A list of events run by CMD teams, as well as some external events from trusted partners.
Click here to explore recordings of some past CMD events.
Hiring and Managing Staff in Churches
Thursday 11th June, 10am - 3.30pm
Church House Oxford
A workshop for clergy and church leaders who have, or hope to have, responsibility for staff.
A supportive and practical workshop for clergy and church leaders who have responsibility for staff, or who are beginning to explore employing people within their parish.
Led by the Diocesan HR team, the day offers an opportunity to explore legislation and good practice in church employment, helping build confidence in your role as a Christian employer. It covers the key stages of the employee journey, including recruitment, day-to-day management, wellbeing, and navigating more challenging situations with care and integrity.
Through a mix of input and guided discussion, the workshop provides space to reflect on real-life scenarios commonly faced in parish ministry, such as managing performance, handling conflict, and supporting staff wellbeing, always rooted in the values and responsibilities of the Church of England.
This workshop is particularly suited to incumbents, wardens, and others with leadership responsibility, offering practical guidance, shared learning, and reassurance.
Lunch is provided.
Freedom and Liberation in the Bible
10am - 3.30pm, Monday 15th to Friday 19th June
Church House Oxford
We have an amazing line-up of speakers for these study days in June. They are standalone, so you can come to all five days, or just one or two. (Note that the venue for these study days has moved to Church House)
- Revd Dr Jenni Williams (Exodus, Monday 15) is the Vicar of St Matthew’s with St Luke’s, Oxford and was formerly Tutor in Old Testament at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. Book here.
- Revd Dr Andy Angel (Revelation, Tuesday 16) is the Director of Formation for Ministry and Warden of Readers in the Diocese of Oxford. Book here.
- Revd Dr A. K. M. Adam (Romans, Wednesday 17) has taught for Oxford University’s Oriel College, St Stephen’s House, and Regent’s Park College, as well as the University of Glasgow. Book here.
- The Venerable Dr Lyndon Drake (Deuteronomy, Thursday 18) is a Senior Research Fellow and the Chaplain of St Edmund Hall, Oxford, and Archdeacon Emeritus of Tamaki Makaurau, in the Anglican Church of Aotearoa. Book here.
- Revd Dr Suse McBay (Daniel, Friday 19) is a tutor at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford and teaches Old Testament and preaching. Her area of research is in late Second Temple Judaism and apocalyptic literature. Book here.
Preparing for Retirement (Residential)
23rd-25th June,
Milton House Hotel, Abingdon
A 48-hour residential for Oxford Diocese clergy preparing for retirement.
The thought of retirement conjures up a variety of associations for each of us. For some, it’s something that can’t come soon enough, while for others it may be something they don’t want to think about just yet.
And yet if retirement - both the process of leaving the parish, and the new season of life that follows - is to go well, there are preparations to be made. Some of those are about the very practical areas of financial planning and housing arrangements, some of which really do need quite a lead-in time. Others are about how we - and those around us - make the transition well emotionally and spiritually.
SoulSpace: Turning Social Activities into Pathways of Faith
Monday 29th June, 10am - 2pm,
Church House Oxford
An innovative resource created by Mike Moynagh to help churches reimagine how they connect with people beyond traditional Sunday gatherings.
Many churches host activities that bring people together—coffee mornings, lunch clubs, craft groups, art clubs, and more. But what if these gatherings could also become gentle, welcoming opportunities for people to explore faith?
This introductory event will explore the vision and principles behind Soulspace, share practical examples from churches already using it, and equip you to add a simple, invitational “spiritual extra” to existing community activities. Whether you are a church leader, volunteer, or church member, you will leave with practical ideas and confidence to take the next step.
Leadership Training for Established Leaders (two-day course)
Wednesday 1st & Thursday 2nd July, 10am - 3:30pm
Church House Oxford
This two-day workshop, run by GiANT and sponsored by the Clergy Support Trust, will benchmark current leadership, refine leadership skills and enhance character formation and personal development to lead with excellence.
