Vital Christian Community

Alissabeth Newton, Philip Brochard

Description

Twelve characteristics of healthy Christian communities and the congregational and personal practices that develop them.

Twelve characteristics of healthy Christian communities and the congregational and personal practices that develop them.

Congregations have been the bedrock of mainline Christian life and practice for centuries but in recent years many have dwindled in energy and impact. Leaders conclude that change is needed, that they can’t keep applying the same models and practices that have served in the past but no longer seem to work.

At a time when all kinds of institutions are being buffeted by swift and strong cultural forces, Brochard and Newton believe the congregation to be a primary site for the transformation of individuals, communities, and the world and that the measures for congregational vitality begin with health, faithfulness, and effectiveness as local expressions of the Church.

The authors offer readers insights into developing a sense of purpose, building trust, encouraging curiosity, becoming more collaborative, appreciating productive conflict, and other vital skills.

Sujets

• Religion
• Christianisme
• Philosophie et théologie
• Growth
• Christian Church

Informations

• Publié par: Church Publishing Incorporated
• Date de parution: 20 septembre 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781640655218
• Langue: English

Extrait

Advance praise for Vital Christian Community
If there s anything we ve learned in this season of pandemic and disruption, it s how essential community is to Christian life. Vital Christian Community offers churches of every kind access to clear, tested practices and pathways toward authentic, transformed life with Jesus and with each other. Newton, Brochard, and the College for Congregational Development have blessed us with just the right resource at just the right time.
-The Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers, author of The Church Cracked Open
Newton and Brochard s book is exciting as well as helpful, offering us a deep and hopeful view of congregations of all sizes while also providing excellent resources for strengthening their transformational potential.
-The Revd Dr Ellen Clark-King, Dean of King s College London
This book demonstrates a blend of practitioner experience and wisdom with critical and innovative thought. Clearly, the Revs. Phil Brochard and Alissa Newton speak from ministerial and practitioner experience. And just as clearly, they speak from that experience to help the Church toward a fresh expression today. This is an excellent resource for local faith communities, denominational leaders, seminaries, and laity who need help in thinking about how faith communities, in their local context, can be more healthy, vibrant, and effectively active.
-The Rev. Dr. Mark Chung Hearn, Associate Professor and Director of Contextual Education, Church Divinity School of the Pacific, Berkeley, California
I like to think of a diocese as a community of communities of deep Christian practice where healthy and sustainable congregations are our best hope for transformation and renewal in Christ. Having just launched the College for Congregational Development in the Diocese of Indianapolis, I see Vital Christian Community as an essential text putting some of the core values and practices of the college into the hands of lay and ordained leaders when we need this wisdom the most.
-The Rt. Rev. Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows, Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis
For those committed to the congregational model of Church, Phil Brochard and Alissa Newton provide practical wisdom for revitalization, development, and vitality. Real case studies from congregations concretely illustrate how the various tools and practices can help congregational leaders cultivate health, relevance, and authenticity in how to be and do church in this challenging epoch.
-Israel Galindo, Associate Dean, Columbia Theological Seminary, and author of The Hidden Lives of Congregations
As a follower of Jesus, I believe that decline is not a gospel value, and the College for Congregational Development offers methods and tools for leaders to get unstuck and thrive I commend this relevant resource for its theological grounding, audacious hope, gentle persuasion, and practical application.
-The Rt. Rev. Prince Grenville Singh, PhD, Bishop Provisional, Eastern and Western Michigan
COMMUNITY
12 CHARACTERISTICS OF HEALTHY CONGREGATIONS
PHIL BROCHARD AND ALISSA NEWTON -->
Copyright 2022 by Phil Brochard and Alissa Newton
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.
Unless otherwise noted, the Scripture quotations are from New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
All materials referencing The College for Congregational Development manual or models copyright 2022 The Diocese of Olympia Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version , NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.
Church Publishing 19 East 34th Street New York, NY 10016
Cover design by Jennifer Kopec, 2Pug Design Typeset by Rose Design
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Brochard, Phil, author. Newton, Alissa, author.
Title: Vital Christian community : twelve characteristics of healthy congregations / Phil Brochard and Alissa Newton.
