How much does it cost?
Enrollment with LDI for Spring 2012 costs a total of $600 per-team for DioMass parishes. For all other groups, the cost per-team is $1000. This cost includes trainers, coaching, events and materials. A $100 deposit is due on Dec. 10 and; the remaining amount $500 (or $900) is due on Jan 27. All meals are supplied at LDI events.
LDI is grateful for the generosity of its donors which allows it to offer this resource at such a reasonable rate. The actual cost for this training, is $3,500/team. Due to the generosity of ECM, a diocesan grant, and the gifts of private individuals, the cost is subsidized.
What is the purpose of the Spring Mission Campaign?
The purpose of this campaign is twofold: 1) To address a real, urgent, measurable need in the community; 2)to engage the leadership tools that teams are learning in real-time.
What makes for a strong campaign?
Broadly, LDI would like all mission campaigns to be: a crucible of leadership formation (for individuals, teams and communities); an incarnation of transformative community; an organic, local expression of the need in a neighborhood (food justice, housing, relationship-building etc).
The campaigns that have succeed in these areas have had strategic goals that:
- have specific, challenging, realistic, fun outcomes
- connect with individual and group values
- require asking others outside the church to join in the work
- focus on justice/service in the community, rather than church growth as the primary focus
How is LDI different from other faith-based organizing groups, like Greater Boston Interfaith Organization (GBIO)?
LDI has tremendous respect for GBIO, PICO, MCAN and other faith-based organizing groups. LDI shares with these organizations: a commitment to social justice; similar leadership practices adapted from the world of community organizing. Whereas other groups’ main focus is on developing power to fight for social justice across congregations, LDI’s primary focus is on strengthening lay leaders and teams in congregations and other Christian groups. Therefore LDI participants remain on parish or group teams while in LDI and design separate projects in their local communities. LDI measures its success as much by the outcomes of the teams’ projects as it does by teams reporting a new found sense of possibility, and greater capacity in making change in their churches and neighborhoods.
My parish wasn’t able to attend the “Taste and See” Event – can we still apply?
Yes, but you’ll want to read the information in our application thoroughly to ensure best chances of success for acceptance. You may also want to get in touch with Duncan Hilton or another LDI Team member to discuss your mission project idea and your organizing statement.
Do I have to be clergy to apply? Do I have to be a vestry-member?
No. Anyone from any parish can apply. If you’re a lay-person excited about working with LDI, LDI recommends that you speak with your warden or priest about your idea first.
How are parish teams chosen for work with LDI?
LDI chooses applications based on specific criteria. The criteria are listed at the top of the application to ensure all parishes equal opportunity for application acceptance. Some examples of criteria include: teams that are missionally-oriented, flexible and ready-to-learn and a recent demonstrated capacity for growth/change.
What if my parish really wants to participate in LDI, but our team is smaller than 4 people?
Send your application anyway – each team is unique, but a small team will face challenges that a larger team wouldn’t face.
Are the skills I’ll learn at LDI really evangelism tools?
Absolutely. LDI believes that consistent with our baptismal promises, this work is a practice that shapes us to ‘seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving or neighbor as ourselves,’ and to ‘ proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ.’ Even more concretely, by doing this work we engage the the Good News of Jesus Christ incarnate in action in our missional campaigns, and in story in our public narratives.
What is an organizing statement?
You can find more information about it on our application, but a short explanation is ‘a mission-based goal of what your team wants to accomplish during this LDI training,’ Some wording we might use is, “I am organizing who, to do what?”
