Planned entirely by a participant steering committee, the meeting focuses on experiencing and working together to understand the multiplicities of worship, faith experience, and theological expression brought by the participants. The steering committee created a structure for conversation and accountability that encouraged participants to testify and challenge each other around a series of questions. The conference also provided opportunities for informal fellowship, recreation, and the introduction of various spiritual disciplines.

The steering committee had full freedom to construct the conference, within the project's overall goal to narrow the distance between new church and established church leaders, and between Anglo and non-Anglo leaders. Through their creativity and wisdom, the conference came to focus on experience and relationship, rather than on expertise and study as we had originally imagined.

DLI's first three years were underwritten by grants from the Oreon E. Scott Foundation and the Shumaker Family Foundation.

• Participants
• The inaugural 2006 conference
• The 2007 conference