Centre for Missional Leadership

05/31/2026

A course: “Forming Churches that are Spiritually Alive in the Neighbourhood”

For church leaders (paid and unpaid). . .

A note from the Director of CML, Mark Glanville:

I wanted to let you know about this course, for churches that are seeking spiritual vitality and fresh imagination for witness in the local neighborhood. The course is run annually by the Centre for Missional Leadership, where I work (at UBC).

You gather a small cohort of leaders from your church (from three to ten leaders). This group joins us online for five Saturday mornings. The course is highly dialogical and practical. This past year we had twenty churches involved, from all over Canada.

Having a cohort from your church take this together it can impact the entire church (whereas if only you, or only one lay person, takes a course it is unlikely to impact the entire church). For many congregations, the course has not only jumpstarted a renewed missional engagement but has sparked overall vision conversation and energy.

At our gatherings we explore:

- Forming a Thicker Shared Life with each other and our Neighbours
- Reshaping our Sunday gatherings around food, conversation, prayer and welcome.
- Making a difference in your neighbourhood or city.
- A Neighborhood "experiment"
- A rich vision for worship
- Each church is assigned a coach from our team.

The course is not arduous, but it’s deep. The new cohort begins in late September 2026.

Group assignments are all geared to helping you engage your neighbors and your congregation more deeply; they are not assignments for "passing" the course. They help congregations implement some of the teaching and vision of the course.

One cool example of neighborhood experiments arising from the course was from Grace Presbyterian (Calgary). Grace Presbyterian got their front door painted red by someone angry about residential schools. Instead of just painting the door over, they used the incident as impetus to involve the church in hosting a public event (including their own apology or residential schools) and invited speakers to help educate their church and neighborhood. They made some tangible commitments to reconciliation themselves out of that journey. I love that story. This course is led by the one and only Tim Dickau

I just wanted to let you know about the certificate. The course will begin in September (as it does each year). If this is too fast for you, you can also jump on board in October. Please let me know if you have any questions or if you are interested in joining us. It’s as cheap as chips.
There is a tonne of information at this link—as well as registration.

An increasing number of churches are recognizing the need to transition toward a more missional culture and framework whereby they can engage their neighbours and neighbourhoods more deeply. Some of these congregations are smaller and struggling to survive while others are larger but still desiring....

05/31/2026

Ross A. Lockhart and Mark Glanville from the Center for Missional Leadership had the privilege of speaking at the annual conference for the Anglican Diocese of New Westminster today.

Ross spoke on the changing nature of Christianity and faith in cities like Vancouver—post-Christian cultures.

And Mark spoke on a vision for expository preaching in post-Christian contexts that nourishes faith (when faith is often so difficult).

The CML is grateful for this partnership with the Anglican diocese.

05/29/2026

From our director, Mark Glanville:

Biblical interpretation for preaching starts here:

Every biblical book was written to shape particular communities to be salt and light in their contexts.

Henri Nouwen provocatively expresses this dynamic we are observing in Scripture: “Contrary to popular opinion we are not called to imitate Jesus. We are called to form a community of people who through different ways reflect the great love of Jesus. . . . There are different ways we can live out God’s love. Some of us are very passionate, others are more quiet and hardly noticeable.”

When preaching to nourish our congregations as contrastive communities shaped by the love and truth of Jesus, we echo Scripture’s dynamic. Preaching in this way is not only true to Scripture but also crucial for recontextualizing Scripture today. Truly biblical preaching nourishes both our shared life in Christ and our shared witness within our local neighborhood.

We call this a hermeneutic of witnessing community (hermeneutic means “method of interpretation”). A hermeneutic of witnessing community should shape (1) our exegesis, (2) our interpretation, and (3) our sermon writing.

Check out Mark's new online course, Preaching in a New Key
https://thecml.ca/course/preaching-in-a-new-key/

The course is based on Mark's book:

Preaching in a New Key: Crafting Expository Sermons in Post-Christian Neighborhoods. (IVP Academic)

We have a suite of online courses Centre for Missional Leadership!

