Workshops

You’ve heard the grim statistics about millennials and congregations. “Religious nones” or the religiously unaffiliated are the fastest growing in American religious demographics. Three-fourths of those who are unaffiliated are people who grew up in congregations. Some current research indicates that one million young people will leave congregational life each year for the next 30 years.

But there is good news and a new way of engaging people.

Cultural analyst John Seel argues that the survival of American congregational life is dependent on congregations listening to millennials. Seel charts a different way forward coupled with an urgent warning. American congregations’ survival is reliant on understanding the greatest frame shift in American religious history.

The bonds of our shared faith and community grow stronger when we sing together. Paperless singing is an inclusive, oral tradition practice that invites engagement of the whole person. 

Because we aren’t holding paper music or looking at a screen, we can listen and connect more deeply to those around us, and we are free to embody the song and celebrate the beauty we co-create together.  It not only enriches our worship, it can also nourish the spirit and strengthen our sense of belonging at meetings, youth groups, and more.

In this interactive workshop, composer and conductor Pam Blevins Hinkle will share best practices for effective facilitation of paperless singing. You will learn:

We have greater awareness of our neighbors than ever before. This awareness includes the present reality of great division across racial and ethnic lines. Your congregation can play a key role in creating safe space to have difficult conversations about racial inequities. You can help lead the way in moving our culture toward collective action to achieve a fairer and more just society.
 
Dr. Michael R. Twyman, subject matter expert on race and racism, leads this full-day workshop. He will help increase your understanding about race, as well as actions and responses your congregation can take to combat racism. This is a highly interactive workshop, so come prepared to participate in dialogue about all of the topics listed below. Dr. Twyman will use this time as an… more

You’re invited to two open house celebrations! 

Join us in welcoming our new Center for Congregations regional office directors - McKenzie Scott Lewis of the northwest office and Shellie Riggs Jordan of the southeast office. You'll meet Shellie at the open house in Seymour and McKenzie at the Crown Point open house.

The open houses are:

Southeast Open House
Thursday, April 4, 2019
4­–6 p.m. (Eastern time)

at the Center for Congregations southeast office
100 South Chestnut Street
Seymour, Indiana 47274

Northwest Open House
Thursday, May 2, 2019
4­–7 p.m. (Central time)

at the Center for Congregations northwest office
9801 Connecticut Drive, Suite 200
Crown Point, Indiana 46307

Enjoy… more

Join Center for Congregations staff for a preview of the upcoming event The Art of the Flourishing Congregation: Practices that Promote Positive Change. This short, interactive session also includes an overview of Center for Congregations services and showcases our online resource tool, the Congregational Resource Guide (CRG).

The Art of the Flourishing Congregation is a statewide event presented by the Center for Congregations. The day-long workshop on November 7, 2019 is designed to equip you and your team with an understanding of how positive change tools can work for your congregation. In this May 16 preview, participants will enjoy learning one positive change tool from Center staffer Sue Weber. She’ll also highlight many of the other tools and principles offered at the… more

The Enneagram is a powerful tool that can help individuals and groups better relate to themselves, to each other, and to their world. Often used in therapeutic and spiritual direction settings, the Enneagram is a wonderful, ecumenical resource in the life of a spiritual community.

The Enneagram of Personality is a map derived from ancient wisdom literature that has been combined with modern psychology. It’s important for leadership teams, small groups, and even casual acquaintances to learn to live and work well together in a congregation. Some common dysfunctions are often rooted in unconscious motivations and behaviors. Theology leader Annie Dimond believes that the Enneagram can help uncover barriers and promote positive growth.

After a day of learning about what the… more

Effective communications is less about sending the right message and more about releasing the right response. Do you know the difference? More often than we realize, people aren’t looking for more information—they’re looking for ways to make sense of the information they already have. Many times, instead of helping people with relief from overload, we just throw more on the pile and add to the confusion.

This workshop is for you as a pastor, creative professional, ministry leader or volunteer looking for ways to get your message out to where your audience connects, whether that is online or off.

Communications leader Kem Meyer facilitates this workshop. She doesn’t focus on symptomatic relief and short-term solutions alone, but rather on connections that can make… more

Effective communications is less about sending the right message and more about releasing the right response. Do you know the difference? More often than we realize, people aren’t looking for more information—they’re looking for ways to make sense of the information they already have. Many times, instead of helping people with relief from overload, we just throw more on the pile and add to the confusion.

This workshop is for you as a pastor, creative professional, ministry leader or volunteer looking for ways to get your message out to where your audience connects, whether that is online or off.

Communications leader Kem Meyer facilitates this workshop. She doesn’t focus on symptomatic relief and short-term solutions alone, but rather on connections that can make… more