Applications solicited for the
2008 Disciples Leadership Institute

Applications for the Disciples Leadership Institute, a program that aims to help the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) transcend barriers of race, culture, and language in are being accepted for the 2008 conference, which will be held in August in St. Louis.

The Disciples Leadership Institute (DLI) creates personal and professional linkages among younger congregational leaders from both new and established congregations and across the divides of race, culture and language. Centered around a week-long event, DLI is intentionally diverse: half of the participants are from new congregations, half from established congregations. Half are non-Anglo.

The third DLI conference will be August 11-14, 2008, at Eden Theological Seminary in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. There is no cost to conference participants thanks to support from Higher Education & Leadership Ministries, the Oreon E. Scott Foundation, the Shumaker Family Foundation, and past DLI participants. "We are chagrined that we are opening up the process so close to the conference date," says HELM President Dennis Landon, "but we believe this is a more effective way under the circumstances of finding the people DLI needs - leaders in vital congregations who want to help Disciples live out our call to be a pro-reconciling, anti-racist church."

A one-page application, a short essay, and a reference's name and contact information must be received by HELM no later than Friday, July 11. Because of the short time left before the conference, applicants will be notified of their status the week of July 14.

Preference will be given to active congregational leaders, both lay and ordained, between the ages of 25 and 40, though anybody may apply. DLI also seeks to balance participation among ethnic backgrounds and among new and established congregations.

Planned entirely by a participant steering committee, the meeting focuses on experiencing and working together to understand the multiplicities of worship, faith experience, and theological expression brought by the participants. The steering committee has created a structure for conversation and accountability that encourages participants to testify and challenge each other around a series of questions. The conference also provides opportunities for informal fellowship, recreation, and the introduction of various spiritual disciplines.