News and Thought

• Center Director Begins New Evaluation Job

  Susan Weber is moving from her position as Director of Evaluation and Learning at the Center for Congregations to a new position at the Center as Evaluation Project Coordinator for the Religion Division of Lilly Endowment Inc.  During her time as Director of Evaluation and Congregational Learning, Susan has played a vital role in the Center’s work, especially in the areas of resource consulting, resource grant evaluation, evaluation of congregational resources, and evaluation of the Center’s core services. She also developed and implemented the successful Flourishing Congregations events that gathered congregations of various faith traditions and inspired them to use positive change techniques to strengthen their local faith communities.

  The Center wishes Susan well in her new position and is happy she continues to be part of our staff.
  

  
   

  Posted Jun 19 2008, 01:57 PM

• Summer Centerpiece Hits the "News Stands"

  Find out about the new Southwest Director Wendy McCormick, Flourishing Congregations, education event forums, and more, in the latest issue of Centerpiece.

  Posted May 28 2008, 10:09 AM

• At the Center

  There is always something going on at the Center for Congregations - workshops, long-term learning events, committee meetings, outside congregational groups utilizing the meeting space, luncheons, Center staff events, and more. Some are public – some private. If your group is interested in using our space, feel free to contact us at info@centerforcongregations.org. Check out what's happening this month. 
  
  At the Center ...
  
  June 3 Case Review Meeting (all state)
  
  June 3 CRG Review (Indpls)
  
  June 5-6 Life Together Class (Indpls)
  
  June 6 Alban Board Meeting (Indpls)
  
  June 11 Flourishing Congregations Planning (all state)
  
  June 17 Case Review Meeting (all state)
  
  June 24 Director’s Meeting (all state)
  

  Posted May 28 2008, 05:07 AM

• Explore Strategic Planning

  This new Using Resources piece takes a look at strategic planning in congregations, offering ideas, suggestions, and resources. Topics include planning, consultants vs. do-it-yourself, asking the right questions, creating a team, implementation, and interviewing the consultant. Click here to download.

  Posted May 15 2008, 02:15 PM

• New Children's Space Inspired by Sharing Ideas

  Recently I visited First Baptist Church of Greenwood. While I was there I was immediately captivated by their children’s and youth space.  It wasn’t the flashiness or the new construction that grabbed my interest. In fact, the church building was built in the 1950’s and most of the children’s and youth space is located in their basement where the rooms have drop ceilings and cinder block walls.  Rather, it was the crispness, simplicity, colorfulness, and thoroughness of the space that was so impressive. 
  
  While talking to Associate Pastor Joyce Castleman, I became even more impressed with their revitalized children’s and youth space. Joyce and the children’s ministry committee successfully utilized other congregations as resources. When First Baptist’s children’s ministry committee knew it was time to freshen up the Sunday school classrooms, they called the Center for Congregations for ideas.  Among the resources recommended to them were three local congregations whose leaders intentionally updated their children’s area. The committee members visited all three congregations, took tours and tons of photos, and returned home to process what they saw. The congregations they visited were all much bigger in membership and budget than First Baptist Greenwood. But this didn’t discourage them. Instead they were inspired by the possibilities for their own church based on what they saw others doing. They took bits and pieces of what they learned from the other three churches and tailored those ideas to fit their own setting. As their project continued over time, they called upon those same three churches to get more advice and again tailored what they learned to their own setting. 
  
  As a resource consultant it is deeply satisfying to hear success stories of how congregations learn from each other.  No two settings are alike; therefore the goal of learning from other congregations is not to duplicate their process in your own context. The value of learning from other congregations is to be inspired by the possibilities, to generate creative thoughts, and to glean insight from those who have already been there, done that. If your congregation is embarking on a new project, consider seeking out others who have traveled the road you’re about to travel.
  
  Kara Faris,

  Resource Consultant and Education Director

   

   

  Posted Mar 28 2008, 11:56 AM

• Conflict in Congregations

  Conflict in congregations is inevitable. All too often it is destructive; but it doesn’t have to be. Conflict can be a healthy sign of a passionate congregation. It can provide opportunities to learn complex decision-making and responsible behavior.
  In Conflict in Congregations the Center reports insights from interviews with 11 congregational conflict consultants and 6 clergy who had experienced significant conflict in their congregation.  Learn what congregations tend to fight about and what an intervention from a conflict consultant might look like. Discover 12 factors that signal healthy ways of dealing with conflict in a congregation. Conflict in Congregations offers additional resources and suggestions for using the report with a governing body.
  
  Nancy DeMott
  Resource Director

  Posted Feb 13 2008, 09:33 AM

• Ten Things You Need to Know

  Take a look at the article in the new issue of Congregations magazine, Ten Things You Need To Know about Sacred Space Projects by Center staffers Nancy DeMott and Brent Bill.

  Posted Oct 08 2007, 11:10 AM

• Strategic Planning in Congregations

  Take a look at the new public report on Strategic Planning in Congregations. This report will help congregations understand the use of outside consultants to guide strategic planning. With input from six congregations in the midst of strategic planning and planning consultants who utilize differing methodologies, this piece offers a variety of viewpoints that will enhance a congregation’s knowledge of the planning process and ways to encourage successful outcomes.

  Posted Sep 26 2007, 10:48 AM

• GoodWords Picks Autumn Reading Selections

  GoodWords Reading Club kicks off Autumn with an exploration of A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini on Tuesday, September 25. In October, author Dan Wakefield joins the group for discussion of his book Spiritually Incorrect  on Tuesday, October 23. Tony Johnston's Bone by Bone by Bone is the focus of the gathering on Tuesday, November 27.
  
  Click here for more information about GoodWords Reading Club and its book selections.
  
