Certificate in Faith-Based Community Development

January 1, 2022 - December 31, 2025
Consult course calendar
Offered by Wycliffe College
$150 per course
TorontoON

Develop new skills to help your faith group, church, or religious NGO navigate, design, and implement transformative change. Community leaders of faith-based organizations directly face the opportunities and challenges of their neighbourhoods, towns, and cities in Canada and internationally. Learn to employ place-based tools and practices to strengthen your organizational effectiveness, community resilience, and partnerships. Whether you’re an experienced director, a seasoned agent of social change, or a budding activist, join our community of faith-formed dialogue and learning. You’ll gain valuable insights, access to the latest resources and tools, and strengthen your vocational networks while feeding your soul!

This certificate is presented in collaboration with Wycliffe College, https://www.wycliffecollege.ca/.

  • Explore what our faith traditions both ancient and modern teach us about community, leadership, and well-being
  • Map and assess the assets and possibilities of our local contexts and neighbourhoods
  • Practise the facilitation of transformative adult and organizational learning
  • Build strategies for sustainable organizations and programs
  • Incorporate and celebrate diversity
  • Design and lead for effectiveness, mission, and good governance
  • Achieve collective change through partnership and citizen-based collaboration
  • Engagement with expert practitioners
  • Lively discussions about poverty and well-being in organizations and communities
  • Meaningful interaction about faith, values, leadership and meaning in community
  • Learning and practice applied to your own organizations and community settings
  • Access to theory, resources, tools, and coaching designed for adult and organizational learning

Earn this Certificate in Faith-Based Community Development by completing any six courses. Four courses are available in 2021-22 (listed under Required Courses), with eight more to be launched over the next two years (listed below).

  • Intercultural Leadership and Learning
  • Toxic Development: Transforming Belief and Practice
  • Community Impact: Evaluation & Learning
  • Inspiring and Leading Staff, Boards & Volunteers
  • Shared Wellbeing: Indigenous and Settler Realities
  • The Art of Partnering and Collaboration
  • Poverty, Ecology and Biblical Justice: Citizen-Based Action & Advocacy
  • Bricks & Mortar: Communities Redeveloping Church Buildings

Required Courses

Select six of the following (more courses to be added over the next two years). You can begin with these courses available in 2021-22:

  • 3847

    Leading Resilient Community Organizations, FBOs and Churches

    This course builds critical skills, so that you can better lead non-profits, community, and church organizations. We know that leadership of faith-based organizations (FBOs) has always required a mix of vision, knowledge, attitudes, and skills. These days, societal upheaval, cultural shifts, and crises have heightened the essential role of healthy FBOs and resilient community organizations for urban wellbeing. Join other community organizers and faith leaders to explore how to affirm your mission, build iterative strategy, and roll out adaptive programming. Offered in collaboration with Wycliffe College.