Description: New York, NY : Church Publishing, [2022]
Identifiers: LCCN 2022018408 (print) LCCN 2022018409 (ebook) ISBN 9781640655201 (paperback) ISBN 9781640655218 (epub)
Subjects: LCSH: Church. Emotional maturity--Religious aspects--Christianity.
Classification: LCC BV601 .B76 2022 (print) LCC BV601 (ebook) DDC 262/.7--dc23/eng/20220603
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022018408 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022018409
Dedication
This book is dedicated to every person willing to spend time, faith, and love for the sake of Christian community.
CONTENTS
Foreword by the Most Rev. Melissa Skelton
Introduction
1. Sense of Purpose: Gather, Transform, Send
2. Reliably Transformational
3. Practitionership
4. Able to Trust
5. Curiosity
6. Responsive
7. Reflective
8. Open to Change
9. Collaborative
10. Productive in Conflict
11. Emotionally Grounded
12. Self-Differentiated Leadership
Afterword: A Conversation with Bishop Greg Rickel, Episcopal Diocese of Olympia
Appendix A. Retreat and Intentional Design
Appendix B. Gather, Transform, Send: The Core Purpose of a Christian Community; A Retreat for Leadership Bodies
Appendix C. Sources of Transformation: The Ways That God Changes Lives; A Retreat for Leadership Bodies
Appendix D. Faith Development in Community: An Invitation to Go Deeper; A Retreat for Leadership Bodies
Appendix E. The Benedictine Life: God Is Not Elsewhere; A Retreat for Leadership Bodies
Appendix F. Gather, Transform, Send:The Core Purpose of a Christian Community; An Online Retreat for Leadership Bodies
Acknowledgments
FOREWORD
I N JANUARY OF 2009, at the behest of Bishop Greg Rickel, the newly elected bishop of the Diocese of Olympia, the diocese launched something called The College for Congregational Development. Built from the learning from other training programs, the models and skills of many organization and congregational development practitioners, the headstrong energy of a bishop and his then consultant (me), and the willingness of a human-relations focused training team, the College began with one aim: to equip lay and clergy leaders with the frameworks and the practical skills to develop or redevelop their congregations. It was a wild ride as we learned what was useful and what was not, what trainers needed to do their best, and what our own congregational leaders had to teach us about developing the congregations they loved into communities of faith that were healthier, more faithful, and more effective in fostering a sense of baptismal identity and purpose at the congregational level.
Now over twelve years later, the College (also called The School for Parish Development in Canada) has been held in dioceses, has a cadre of competent trainers that function throughout the US and in Canada, and has had a powerful effect on congregations far beyond the Diocese of Olympia.
How did this come to be?
It came to be through all involved in the program-Bishop Rickel and other bishops, trainers, congregational leaders, and congregations-just staying with what we were developing in the knowledge that the experiment needed time to take hold and grow. It came to be through the creation of an open system in the program that allowed trainers, most of whom were congregational leaders themselves, to contribute both to the content and to the approach of the program, all the while developing their own skills as trainers. It came to be through the program s comprehensive approach to theory and emphasis on the development of practical skills so that participants in the program could go back into their congregations and immediately use the frameworks and practice their skills.
The book you are about to read has a great deal of the College/School in it as well as stories about how the material and the skills were put to use for the good of the congregations whose leaders participated in the training. But what you will also read here is the love for congregational development that two extraordinary people possess who have been central to the development of the College/School: The Rev. Canon Alissa Newton, rector of St. Columba s Episcopal Church in Kent, Washington, and canon for congregational development and leadership in the Diocese of Olympia and The Rev. Phil Brochard, the rector of All Soul s Episcopal Church in Berkeley, California. These two talented, experienced, and skillful people have passion for Episcopal congregations and have the skills and experience to help other congregational leaders take the many step-by-step interventions needed to develop their congregations.
It has been my pleasure to be a part of the College s/the School s journey and I am grateful for the opportunity to read and enjoy the many ways that Alissa and Phil describe the impact of the program on many, many congregations and congregational leaders.
-The Most. Rev. Melissa Skelton
INTRODUCTION
I T S A MID-AUGUST SUNDAY IN 2020 at St. Columba s Episcopal Church in Kent, Washington, the congregation where Alissa serves, and we are practicing our new normal in the midst of the pandemic. After finishing the 9:00 a.m. live stream about forty-five minutes ago, we are now getting ready for our pop-up service-an outdoor, COVID-compliant spoken worship service that happens in the parking lot. Alissa loves to watch folks arrive for this service, because it attracts participants from across the spec