  For another great opportunity to sample a variety of inspirational books and participate in conversation with the authors themselves, check out the educational event Soul Food: A Hoosier Literary Luncheon Series.

  Posted Aug 09 2007, 08:54 AM

• Exploring Positive Change

  A new Using Resources piece on Group Processes that Facilitate Positive Change was posted recently. Check out this comprehensive collection of ideas and recommendations on working with positive change processes, such as World Café, Open Space Technology, Appreciative Inquiry, and Asset Mapping.  
  Posted Aug 02 2007, 02:18 PM

• Using Books as Resources

  Using Resources is a series of publications designed to help congregations make effective use of specific kinds of resources. Beyond Reading: Using Books as Resources shares ideas about books and how to effectively utilize the information in your congregation. This article covers recommendations on selecting a resource book, engaging a group of readers, creative ways to get people thinking, maintaining momentum, and more.
  Posted Jun 25 2007, 01:34 PM

• More new resources

  Two new workshop resource guides are posted! Check out recommended resources from the May workshops, Congregational Leadership in Anxious Times with Peter Steinke and Building a Neighborhood Together with Hedda Sharapan.
  Posted May 11 2007, 02:37 PM

• Fall education events added

  Two new fall education events have been added to the website. Check out information on This House We Build with Terry Bookman and William Kahn in Indianapolis and Beyond the Ordinary with Cynthia Woolever and Deborah Bruce in Southern Indiana.
  Posted Apr 26 2007, 09:03 AM

• Exploring web-based CMS

  Center for Congregations Finance Director Nancy Armstrong takes a look at a new trend in congregation management software in the article, A New Way of Thinking: Innovative Web-Based CMS Focuses on People.
  Posted Apr 24 2007, 03:04 PM

• Internet Resources for Congregational Planning

  Check out the new resource guide listing a variety of free internet resources to help congregations with planning. From census figures and education demographics to maps and search engines, congregations can find the information they need on the web. These resources were recommended by leaders and participants at the recent workshop, Internet Resources for Congregational Planning.
  
  

  Posted Apr 24 2007, 01:20 PM

• Children and Prayer

  The Center for Congregations hosted a day-long workshop on March 29, 2007 at First Christian Church in Ft. Wayne.  The workshop was led by T. Wyatt Watkins, author and pastor and appealed to pastors and directors of children’s ministries.

  Watkins remarked, "In Matthew 18:1-5 Jesus made children the measure of spiritual greatness." He also remarked that children have special ways of expressing their spirituality. "Where prayers of lament are concerned, what could be more important than putting a child’s tendency to whine in a spiritual context? Give them the freedom to speak and then help them put that into relationship with God. The purpose of lament is to process our sorrows and grievances with God."

  One participant, a children's minister, commented, "Psalm 130 is a lament that gave me so much comfort. It can serve as a guide to help children through loss and teach them that God is a faithful God and is present in the midst of their pain."

  "We stand in a long stream of assumptions about children," commented Watkins, "that young children are incapable of being in a meaningful relationship with God. Not only are children spiritual creatures but they are tapped into the realm of God in a way that adults need."

  Kara Faris

  Posted Mar 30 2007, 11:39 AM

• Special movie screening

  The Indianapolis Center for Congregations presents a special screening of The Power of Forgiveness produced by Journey Films at 7 p.m. Monday, March 26, at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, 100 W. 86th St. The screening includes a panel-guided conversation with the film’s director Martin Doblmeier. See more here

  Posted Mar 02 2007, 12:28 PM

• New Website Makes Debut

  Websurfers visiting www.centerforcongregations.org are in for a pleasant surprise. A new look, robust searching capabilities and easy communications are among features on the updated Indianapolis Center for Congregations website. Visitors to the updated website will see immediately that they are invited in to a customized web experience, based on the visitor’s zip code.

  Users will be able to tailor the information they get from the Center. Folks can sign up to receive the newsletter, workshop mailings, resource mailings, email alerts, and so on. Congregations are able to use the website to more easily to submit information, such as reports, resource evaluations, surveys, and more.

  Finding what you need on the website is also more user-friendly. The new site is resource-driven, rather than navigation dependent. Congregations have the ability to search by keyword and topic to find all available resources on the website, rather than browsing for them – less clicking around, easier to find what you need. Check it out!

  
  Posted Feb 19 2007, 04:12 PM

• Faith, Money, and Giving

  William Enright
  Mondays, April 30, May 7, 14 & 21, Indianapolis

  As stewardship and finance issues continue to be areas of interest to congregations, the Center offers opportunities to explore these topics. Congregations are invited to a workshop series this Spring and Fall to discuss faith, money, and giving.

  Clergy will meet 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Mondays from April 30 to May 21 to look at a wide range of issues, including current trends in religious giving, the history of financing religion in America and rituals of giving. While the workshop touches on topics directly related to fundraising techniques and stewardship drives, the conversations will go much deeper, revealing the multifaceted dynamics of faith and giving. In the Fall, teams of lay leaders from these congregations will meet on three consecutive Monday evenings to investigate these same issues.

  William Enright leads the workshop series. He is executive director of the Lake Family Institute on Faith and Giving at the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University and former senior pastor of the Second Presbyterian Church, Indianapolis. He has authored several books, and he lectures at numerous colleges, universities and theological institutions.

  Faith, Money, and Giving is 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Mondays, April 30 and May 7, 14, and 21, at the Indianapolis Center for Congregations, 303 N. Alabama St. The workshop series is free. Registration is required. The workshop is limited to 10 congregations. To inquire or register, contact Tim Shapiro at tshapiro@centerforcongregations.org or 317-237-7799.
  
  Sorry, this event is full.

  
  Posted Dec 09 2006, 04:06 PM