Participants will:
- Move from plateauing/struggling in leadership to identifying pain points and building a resilient plan for the next season
- Have a personality deep-dive to identify patterns of behaviour and leadership tendencies for personal growth
- Learn skills for leading under pressure and stress, and how to stay healthy and be both present with family and productive in ministry, despite the challenges
- Learn about intentional investment into team leadership – effective delegation, having difficult conversations which liberate and dealing with conflict and organisational change well, in order to increase the health and efficacy of teams
- Increase the ability to pass on gifts, skills and competencies to other less experienced leaders through wise relational and professional development
- Hone their organisational leadership skills in terms of vision, values, roles and responsibilities, structures and strategies for thriving churches and ministries
Science, Religion, and Society (External)
Monday 6th – Friday 10th July, 2026, Hughes Hall College Cambridge & Online. Faraday Institute Summer Course: We live in rapidly changing times. We wonder how Artificial Intelligence will change our jobs, or how immigration will change our culture. We wonder what democracy means in a world of big data, or what freedom can mean in a world where every interaction can be tracked. We wonder if technology will be able to keep extending human life spans, and whether we will want to live in the world we are creating. Science does not stand apart from social concerns. It answers questions and solves problems that society faces, just as it poses new questions and causes new problems for society to wrestle with. Religion, too, does not stand apart, focused only on the soul and eternity. It is deeply connected to the considerations of life as it is lived today. Engaging with a range of topics, this one-week course will look at issues relating to technology, the environment, health, the mind, culture, and public life. It will bring together world-class speakers at the forefront of research in these areas, and lead participants through the issues in a way that is both rigorous and accessible. Details and booking here.
Digital Evangelism
Tuesday 14th July, 10am - 3.30pm
Church House Oxford
Explore how digital tools can support your church's outreach and discipleship, and how you can build confidence in using them. We'll show how you can become more discoverable online, using social media –platforms, trends and content ideas – and websites – AChurchNearYou.com or you own sites. We'll look at creating and implementing a digital strategy to help you reach more people, as well as touching on topics like AI and dealing with difficult situations online. We'll also have a hands-on session about how to create and edit engaging video content using just your phone.
The Problem of Evil (External)
31st August to 4th September, Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. Wycliffe Hall Intensive with Michael Lloyd. Join us in Oxford, where C.S. Lewis wrote his book on The Problem of Pain, for the inaugural Wycliffe Hall Intensive - an exciting week of theological learning, conversation, and fellowship with an expert in their field. Open to students, academics, clergy, and all with an interest in theology, participants will learn through lectures, discussions, and field trips. We will begin each morning with a time of worship, including a sermon series on the book of Job. More details and booking here.
Transforming Conflict 1: Leadership, Discipleship and Community (External)
6th - 11th September 2026, St Columba’s House, Woking: Leading and living well with difference: Bridge-Builders' flagship course, designed for those with leadership responsibility, laying the foundation for recognising our call as Christian disciples to live well with difference and tension. Five days packed with opportunities to learn through teaching, group work, skills practice, prayer and personal reflection. Conflict is a normal and inevitable part of life, yet leaders often feel ill-prepared to face conflict, and disturbed that it is present in Christian communities. This course is designed to help those in leadership roles who are looking for encouragement to face conflict constructively. Details and booking here.
Godly Play training (External)
14th - 16th September 2026, St Mark’s Church Leamington Spa: A three-day accredited course led by members of the College of Trainers of Godly Play UK. This training enables you to use the Godly Play method and understand its principles. The training follows an action/reflection model of learning, through hands-on experience and reflection, rather than lectures. A certificate of completion is awarded at the end of the course. The Trainers for this course are Peter Privett and Cathryn Hoard. Info and booking here.
Rural Mission Chapter
Wednesday 23rd September, 10am - 3.30pm
St Mary's, Long Crendon
Are you involved in rural town mission and evangelism?
If so, we would love to hear from you, and invite you to join us on 23 Sept to explore the possibility of setting up a Rural Mission Chapter for those involved in rural town ministry. We hope to share best practice, pray for each other, read Scripture and reflect on God’s calling on us with an eye to how we bring more people to faith in Christ and share his love with them wholistically. We would also like to hear what would best support you in this rural ministry to which God has called you.
Equipped for Ministry: Science and the Life of the Church (External)
7.30-9.30pm, Mondays: 21 Sept 2026, 12 Oct, 16 Nov, 18 Jan 2027, 22 Feb, 22 Mar, Online. Worship, teaching, pastoral care… At the Faraday Institute we are well aware of the ways in which science can speak fruitfully into the core activities of the Church’s ministry and mission. For example, images of distant galaxies can inspire wonder and worship, science is a source of modern parables to help the whole congregation, including scientifically minded people, to see the Bible with fresh eyes, and pastoral care is often informed by psychology. The life of the Church also feeds into science. For instance, many scientists find their Christian faith inspires them to value, explore and take care of creation – human as well as everything else – and prompts consideration of the limits of the experimental method. We and those in our network want to grow in learning how to live out these principles of faith informing science and science informing faith in our teaching and service in our own churches and beyond. What wisdom can we draw from science to help us in different areas of church life? How can key aspects of Christian faith feed into science? Details and booking here.
