Living Into the New Church is a coaching training program housed at Holmes Presbyterian Camp and Conference Center in Holmes, NY.
According to the website:
“Coaching is about transformation, and transformation is at the heart of the Christian experience. Most transformation begins with a simple but well crafted question that rings true, deep within the heart and that brings about new action and lasting change.
Through a series of three coach training events you will learn to use coaching skills to help move people and churches forward in faith. The entire curriculum adheres to the International Coach Federation’s standards of competency, enabling you to have a clear understanding of what you are learning. Unlike many continuing education events, application is immediate in that you will experience coaching others and being coached yourself many times during the residential workshops, which serve to reinforce learning and transition the skills into real life practice.”
This program features an online introductory course, as well as residential worshops.
Click here for more information and to visit the website.
The Alban Institute regularly hosts webinars that may be of particular interest to those involved in congregational transformation. Some are “live,” others are “on demand,” and the price for any of them is extremely do-able, especially for leadership teams with a limited budget.
Click here for more information.
We are grateful that the Presbytery of Charlotte has allowed us to post their Strategic Plan for Building Healthy Churches that was adopted May 19, 2009. This document has been two years in developmen and is to be followed by a “first 18 month implementation plan” to be presented for adoption at their September, 2009 Presbytery meeting.
You are welcome to adapt/use/print etc., any and all of this document. Warren Lesane, Charlotte Presbytery’s Associate for Church Development and the Charlotte Presbytery Church Development Team, are the primary researchers, thinkers, and writers; however, it has been a holistic process involving the entire infrastructure and staff of the Presbytery.
Click here to download the document (.pdf file)
I’ve been a fan of the website, Practicing Our Faith, for some time. This is good resource for those exploring different kinds of Spiritual Disciplines. I personally believe that congregational transformation will not occur without individuals engaging in intentional spiritual practices and the discipline of prayer.
(from the website)
“This web site is sponsored by the Valparaiso Project on the Education and Formation of People in Faith, a project whose purpose is to develop resources to help contemporary people live the Christian faith with vitality and integrity in changing times. The Project is ecumenical in orientation and appreciative of the legacies of a range of Christian traditions. We sponsor seminars, books, conferences and web sites for adults and youth.”
www.practicingourfaith.org
Cultivate Mission is the church consultating firm led by Stephanie Lutz Allen.
Their mission statement is:
“Our starting place is God’s mission, which helps us see opportunity instead of peril in the world outside our doorsteps. Action flows from a sense of mission (purpose). Consulting provides a framework and accountability to intentionally design purpose, and effectively live into it.”
www.cultivatemission.com
Servant Evangelism is a website and online magazine that uses so-called “random acts of kindness” as an evangelism and outreach tool. The website also features articles with tips and ideas for evangelism in your particular context. Intriguing ideas here–many of which would be appropriate for church youth groups.
www.servantevangelism.com
Is your congregation discerning whether nor not to become a House Church or Fellowship?
Albany Presbytery has assembled a task force and produced the following document which helps congregations in the Presbytery transition into house churches/fellowships when the congregation becomes too small to be financially solvent.
(from the document, “Is God Leading Your Congregation To Become a House Church or a Fellowship?“):
“What alternatives do congregations have when they find their building maintenance outstrips congregational finances and creates paralysis within the congregation? What alternatives do congregations have when they have little or no energy to do anything beyond the minimal effort to attend worship? What alternatives do congregations have when their leadership team is failing to work together in healthy ways due to burnout among the leaders?
These are among the issues many congregations are facing in Albany Presbytery and the paths for addressing these issues have been limited. The options have been to attempt to engage in a transformation of the congregation, continue as they had been doing, or close and disband the congregation. Often, for many congregations these choices have been undesirable or impractical.
Sensing something different was needed a Fellowship Task Force was created to create a new path, which might prove to lead to a healthier and more vital ministry. The Fellowship Task Force has created a discernment process for congregations to use in deciding whether or not to become a house church or a fellowship.”
To read the document in its entirety, click here (.pdf file)
Starting May 4th, Bruce Reyes-Chow, Moderator of the PCUSA, and Carol Howard Merritt, pastor and author of the book, Tribal Church, will be hosting a weekly internet radio show that will discuss the Church, culture, politics, and everything in between.
According to Bruce Reyes-Chow, “through our diverse church experiences and a deep common yearning to find the bridges between tradition and innovation, Carol and I will attempt to provide a place where we can discover the challenges and celebrations that God may have in store for us and the world. We hope you’ll find the time to join us.”
I [Meredith] am encouraging anyone involved with Congregational Transformation, or those particularly interested in issues surrounding the changing church and culture, to take the time to “tune in” to these conversations.
Click here for a more detailed description about “The God Complex Radio Show” from Bruce’s blog.
Click here to download the flyer.
The Office of Research Services of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) provides a wide variety of services including articles and reports, demographics information, statistics, program evaluations and Ten-Year Trends, all free to PCUSA congregations.
Some of their available services include:
- Free 10-year Trend Reports show what’s been happening in congregations
- Free demographics package:
- Congregational Surveys–The U.S. Congregational Life Survey helps congregations identify their strengths, learn more about their worshipers, and make decisions about change.
- Coming out of the U.S. Congregational Life Survey, we have resources to help congregations examine their location (including a study/leader guide written by Trey Hammond):
- Resources on evangelism and church growth, particularly:
- A free booklet with easy-to-do research techniques for congregations:
Other Recommended Resources:
- The Association of Religion Data Archives- Enter your zip code to receive information about congregational membership in all major denominations by county or state.
- ARDA also has an excellent free demographic package:
April, 2009
Where are we going with Transformation? This is a question I have been receiving a lot lately. With the majority of our churches already in decline, this current financial crisis has thrown them into even deeper problems. Many have speculated that the Presbyterian Church (USA) has been getting out of the church transformation business for the last few years. With all of the reorganization and budget cutting that has happened over the last decade, it’s easy to understand how these feelings arise. Like many areas, the traditional church development areas have experienced significant cuts along with almost all other areas of the General Assembly Council. We certainly aren’t the only ones to feel the crunch. We’re in this together. So, at first glance, it may look as if we have ceased doing transformation (and new church plants) with the same energy and commitment as we have in years past. We have not.
Since coming here in February 2008, I have sought to re-energize our transformation ministry and give it new vision and direction. This is not an overnight process and has not been an easy shift. Having said that, we cannot afford to fail in helping our existing churches become what God wants and needs them to be. It is true that we need to begin starting many new congregations. It’s not true, however, that this should be done at the expense of our existing congregations. The transformation of the Presbyterian Church (USA) will hinge on its ability of its current congregations to transform. A new church movement in our denomination will only be successful if current congregations transform and begin planting new faith communities around the country. It’s not an “either/or” proposition (either church transformation or new churches), it’s a “both/and” proposition. We must transform our churches and start new ones. They must go together. The Presbyterian Church must one again understand itself as “sent” by God to do God’s mission in the world. (more…)
