The Rev’d Dr D. Jay Koyle, Congregational Development Officer

I am pleased to announce the appointment of The Rev’d Dr D. Jay Koyle as Diocesan Congregational Development Officer under a two-year contract. His responsibility will be to develop and co-ordinate benchmarks for healthy parishes in light of the Strategic Plan, and to then train assessment teams to evaluate parishes, and provide practical and pastoral support to build congregations throughout the Diocese. He takes up the position on 1 April, but will meet with both the Implementation Team and the Executive Committee in March.

Dr Koyle is a priest in London, Ontario, with 22 years of experience both in the parish and in the academy. He holds a Bachelor degree in Music (Western), a MDiv (Huron), a MA in Theology (Notre Dame) and a DMin from Seabury-Western. His theology degree was in liturgical studies and his DMin thesis is entitled, Calling the Church to Its Heart: Preaching, Parish Catechumenate and the Revitalization of the Twenty-first Century Congregation.

After serving a curacy at Trinity Anglican Church, Cambridge, Jay became the rector of Trinity, Mitchell, Trinity, Sebringville and St. Stephen's, Stratford. He was briefly the rector of St. Jude's Anglican Church, Brantford, before serving as rector of St. Aidan's Anglican Church, London, for nearly seven years. This led to a joint rectorship in the same parish for another seven years. In these contexts, Dr Koyle gained an understanding of what it is like to serve in both urban and rural churches and in team ministry.

In the academy, Dr Koyle has taught at the Renison Institute of Ministry (Waterloo), Canterbury College (Windsor) and Huron University College, where he has held a position as Assistant Professor. He has taught a number of courses on preaching and liturgy, as well as a course on the theology and praxis of missional church, and effective strategies for promoting a missional orientation within congregations. This course, entitled ‘Fostering Missional Congregations’ explores worship, preaching, hospitality, formation and education, evangelism, the catechumenal process, political and advocacy work, outreach and relief efforts, prayer and spirituality.

The author of a number of publications, he is in regular demand as a conference speaker and workshop leader. The interview team was impressed not only by his enthusiasm and the depth of his knowledge, but also by the record of change and growth in the parishes in which he has served. I know that Dr Koyle looks forward to this new challenge.

Wishing you all a Holy Lent,

The Rt Rev’d Dr. Stephen G. W. Andrews

Bishop of Algoma