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Shaping
the Parish
From left to right: The Rev. Innocent Ekpeluchi; the Rev. James Young; the Rev. Carey Connors, and the Rev. Mark Nabors.
The St. Benedict Cycle begins October 10, 2025.
Learn more and register by clicking below.
Register Now ([link removed])
Shaping the parish is an interactive training program sponsored by the Order of the Ascension and held on Zoom. We’ve just completed our first two-year cycle – read what participants have to say:
"It recalled me to the reason I became a priest—to love and live in a community of beautiful, messy human beings in the name of God; one built on healthy relationships and ever-deepening prayer practices."
The Rev. Carey Connors, Rector,
St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church, Springfield, VA
"In a world of quick fixes and simple solutions, Shaping the Parish has been a breath of fresh air. I’ve been given tools to take a contemplative approach to leadership rooted in Benedictine spirituality. We have been challenged to remember and lean into the purpose of the parish church: the adoration and awe of God, the formation of God’s people for the sake of the world, and being a sanctifying presence in the community. I cannot recommend this course enough for both lay and ordained leaders."
The Rev. Mark Nabors, Vicar,
St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, Stuttgart, AR
"Shaping the Parish is an extraordinary opportunity to walk alongside others, lay and ordained, to learn from each other. Guidance and insight are distilled from the training team, but the real work comes from translating practices, principles, and theories into actionable ways of being in our own unique context."
The Rev. James Young, Parish Priest,
Christ Church, Dubai
“My two-year journey in Shaping the Parish has been a mirror held to the soul—a pilgrimage of self-revelation. Beyond mere action, it has whispered to the depths of consciousness and unspoken yearnings, awakening both humanity’s fragility and its resilience. In this sacred labor, I’ve felt the tension of our Christian mission: not just to serve, but to be undone and remade by its demands.”
The Rev’d. Fr. Ikechukwu Innocent Ekpeluchi, Priest
The Anglican Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf
Join us for the next cycle of Shaping the Parish.
The St. Benedict Cycle begins October 10, 2025.
Learn more and register by clicking below.
Register Now ([link removed])
Shaping the Parish is a two-year program structured to allow participation of both clergy and lay people (teams are encouraged).
• 15 two-hour sessions throughout the year – enough to facilitate real learning, while being sensitive to the Church year and the reality of busy calendars.
• Sessions are designed to maximize learning and to make online interaction as useful and energizing as possible. Learn in small groups with diverse experience.
• Program trainers are experienced priests, bishops, and lay leaders ([link removed]) who understand spiritual practice and know how to bring theory and theology alive in parish settings.
Sponsored by the Order of the Ascension ([link removed]) and designed by the creator of CDI ([link removed]) , and the authors of the Shaping the Parish Series ([link removed]) of parish development books.
Learn more and register at ShapingtheParish.com ([link removed]) .
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