Workshops

Your congregational facility tells a story. Stories are all around us, in virtually every aspect of our daily experiences. In this live online workshop, facility management leader Tim Cool offers a unique perspective on the importance of congregational buildings.

These buildings are vastly more important than most understand. The congregational campus and the story of the people in the congregation go hand-in-hand and are interwoven into each other. You cannot neglect the power of story and how your congregational facility communicates a story.

Cool will answer several key questions about congregational facilities. How does congregational space support the story of the people? How does the congregational space prime the heart, minds and emotions of your guests? How does… more

You’re constantly planning for the next thing. Whether it’s the next sacred season, service opportunity or change of focus for your congregation. You know there’s a lot of great information on how to plan, but much of it is geared for business or military rather than congregational life. While helpful, this information can require a lot of translation.

Dave Odom of Leadership Education at Duke Divinity wants to introduce you to an approach that will more specifically fit your congregational planning needs. Come learn about a life-giving method to planning that acknowledges congregations are a unique hybrid of organization and family.

In this live online workshop, you will learn how to:

identify five critical questions that an effective strategy should address.… more

This on-demand series focuses on learning gleaned from Indiana congregations by the Center for Congregations in 2015-2016. Tim Shapiro, president of the Center for Congregations, shares the six principles distilled from the Center's experiences with Indiana congregational youth ministries.

Course Elements

 8 topical videos from 3 - 5 minutes each  Group reflection worksheet  Resource Guide for further study on youth ministry

Take the Course

 Estimated total time required: 1 hour  Course is free  Create an account with your email only (no password required)  Take at your own pace; stop and return when it's convenient  Keep this email to return to the course or bookmark the link

Technology Requirements

 Best accessed on a laptop or desktop computer

… more

Since the mid 90’s, there has been a shift in congregational charitable giving. Once upon a time, clergy could mount the pulpit, state a need, and people would give. Today, donor giving is more value-driven than need-driven, with fundraising increasingly donor-centered rather than institution-centered. People no longer give just because the congregational leadership asks. Giving decisions are made beyond the walls of a congregation. For many, that place is back home at the kitchen table. The kitchen table is a metaphor symbolizing those times and places where deep conversations occur that shape a person’s charitable giving decisions.

You need to ask yourself: How can my congregation become part of this tangle of giving conversations?

Workshop facilitator Bill Enright… more

In this fast-paced, upbeat workshop, you can learn about an innovative strategic planning process that congregations of all sizes can successfully complete and implement. This live-online workshop is a hands-on experience, which prepares you to take what you’ve learned back to your congregation to begin the process of planning.

Led by June Miller, regional director for Indiana Nonprofit Resource Network, this workshop provides fresh ideas and a better understanding of what it means to think and plan strategically. Miller explores the tools of strategic planning, helping you create a manageable and easy-to-implement plan.

You will leave with:

a clear understanding of terms used in strategic planning an easy-to-use, seven-step framework for planning that is… more

This on-demand course explores Engaging Young Adults, a special report of the 2015 American Congregations study of Faith Communities Today (FACT).

Wendy McCormick of the Center for Congregations interviews the report’s author, Kristina Lizardy-Hajbi, about the research and what congregations can learn and apply from the findings.

Course Elements

 6 topical videos from 5 - 8 minutes each  Group reflection worksheet  Recommendations for additional information

Take the Course

 Estimated total time required: 1 hour  Course is free  Create an account with your email only (no password required)  Take at your own pace; stop and return when it's convenient  Keep this email to return to the course or bookmark the link

Technology Requirements

 Best… more

Imagine building and thriving within a community of people whose gifts, talents and skills are valued; a community able to manage and lead through conflict collectively takes risks to accomplish the mission and realize the vision of the congregation.

Team work is important. We’ve all heard the chant – T.E.A.M (Together Everyone Achieves More). While that is a true statement, ministry leaders are often tasked to their individual areas of responsibilities, left to operate in disconnected silos. Over time, these silos begin fostering miscommunication and causing the misalignment of the mission and vision.

Leadership development advisor Aleze Fulbright provides you with a practical framework and actionable tools to evaluate the effectiveness of your current team structures… more

This on-demand course focuses on the 2015-2016 Center for Congregations investigation of Indiana congregations engaging young adults. Center staff member Wendy McCormick coordinated the project, which included interviews with leaders of young adult ministries around the state and a gathering of leaders from about 20 congregations effectively engaging young adults.

Course Elements

 6 topical videos from 3 - 6 minutes each  Group reflection worksheet  Center for Congregations article on young adult engagement

REGISTER HERE FOR THIS ON-DEMAND COURSE.

Take the Course

 Estimated total time required: 1 hour  Course is free  Create an account with your email only (no password required)  Take at your own pace; stop and return when it's convenient  Keep this… more