Know Your Options for a Future with hope

Posted in Assessments and Evaluations, Buildings and Property, Change Management, Church Decline, Church Growth & Vitality, Church Mergers, Legacy Churches / Church Closing, Mission and Vision Tagged with

15 min 33 s

Rev. Dr. Todd Grant Yonkman

  • When the energy gets low, churches often don’t know there are other options to closing;
  • Thoughts on various options: merger restart, adoption, consolidation, redevelopment…;
  • Barrier for vitality is shame and blame;
  • Avoiding the “Twin Titanic” model (throwing a rope from one sinking congregation to another);
  • Key to church mergers: learn to love other things together;
  • The challenge of trying to do vitality work and consolidation work at the same;
Rev. Dr. Todd Grant Yonkman

Rev. Dr. Todd Grant Yonkman has been engaged in professional ministry for the past 25 years. He has served congregations in the midwest and northeast as a settled pastor, Transitional Senior Minister, Senior Co-Minister, and church planter. He is currently serving as Transitional Senior Minister of First Congregational Church of Granby.

Rev. Yonkman has been ordained in the United Church of Christ since 1999. He is an Interim Ministry Network accredited Professional Transition Specialist.  He has Professional Certified Coach level training and is a member of the International Coaching Federation. He serves on the Temple Development Committee for the Worcester Zen Center, and is UCC representative to the National Council of Churches Buddhist-Christian dialogue. His publications include Reconstructing Church: Tools for Turning Your Congregation Around, (Rowman & Littlefield, 2014).

Rev. Yonkman and his wife, Rev. Nicole Grant Yonkman, have two adult daughters, three house rabbits, and a black lab named Mayleen. Check out Pastor Todd’s blog at www.todd-grant-yonkman.net. He can be reached at toddyonkman@gmail.com.

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