| | | | | | | | | | | | PRACTICAL WISDOM FOR LEADING CONGREGATIONS |
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| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Having grown up in Texas, I am accustomed to parched land. When the weather radar gets colorful, I recognize the conditions that cause flash flooding. And now that I live in North Carolina, every year I expect a hurricane or two to dump inches of rain hundreds of miles inland, causing massive flooding and sinkholes and toppling trees older than I am.
When the ground is dry, you might think that a lot of rain would be a blessing. But the opposite can also be true.
The first half an inch or so might have time to soak into the dry earth, but when the rain falls faster than the land can absorb it, the water begins to accumulate, and gravity quickly pulls it to the lowest available spots. This process creates mudslides and erosion, robbing the land of its healthy topsoil; it overwhelms storm drains, floods buildings and stalls cars in swamped roads.
It is logical to think that water will fix or bring health to dry land. But the conditions of the water and the land determine whether it will bring nourishment or ruin.
The same is true for grants and institutions.
When an institution is operating in a scarcity mindset, it is logical to think that a windfall of money will bring immediate health, creating the conditions for growth and sustainability.But Robert C. Saler, the executive director of the Center for Pastoral Excellence at Christian Theological Seminary, which administers Lilly Endowment's Clergy Renewal Programs, notes the importance of giving "the right grant to the right institution at the right time." These three markers are helpful in determining when and whether the conditions are present for a grant to promote health within an institution.
Read more from Victoria Atkinson White » |
| | FROM OUR ARCHIVE: GRANTS & CONGREGATIONS |
Many churches are now considering grant funding as a way to support some ministry programs. In her more than twenty years of writing grant proposals and teaching grant writing, Joy Skjegstad has found that churches and ministry groups often have a lot to learn about the process of applying for grants. Securing grant funding can be possible for congregations, but it's important to avoid some predictable pitfalls along the way.
Read more from Joy Skjegstad » |
| Pastors and ministry leaders are always asking whether grants are available to fund the work of their congregations, and the answer is always, "It depends." Read more from Joy Skjegstad » |
The Turnaround Church: Inspiration and Tools for Life-Sustaining Change by Mary Louise Gifford
The Turnaround Church is the story of Wollaston Congregational Church United Church of Christ, a 130-year-old congregation that once was thriving in ministry, membership, mission, music, and money. For half a century, however, the church had slowly declined and was considering closing its doors. The two dozen remaining members knew they had to change, but did not know how. They had very little money left, but they were willing to risk it all. With few resources, members hired Mary Louise Gifford, a new seminary graduate, to be their full-time minister. Wollaston is now a vibrant, Spirit-filled faith community-a turnaround church. Changes in worship, stewardship, and priorities, combined with the congregation's resilience and Gifford's optimistic leadership, have transformed this church. Gifford tells us how.
Addressing a wide audience, Gifford shows church leaders they have options and reason for hope. People in dying churches will find assurance that they are still a part of the body of Christ. Clergy serving these struggling churches will discover tools and resources to help them guide change. Judicatory leaders will appreciate an inspiring story they can tell about a church that turned around in spite of the odds. The Turnaround Church, while not a prescription for all churches, is a call to make long-lasting, life-sustaining changes.
Learn more and order the book » |
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