The Diocesan Church Development Institute (DCDI) is a leadership training program focused on developing the spiritual community and organizational life of congregations. It equips leaders to serve their congregation through a highly integrated training experience that engages participants in the issues and dynamics that they face as leaders. DCDI is a program for clergy and lay leaders who desire to transform their congregations by making them stronger, healthier, more deeply rooted in Anglican Spirituality, more responsive to God, and more effective in their communities.
Diocesan Church Development Institute is presented by the Center for Leadership Training.
The Reverend Elisabeth E. Tunney is the program director and the retired rector of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Patchogue.
Video: Introduction to Diocesan Church Development Institute
Who Does It Impact?
Individuals
Spiritual formation, expanding self-awareness, leadership skills, and ability to work in teams
Congregations
Defining clarity of purpose, encouraging healthy dynamics, and intentional development
Dioceses
Provides the tools and skills of congregational development that build a critical mass of healthy congregations
A personal note from Mother Liz Tunney, Program Director of the Center for Leadership Training
I have been involved with the Church Development Institute since 1997 when I first went through the program. I found that CDI offered very practical theories and methods for understanding and managing the life of a church community and the role of leaders both lay and ordained, regardless of size of the parish. My experience in CDI deepened my faith and made me a more effective leader in my parish as well as a resource for my diocese. Before experiencing a call to ordained ministry, I put my CDI skills to use as a vestry member, a secretary, senior warden, and diocesan consultant. I was able to transfer many of the skills tools and techniques to my professional life as an internal consultant in the financial services industry.
Eventually I became a member of CDI Trainers and have served as a trainer in the Diocese of Western Massachusetts and the Diocese of Colorado. After graduating from seminary in 2011 I came to the Diocese of Long Island as Priest-in-Charge of St. Paul’s in Patchogue and was called as rector in 2014. I remained at St. Paul's until I retired in 2021. My CDI training had provided foundational training - the stuff you don’t learn in seminary - that enabled me to function effectively in my new role.
Meet the Trainers
The Diocesan Church Development Institute (DCDI) is a network of lay and ordained trainers from participating dioceses which oversees the promotion, development, and implementation of all DCDI's. The network also sets standards, develops curriculum, maintains continuity, and provides professional development opportunities for DCDI trainers.
The Rev. Karen Davis-Lawson
I serve as rector of St. David's Episcopal Church, Cambria Heights and am the former rector of St. George’s Episcopal Church, Astoria. Prior to being called to ordained ministry, I served as an administrator in higher education. That experience serves me well. However, I believed I needed additional skills to help me, and the congregation engage in ministry differently. DCDI did not disappoint. I was presented with a scope of information about myself, personal interactions, organization structure and culture, group dynamics, conflict resolution, and much more.
I accepted the invitation to become a trainer because I believe, if the knowledge gained through the program is applied consistently, we can improve the quality of a congregation’s life and ministry in the long term. As a trainer, continued engagement with the material keeps it fresh and allows me to integrate the information more fully into my ministry and personal life. I can already see positive changes.
The Rev. Kevin Morris
I am the rector of the Church of the Ascension in Rockville Centre and dean of the Southwest Nassau deanery. Before coming to Ascension, I was the Director of Pastoral Care, Patient Relations and Volunteer Services at Christ Hospital in Jersey City. During this time, I also served as supply priest at various parishes in the Diocese of Newark.
I was first introduced to the DCDI when a visiting bishop presented the Christian Life Model to us at a clergy gathering. I can remember thinking to myself, “Huh, that’s actually a useful way to look at things!” I decided to give it a try and fast-forward several years, now I am one of the trainers. Not only have I found the DCDI models to be helpful in looking at congregational life with a critical eye, I also found the relationships forged along the way to be of immeasurable value. Perhaps the two most important things that you learn in DCDI is that: one, you are not alone in wanting to make your church stronger, and two, you are not alone in the challenges that you face.