Effective Line Management
Tuesday 29th September, 10am - 3.30pm,
Church House Oxford
Good practice when managing paid staff and volunteers in churches.
An opportunity to explore good practice when managing paid staff and volunteers in churches. Led by member of the HR team, this workshop will equip managers with essential skills in communication, performance management, delegation, and coaching to boost team performance and engagement. Key topics include conducting one-to-ones, providing feedback, managing teams, and handling HR issues like absence and discipline.
Through a mix of input and guided discussion, the workshop provides space to reflect on real-life scenarios commonly faced in parish ministry, such as managing performance, handling conflict, and supporting staff wellbeing, always rooted in the values and responsibilities of the Church of England.
This workshop is particularly suited to incumbents, wardens, and others with leadership responsibility, offering practical guidance, shared learning, and reassurance.
Preparing for Advent: Rediscovering the Kingdom of God
Thursday 1st October, 10am - 3.30pm
Church House Oxford
In Advent, we look forward to the coming of the kingdom and encourage our congregations to do this. However, there are many competing visions of the kingdom around in our churches. This day will look at the teachings of Jesus (primarily from Matthew, Mark, and Luke) to question two popular understandings of the kingdom, assess whether and how far they fit the data we have about the kingdom in the gospels, and construct an understanding of the kingdom which fits the data more fully.
Remaking After Trauma: The Role of the Church (External)
Saturday 7th Nov 2026, 9.30am-4.30pm, Westminster College Cambridge & online: Around 70% of adults have at least one traumatic experience at some point in their lives. For many people around the world, these experiences will be multiple, deep or lasting. In some circumstances, being a Christian can result in an increased risk of trauma. In nearly every setting, Christians have the opportunity to serve others who have been traumatised. How can the church support people who have experienced trauma, and do so in biblically and theologically informed ways? How can we become aware of the impact of trauma at multiple levels? How can we support each other, and those in our wider communities, through traumatic experiences? What does post-traumatic growth, or remaking after trauma, look like? Join us to explore this vital area of the Church’s work, alongside experienced practitioners and teachers. This course is designed as continuing professional development for church leaders, as well as training for active church members and parachurch volunteers. A certificate of attendance can be supplied on request. Details and booking here.
Studying the Lectionary Gospel: Mark
Saturday 21st November, 10am - 3.30pm
Church House Oxford
Tuesday 24th November, 10am - 3.30pm
Yarnton Manor
Explore some of the background and important themes of Mark's Gospel, the gospel for Year B.
Lunch is provided. (NOTE: 24th is a repeat of 21st)
Book 21 November Book 24 November
Transforming Conflict 1: Leadership, Discipleship and Community (External)
31st January - 5th February 2027, Bestwood Lodge, Nottingham NG5 8HT: Leading and living well with difference: Bridge-Builders' flagship course, designed for those with leadership responsibility, laying the foundation for recognising our call as Christian disciples to live well with difference and tension. Five days packed with opportunities to learn through teaching, group work, skills practice, prayer and personal reflection. Conflict is a normal and inevitable part of life, yet leaders often feel ill-prepared to face conflict, and disturbed that it is present in Christian communities. This course is designed to help those in leadership roles who are looking for encouragement to face conflict constructively. Details and booking here.
Transforming Conflict 1: Leadership, Discipleship and Community for Senior Leaders (External)
18th - 23rd April 2027, Wydale Hall, Scarborough, North Yorkshire YO13 9DG: Conflict is a normal and inevitable part of life, yet leaders often feel ill-prepared to face conflict, and disturbed that it is present in a Christian community. This course is designed specifically for those in senior Christian leadership roles who are looking for encouragement to face conflict constructively. It is focussed on conflict in church and other Christian settings, and through the themes of leadership, discipleship and community will help you to be a more resilient leader, and to understand more of the work of reconciliation in practice for a community of faithful disciples. Drawing on the Bridge Builders’ theological roots in the Mennonite tradition, the course explores the call of all Christians to be entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation, that begins with facing and blessing enemies, and calls us to live faithfully in a spirit of power, of love and of self-control. Details and booking here.