PARISH RESOURCES OUTSIDE THE DIOCESE
Below we have some outside links that have proven to be very helpful in the past. Below that you will find some local links such as how to contact us and our consulting services.
The Congregational Growth and Development Department - The unit of Congregational Development produces resources for congregations and dioceses that will be useful in the ongoing work of growing healthy and vital congregations. You will find research results that will give accurate information about who we are and what we are about. You will find reporting on the 20/20 mission movement for the Episcopal Church and especially the work of the Presiding Bishop's staff that supports and encourages the movement. You will also find information about upcoming training events for congregational leaders. Registration information is available for conference like Plant My Church, Start Up! Start Over!, Upward Bound, Inventing the Wheel, and the Small Church Leadership Institute, in addition to many more ongoing training opportunities.
From the Alban Weekly - Week of 1/30/2007
The Roller Coaster of Change
by Gilbert R. Rendle
A helpful tool during a time of change is a descriptive lens called “the roller coaster of change.” Such a lens helps observers gather information about what a congregation (or some subgroup within the congregation) is experiencing by measuring where people are emotionally and by listening to the content of their feelings. From such a description, leaders can then strategize an appropriate response.
A Game
Before you continue reading, take a few minutes to explore your own feelings during a time of change. Work either alone or with a leadership group.
1. Recall a time of great change in your life. It does not matter whether the change was positive and exciting (the birth of a child) or negative and difficult (a divorce or the loss of a job).
2. Begin at the point where you first received news of this change and begin to recall the feelings you experienced as you lived through the change.
3. With attention to the sequence in which you recall the feelings, list them on a sheet of newsprint.
The roller coaster of change shows a natural progression of feelings we experience in a time of change. And it also shows that the feelings we are experiencing and expressing may offer some indication of how far along we are in accepting and owning the change.
What is the Mission of “Missions”?
Dan Hotchkiss
Most congregations engage in some form of social ministry—or believe they should. Some call it missions, others outreach, social action, or benevolence. From relatively modest actions like collecting canned goods for the local food bank to major projects like building a house in partnership with Habitat for Humanity, the collective contribution of churches, mosques, and synagogues to the welfare of the needy is enormous. By contributing, they set an example of generosity and faithful stewardship. To Read entire article, click here
Powerpoint Presentation on Congregational Life Cycle
Church Demographics - has powerful resources available to equip its work through the demographic and leadership tools of PERCEPT, and Link2Lead. Also on this link, you can also find out information for the National Episcopal website on you average weekly Sunday attendance and other issues collected from your church each year. If you need more information or need consultation please e-mail Bill Monk the Percept Administrator for the Diocese at bmonk@episcopalatlanta.org
Tool Box - A list of links provided by the Diocese of Virginia that has proven useful in helping churches grow and develop.
Vital Churches - The strategy for congregations interested in sustaining and expanding vitality involves equipping them for self-assessment, discernment, local ownership and congregational development.
Facts Survey - Understanding Episcopal Congregations Today - In 2000, 41 denominations and faith groups participated in Faith Communities Today (FACT), the largest survey ever conducted of congregations in the United States. This report highlights findings from the 726 Episcopal congregations that completed a FACT questionnaire (out of 1,100 randomly selected parishes). Surveys were completed in most cases by the rector or vicar with the assistance of lay leaders. Go to www.episcopalchurch.org/congr/ to see the FACT questionnaire and responses of Episcopal congregations. A report on all faith groups can be found at http://fact.hartsem.edu .
Worship, Websites, Conflict Affect Growth in Congregations
December 11, 2006 – Contemporary worship, geographic location, a website and the absence of conflict are key factors in why some congregations in America are growing, according to the latest national survey of U.S. faith communities. The survey, sponsored by the Cooperative Congregational Studies Partnership, found that wanting to grow is not enough. Congregationsthat grow must plan for growth: “Congregations that developed a plan to recruit members in the last year were much more likely to grow than congregations that had not.” Click on the link above, or visit the small church blogBeing Church in a Strange and Changing World - Article by Charles N. Fulton III
Last year I was frequently asked to speak about the changing culture of our country and the changing context of ministry. I have made generalizations about generational groups. I have said that the under-fifty population carefully chooses membership, loyalty, and commitment.....
Articles about Small Church Development From the Episcopal Church
Building Discipleship at St. Thomas’, Alton, RI
How One Family-Sized Church Develops its Baptismal Ministry
by The Rev. David Brown
(10/1/2005)
Standing Commission for Small Congregations
2003 General Convention Blue Book Report
The Standing Commission for Small Congregations (SCSC) canonical mandate is to concern itself with plans for directions for small congregations. SCSC met three times and held one telephone conference.
Small Church Dynamics
Small, family sized (1-50 members approximately) function differently from larger, pastoral sized congregations.
Club or Clan or Incarnational Community
Congregations are often seen as hard to get into, choosy about who can join, or layered with tradition and rules that exclude categories of people. Ideally the congregation has one mission: "The mission of the Church is to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ" (Book of Common Prayer, p. 855).
Evangelism for Episcopalians
(who don't want to to there)
by Ben E. Helmer
What most people know is that it has become a by-word for folks who are insistent on making others see God and Jesus the way they do, and it is often associated with slick preaching and door knocking.
TenTips for Congregational Development
Actions Steps for Growth and Vitality
by Ben E. Helmer
GROUNDWORK II
Digging Deep for Change and Growth
Guide for Lenten Study and Action
Based on the Year B readings for the five Sundays in Lent, “Groundwork II” invites congregations to reflect on how they invite people into their midst and into the Episcopal Church.
Each chapter sets the theme of the Sunday's readings and then offers reflections from various voices. Activities based in three tracks round out each chapter. The tracks can either be used continuously or mixed and matched as is appropriate to each congregation and its context.
