We are a community of missional practitioners and thinkers, where curious, engaged leaders gather for rejuvenation and transformation.

The Centre for Missional Leadership was created in 2015 to equip pastors and lay leaders for the task of nurturing flourishing churches. We desire to see churches that bear witness to Jesus in life, word, and deed, and we equip one another for the task of leadership with that goal in mind. 

The CML is located at St. Andrew’s Hall, on the campus of the University of British Columbia. 

We are a team of teaching staff, administrators, and Fellows. We are dedicated to forming a broader community of leaders who believe the church’s calling isn’t to survive, but to participate in God’s redemptive mission with imagination and hope. Our teaching staff combine deep practical experience with scholarly depth as well-published scholars. 

Yet, we don’t just teach. We gather people, partnering with leaders in their transformation journey. We recognize that genuine change requires more than acquiring new knowledge; it demands personal renewal, fresh imagination, and Spirit-led growth. 

Every program, course, resource, and gathering serves the flourishing of local churches. Everything we do serves local congregations. We don’t extract leaders from their contexts for abstract theological education; we equip them to serve more faithfully where they’re planted.

We are located in Vancouver, BC—and yet we serve the church throughout Canada and beyond. You might choose to join us online or visit us in person in Vancouver. At St. Andrew’s Hall we have accommodation for people who travel to participate in our retreats. 

Our city is a location on the leading edge of the post-Christian turn. Here in Vancouver we feel the cultural shifts first! In this way, we have the joy of discerning how to live and witness to Jesus’ love amidst the complex experiences of faith that characterize post-Christian culture. 

We value ecumenism and intercultural community. Our welcome extends across denominational and cultural lines, even as our Presbyterian roots ground us.

Think of us as an experienced colleague walking alongside you, offering theological depth, practical wisdom, and honest hope for the challenges ahead. Come and contribute—let’s learn together! Want in? Check out our courses and programs. 

In prayer and worship we reclaim our status as beloved in Christ and we bring the weakest among us into the center for our healing.

Mark Glanville

What is Missional Leadership?

Missional leadership is forming and nurturing Christian communities to show Jesus’ tenderness up close and personal, in a local neighborhood. With the word “missional” we are referring to the church bearing witness to Jesus, in life, word, and deed. And “leadership” is our ability to shape and invite our community into Jesus’ way of love and justice. 

Missio in Latin refers to those who are “sent” as official representatives for an important purpose. Missional theology is rooted in the action of God the Father who sent the Son for the salvation of the world and poured out the Holy Spirit to continue that redemptive mission.

At CML, this is our jam. This is a place where leaders gather to reflect on incarnational witness, through community, and accompaniment. Leaders experience the rejuvenation and transformation that comes from sustained theological reflection with trusted companions.

We care for leaders’ complete well-being, not just their theological knowledge or ministry skills. This means building rest into our retreats, addressing mental health openly, building community, encouraging sustainable ministry practices, and creating safe spaces for leaders to acknowledge struggles.