General Convention in 1997 passed a resolution (D043) requiring each diocese to establish minimum standards for continuing education for clergy and lay professionals.  In 2000, in response to General Convention, Miller & Associates, Inc., in partnership with the House of Bishops' Office of Pastoral Development, developed and administered a two-year pilot program, Building Our Capacity for Ministry: A Pilot Program to Create A Continuing Education Program. This program was developed by Susy Miller and Mary May.

The pilot program was modeled on the competency-based model favored by academic institutions rather than the professional development model found in the business community.

The program was inclusive, covering all aspects of a viable continuing education program. It began by explaining the purposes of continuing education and suggested ways of governing the diocesan program. Most important, it provided a process whereby a diocese could ascertain its overall goals, and then create a continuing education process that would support those aims.

The full report of the pilot including recommendations is available on the web In the Standing Commission on Ministry Development's Blue Book report.