by Anna B. Olson | Aug 28, 2024
While school was out for the summer, the School for Christian Faith and Leadership took the time to refresh and augment our online offerings. There’s a new series of short videos on the Baptismal Promises up already, and several more videos to come. Together they will form a complete course for Baptism preparation or a refresher on the Episcopal vision for Christian life. Look for revised Vestry training resources in September, as well as a collection of resources to learn more about areas of Diocesan focus such as reparations, creation care, and refugee response. Other works in progress include resources for learning about the Bible and spiritual practices.
To get a walkthrough of all the School’s online resources, how they are organized, and how to access them, join our September 18 webinar or register to request the recording. In case you missed the webinar on the revised Path of Discipleship resources, you can still catch it here.
If you missed the Annual Giving Toolkit Workshop last weekend, it’s still not too late to access the materials here (including this video from Bishop Mariann) or ask for help here.
Further into fall, we’ll have two more Courageous Discipleship Days: Repurposing Church Property on September 21 and Celebrating Small Church Ministry on October 19. Our second EDOW Being With cohort (already filled) will take place September-November. The School will also be working with the Committee on Diocesan Reparations in advance of Diocesan Convention to make sure that we all have a chance to learn about the Committee’s important work and the decisions that will be before us at Convention.
If you have suggestions for things you’d like to learn more about, or you’d like to talk about offering a course through the School, please contact School Director Anna Olson.
by Anna B. Olson | Jul 3, 2024
Join me for a walkthrough of the School’s web-based Core Curriculum resources. Learn how the School is organized, how to find and access what you need, and how the School’s offerings may enrich your ministry.
Everyone who
registers will receive a direct link to the recorded conversation, which will also be posted on the School’s page:
learn.edow.org.
Look forward to seeing you there!
Anna Olson (Director, School for Christian Faith and Leadership)
by Anna B. Olson | Jul 2, 2024
What would free your church up to live its ministry fully, as if there were no tomorrow to worry about?
What would it be like if you didn’t have to maintain a building for your congregation?
What would you do if you could get your hands on some of the equity tied up in the land on which your church sits and give it away in your local community?
How might you redirect your energy if the budget weren’t so tight and you weren’t always one crisis away from financial catastrophe?
What is at the heart of your congregation’s commitment to represent the Gospel in your community?
This is a day to meet some fellow church folks who have answered all of these questions. Their answers are not always easy to hear or easy to replicate. This is a day to set aside the problems that weigh down your leadership and limit your ministry and take the time to look, listen, and imagine, even dream.
Participants will learn and experience the story of Arlington Presbyterian Church, a church that sold its property, watched its traditional building torn down and has been freed to do amazing ministry in its local community. We will hear an honest accounting of the cost of change and the hard parts along the way to new life. We will also visit some other churches that are at various stages of making major changes in the way their church property is used. Most importantly, we will spend some time imagining and dreaming together about possibilities that are beyond what we readily see.
We will need to limit space in this pilgrimage to about 20 participants. Please indicate your interest in participating on this registration form, and we’ll confirm space by the beginning of September. Please contact the Rev. Anna Olson at the School for Christian Faith and Leadership with any questions.
by Anna B. Olson | Jul 2, 2024
This day will highlight the power and possibility of small churches. In a time of rapid change in the church, small churches can be nimble and brave, leading the way in experimenting with new and creative ways to gather God’s people in Christian community. In a time of loneliness and social isolation, small churches are intimate, built on relationships, often making room for people with few other alternatives for social connection. In a time when life in too many of our communities is characterized by violence, disconnection and polarization, small churches can be beacons of faith, hope and love, paying attention to the people around them and finding ways to rejoice and weep with the local community.
Join other small church leaders from around the Diocese in reflecting on your strengths, imagining your future, recommitting to your community, and trying a few new things in a supportive environment.
How do I know if my church is small? Most churches in the United States have fewer than 100 active members. Churches may be small in membership, small in physical size, located in small communities, or limited in the resources they can marshal for ministry. If you ever find yourself feeling small, and definitely if you spend much time wishing you were bigger, this day is for you!
Register here. Please contact the Rev. Anna Olson at the School for Christian Faith with any questions about the event.
by Keely Thrall | Mar 21, 2024
From the earliest days of the Jesus movement, disciples and followers have offered their resources in support of ministry. Even the gospel of Luke speaks of a group of women who experienced healing and went on to support Jesus out of their resources (Luke 8:2-3).
How is stewardship going in your congregation? What’s working well? Are the approaches you have used over the years still yielding strong results and supporting the ministry you feel called to carry out? Does it feel like things have slipped or shifted? Have you found that new generations and communities face different financial pressures and have different ways of thinking about giving than the previous generations of faithful in your congregation? How do we connect the need to raise funds back to the reasons our churches exist to begin with, as places of faith, hope, and love?
Join Bishop Mariann, Canon Andrew Walter, the School for Christian Faith and Leadership, and lay and clergy leaders from around the Diocese to spend a day exploring stewardship through the lens of creative discipleship.
Learn what’s been working and what has been challenging in other contexts. We’ll spend a good chunk of the time discerning our way forward together – identifying our strengths and challenges, trying our hands at some professional fundraising basics, and remembering together why local church is worth supporting to begin with.
Lunch included. Register here.
