11 min 26 s
19 min 18 s
From a 20-hour/week pastorate to a 30-hour/week one and more – how we’re doing it
Boundaries: balancing clergy self-care with the practical realities of renewal;
Success metrics, and a rhythm of communication about critical topics…
A practical step-by-step story revealing what did work and what didn’t (and why);
Instilling a spirit of experimentation into a congregation;
Helping the small congregation know that there is a larger congregation that exists that may never ever sit in a pew in our building;
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10 min 07 s
Innovative adaptions of governance to help engage younger generations;
Ways to make it easier for people to say, Yes, to serving;
Innovative ways to helps parishioners feel connected to the congregation and serve with joy;
The Spirit can often work through, No, not just through, Yes.
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9 min 49 s
Play can be that difference between a meeting being just business, or meeting being ministry (some examples);
Shifting the headspace at the start of your meeting so the Spirit can flow;
Are your church meetings too much business and not enough fun and joy?
Play has so many benefits for not only individuals, but for our ministries and our leadership.
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11 min 50 s
Injecting Play into Curriculum, like Confirmation, can boost engagement and focus purpose;
Tips and examples for how to incorporate play easily into class curriculums;
Advice for the leader who doesn’t think of themselves as a “play” person – who feels uncomfortable leading a play activity;
Play directly affects people’s level of engagement and motivation;
Using play to release Holy Spirit energy!
Play has so many benefits for not only individuals, but for our ministries and our leadership.
Examples of simple and more advanced games;
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12 min 2s
When thom said that committee work can be an essential means of faith formation, it gave me pause. After all, serving on committees is what many people try to avoid. But what he said made sense: when committees practice intentional reflection on their work, it can be faith forming. Put differently, committee work is faith forming when it builds up the beloved community by probing and affirming shared values, purpose and goals. Rev. Dr. thom bower elaborates on this concept and offers a simple 5-step process to guide committee work in this episode titled, “Transforming the Work of Committees to Faith Formation.”
It’s in committee work that adult faith takes its life;
Need to approach committee work in a way that recognizes that management itself is faith formation;
A 5-step process to make committee work a community building practice;
12 min 2s
The word “community” is used a lot when talking about church life, yet it’s often a vague notion. But if we frame it as a spiritual discipline – that is, creating community as a spiritual disciple – we get much more traction: What does it mean to be a community now? What does it mean to create community as a Jesus follower? What does it mean to be a Jesus follower in this congregation? At this time and in this neighborhood? How do we keep what is essential and yet lean into the future where things are changing for us? Rev. Dr. thom bower speaks to these questions and more in this episode titled, “Learning to Be Community As a Spiritual Discipline.”
“What does it mean for you to be a community?” – essential question for a congregation;
What does it mean to have a spiritual discipline?
What does that look like as a community activity? (Community as a verb)
Community as the content of faith formation, as the process of faith formation and as the outcome of faith formation;
What does it mean to be a community now? In our context?
Four questions –
16 min 07 s
Does Your Church Have a Mission Statement for Its Property?
Interim ministers have the opportunity (obligation?) to help a congregation begin to assess their situation with their property;
Developing a mission statement for your property;
Understanding property as part of your mission – start by going room to room…
There are people in the wider community who are stakeholders in your property;
Honoring the grief in letting go of unused property;
It’s in the telling of stories that people come to feel the past has been honored, and then are open to a different future;
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10min 12 s
Have you found your church caught in a pattern where worship is seen as a show performed by the pastor with the congregation being the audience? If so, you have a lot of company. The good news, however, is that worship services can be created that have that added spiritual crackle and energy that often results when more people are involved in leading worship. In this episode, Rev. Anna Tew shares some specifics of how her congregation has intentionally evolved in this direction.
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15 min 50s
It’s not about “saving” the congregation, per se, but about buying the time for serious thinking about what the cong. wants for its future.
Discerning what form of ministry is faithful to the basic values & resources that you have now?
Guidance for how lay leaders can work productively with a very part-time pastor;
A targeted approach that equips and empowers the laity can do themselves:
Specific recommendations for how the laity can create and lead worship, for congregational care, etc.
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