Congregational Development

2013 First Steps Grants application 

 

The ministry of strengthening and building a congregation is a truly vital one. The maxim that if you’re standing still you’re probably really going backwards is as true of churches as it is of businesses. While there are no simple answers—every congregation is different and should celebrate the fact—there are extensive resources available to help each one discern the path that will work best, and then to act effectively.


At the diocesan level, the Congregational Development Commission, with the professional support of the Canons for Congregational Development, is charged with developing, creating and/or discovering ways to enable congregations/regions to:

 

  • Identify and serve the varied spiritual and material needs in their churches and their communities
  • Fulfill their Baptismal Covenant by learning what it means to become institutions of transformation
  • Find their ‘vocation’ or ‘call’
  • Affirm God’s vast and varied creation and celebrate the fact that not all congregations grow in the same way
  • Value diversity as an aid in discerning the direction of parish growth, encourage risk-taking
  • Find and delight in the varied gifts of individual members
  • Broaden the vision of ministry, in accordance with ‘The Great Commission’ given to us by Jesus, to include global mission teams and engage in local social justice activities
  • Develop, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, methods of leadership training and growth strategies, including methods of managing change.



The regular office day for the Canons for Congregational Development is on Thursdays. Click the link in the menu bar to your right for contact details.

 

In pursuit of its goals, the Commission runs a range of workshops and seminars for clergy and lay leaders throughout diocese over the course of each year.  Details are published online on the diocesan calendar, and notices are sent out by mail and electronically.

 

Congregational Development Web Resources

Congregational Development Books

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