Category: Buildings and Property

Posted in Buildings and Property, Change Management, Church Decline, Church Growth & Vitality, Death and Dying, Healing / Grief Work, Hospitality, Leadership Development, Mission and Vision, Pastoral Care, Stewardship Tagged with

8 min 18 s

Rev. Dr. Jill H. Small

  • I was encountering a lot of aging congregations in aging buildings…
  • The science of Place Identity
  • Helping a congregation have a conversation about their “stuff”
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Posted in Assessments and Evaluations, Buildings and Property, Church Growth & Vitality, External Relations, Hospitality, Mission and Vision, Stewardship Tagged with

10 min 28 s

Rev. Dr. Jill H. Small

To the 3 standard questions of the interim period, consider adding a 4th one: “What do our buildings say about who we are as God’s people in our community?”

  • Plus an “Identity & Facility Discussion Guide” (5 questions to engage parishioners’ conversation around the “4th” question.)
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Posted in Buildings and Property, Change Management, Entering and Engaging the Congregation, Healing / Grief Work, Leadership Development, Managing Expectations, Mission and Vision, Self-Care Tagged with

8 min 23 s

Rev. Dr. Jill H. Small

  • The work of an Interim Minister: helping the congregation to understand what you do
  • Managing the relentless demands…
  • “I’m not Moses, but…” (Setting up the next settled pastor for success)
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Posted in Buildings and Property, Entering and Engaging the Congregation, External Relations, Financial Management, Staff, Stewardship, Volunteers Tagged with

8 min 16 s

Rev. Dr. Laura Barnes

  • What their financial documents reveal about the condition of the congregation – what to look for
  • Here’s when and how I ask for their financial documents and what I do with them
  • What if I don’t have any financial training? Should I just leave all that to others?
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Posted in Buildings and Property, Entering and Engaging the Congregation, Financial Management, Leadership Development, Mission and Vision, Pastoral Care, Staff, Stewardship, Team Building Tagged with

12 min 26 s

Rev. Dr. Laura Barnes

  • Creating a Covenant of Agreement with the staff
  • Why I make a point of spending time with the top financial donors
  • How I use my perceived objectivity as an outsider to advantage
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Posted in Assessments and Evaluations, Buildings and Property, Contracting and Negotiating Before Beginning, Mission and Vision Tagged with

08 min 43 s

Rev. Dr. Jonathan New

  • How to know if / when it’s appropriate to take on a significant project during the interim time
  • The layers to think about when considering a major project during the interim time such as a capital campaign or an Open & Affirming process
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Posted in Buildings and Property, Church Decline, Denomination Related, Legacy Churches / Church Closing, Legal, Mission and Vision Tagged with

13 min 29 s

Rev. Cindy Mueller

  • Definition of a “Threshold” moment
  • Letting go of the notion of having “failed” & navigating with authentic hope
  • Guiding question: “What do you see as your future?”
  • The role of the congregation’s values guiding your decision of what to do next
  • Why navigating the threshold moment takes time – don’t rush it
  • Where to look for help: resource recommendations for navigating the threshold/legacy time
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Posted in Buildings and Property, Change Management, Church Decline, Conflict Management, External Relations Tagged with

16 min 36 s

Rev. Dr. Rochelle (Shelly) Stackhouse

  • The book of Acts is an underutilized resource for discerning about the building
  • There’s more than one way to solve the problem…
  • Solutions to the building problem only surface by going deeply into discerning your relationship with the community around you
  • What might you have to do to your physical space to make other people want to use it?
  • Learning not to underestimate the beauty of our spaces… > Dealing with idolatry of the building
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