Return to Seattle CDI

each other’s work. A broader purpose in team-work is to reinforce the practitioner's capacity for openness and collaboration in ministry.

 

5. Participation in the Learning Community

Full participation in the worship, social gatherings and work of the community.

 

Dates & Costs

Seattle CDI -- in 2007 June 18 – 29, in 2008 June 16 - 27

 

Tuition for 07-08: $1,900.00 for both summers Fees to be paid in installments 1. $750 deposit with registration 2. $800 at your first session and 3. $350 by March 1 before your second summer.

 

The assumption of the program is that every one is registering for the whole program -- both summers and all aspects of the work.

 

Deposit refunds --- if cancellation is within 8 weeks of the event - no refund; if 10 weeks or more - $200 refund; if 12 weeks or more - $400. SPECIAL OFFER: Register by December 15 and take $200 off your fee (March 1 payment before your second summer would be $150)

 

Diocesan CDI’s

CDI – Seattle is the national, open registration CDI. There are also a number of dioceses offering CDI. That is the same program adapted to eight weekends over a two-year period. Dioceses with current CDI’s include: Milwaukee, Colorado, Rochester, Newark, Washington and SW Virginia.

 

For more information

www.CDITrainers.org

 

Or contact Robert A. Gallagher

odct@comcast.net …. 206-285-4647

 

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The Church Development Institute

Seattle 2007 - 08

www.CDITrainers.org

    

     

          Pictures from Seattle & Deer Isle CDI’s

This is a highly integrated training experience that engages participants in the issues and dynamics faced as leaders and consultants -- you end up dealing with the congregational development situation in front of you, the dynamics in the working group, theory, how to intervene for faithfulness and health, and your own personality and impact on the situation -- all at the same time. This involves learning to see and act on the options before you and to expand your range of intervention behavior. This is a powerful and intense learning experience, it’s not for everyone, but it may be for you, if:
  • You are seeking professional level training in church development
  • You want a program that integrates organization development and spirituality
  • You are willing to work hard
  • You know that you, your competence and commitment, your emotional and spiritual maturity, is the most important thing brought into leadership and consultations. And you want to grow in all these things.
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    CDI’s understanding of Church Development?

    Church development is an effort to increase a parish’s ability to improve its:

  • Health as a faith community and as an organization,

  • Capacity to be productive in its primary task,

  • Ability to both define itself in relation to its heritage and to adapt to new challenges and opportunities that emerge in the church and society,

  • Strategic, problem-solving and renewal processes

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    Making use of the theory and methods of pastoral and ascetical theology, applied behavioral science, usually with the assistance of a leader or consultant trained in the field, and carried out in as collaborative and inclusive a manner as possible given the parish’s current capacities.

     

    The approach to learning in the Seattle-CDI

    1. Experiential Work

    We reflect on and learn from our experience together. That may include exploring:

    • The "self" in relationship to the system -- You may increase your understanding of the impact of your behavior on others; experiment with changes in behavior that will improve the congruence between intentions and impact; and increase your ability to learn from experience.

    • The working group – You may learn ways to help teams be more effective and efficient in their work?

    • The organization – You may learn how to improve the larger system (parish, diocese, workplace).

         In reflecting on the experience we make use of:

    • The "Here & Now" experience – We reflect on and what is happening in the group and in each of us during a piece of work? 

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    • A disciplined process for learning from experience -- We explore what has been happening by looking at our behavior and its impact.

    • Theory -- From the fields of organization development, ascetical and pastoral theology, and ecclesiology.

    Just as in parish interventions. groups don’t have time to do it all. The process of deciding what to focus on, and how to use time -- is itself an important skill for a practitioner. The work of trying to become aware of a number of dynamics that are all going on in any congregational development intervention may help participants have a closer to "real life" experience.

     

    During at least one summer the participants will engage local parishes as part of the learning process on organizational culture.

     

    2. Working with models and theory

    Participants need to learn the theories and models that under-girt organizational improvement work. A grasp of theory is a significant tool in broadening our choices as leaders and consultants.

     

    3. Designing, Implementing and Reflecting on Back-Home Interventions

    There are three rounds of designing and implementing back-home interventions; with disciplined reflection after the first two. Our assumption is that the ability to shape effective interventions is an essential competency in congregational development and organization development. We are operating on the assumption that the practitioner only really begins to understand the organization in the action-research process -- when we see how people respond to an intervention we learn more about the organization's values, dynamics, and culture.

     

    4. Using a Learning–Application Team

    The team is a self-selected group of participants. Contact is usually by e-mail and phone. The two primary purposes of the team are to offer critique of the back-home interventions and to learn from

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