04/29/2026

A Renewed Canadian Welcome - book launch event!
Friends, we're excited for this event coming up next week. We hope you can join us!

04/08/2026

Join the CML team! We're hiring a Project and Communications Coordinator.

The position is 25 hours per week, and includes extended health and pension. The team is a fun group of missional practitioners and thinkers who are focused on the needs of the church. If you're in the Vancouver area, apply using the link below.

Join the CML Team! release Project and Communications Coordinator at the Centre for Missional Leadership The Centre for Missional Leadership (Vancouver) is seeking a Project and Communications Coordinator for 25 hours per week. This person coordinates administration and communications for the...

02/24/2026

Are you a pastor interested in a week of encouragement, small group learning, conversations about missional practices, and refreshment? Applications are open for our 2026 Guder Pastoral Retreat week at St. Andrew's Hall.

Running August 5-7, 2026, the retreat is created to equip and encourage pastors through an intensive learning environment with a small cohort. This year we're pleased to welcome guests Rev. Albert Chu and Dr. Keas Keasler who will speak with us about our theme of Spiritual Practices and Missional Practices in the Church.

The best part? It's free! Accommodations and most meals are covered, and there is a travel bursary provided, up to $1000. Apply at the link below! We hope to see you this summer!

The Guder Pastoral Retreat is an intensive learning environment focused on Spiritual and Missional Practices for pastors' encouragement.

02/17/2026

Hot off the presses!

We’re delighted to share the 2026 Lenten Devotion Guide from St. Andrew’s Hall. Inside, you’ll find daily reflections from friends of the CML and St. Andrew’s Hall, along with members of our team, offered to help you embody faithful presence and public witness throughout the season of Lent.

Download it here:
https://www.standrews.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SAH-LentenG-colour70-260204-pgs-1.pdf

02/04/2026

Lay Leaders! We hope you'll join us for a morning workshop designed to encourage and equip those serving in lay leadership roles within their churches.

This interactive morning will explore practical ways to lead and serve with confidence and joy. Together, we’ll learn and share around themes of:
*Christian leadership
*Worship
*Preaching

Whether you help lead a small group, support worship services, or simply feel called to serve your congregation in deeper ways, this workshop offers space to learn alongside other lay leaders and strengthen your capacity for pastoral leadership.

📅Saturday, February 21 9:30am - 12:30pm
📍St. Andrew's Hall at UBC
🟢Register Here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/equipped-for-lay-pastoral-leadership-tickets-1956722913909?aff=oddtdtcreator

02/03/2026

Last week Mark Glanville and Ross A. Lockhart participated in a panel alongside The Rev. Jeffrey Murray, Moderator of the 150th General Assembly where they discussed the future of the church in Canada. Ahead of the panel discussion we were privileged to hear about Rev. Murray's recent visit to Palestine and Israel. A rich time of listening and learning. Thanks to St Andrew's & St Stephen's Church for hosting a fantastic evening!

01/14/2026

Tomorrow!
We're looking forward to sharing an online workshop helping explore how you might prepare and guide your church through the Lenten season.

Lent is the forty days preceding the Easter weekend. Here’s some historical and biblical background to Lent: in early Christian practice, baptisms usually occurred on Easter Sunday. Believers who were to be baptised (called catechumens) undertook 40 days of preparation for baptism during the 40 days preceding Easter. This 40 days of preparation echoed 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness—which preceded his ministry in Galilee.
Over the next couple of centuries, Lent became a time of preparation for Easter for all Christians, not only those who were being baptised (It’s a bit of a mystery how this came to be.)

We will trace the narrative arc of Jesus’ baptism, wilderness temptations, and beginning of his public ministry, teasing out the significance for our own lives and for our churches. We will provide with practical ideas and strategies for your church. We will even offer you a sermon series!

Register for online attendance here:
https://bit.ly/4qVFAbn
We hope you'll join us online at 10am pacific.