaders, trust building, conflict management, and sustainability.
Year B focuses on organizational culture, group dynamics, congregational vocation/identity, how we join God in gathering-transforming-sending folk, change processes, episcopal identity, neighborhood engagement, cultural diversity, power dynamics, and developmental skills for liberation and social justice work.
The training is offered in two formats:
- Five to Six monthly Saturday sessions beginning in the Fall for two years, or
- A weeklong intensive session from Sunday afternoon through Friday at Noon over two consecutive summers.
More information on the College is available on their website, cdcollege.org.