Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

“Perhaps this week, more than others, we remember our rightful place as servants of the one who came not to be served but to serve and those he loved to the end, especially the poor, the oppressed, the needy.”
                                      - Stacy Sauls

This Holy Week, ECF Vital Practices continues its exploration of death and resurrection with articles designed to challenge our acceptance of the status quo. During Lent, we are asked to prayerfully consider our baptismal vows and reflect on how we honor God’s love through service and sacrifice. Easter brings with it an invitation to explore new life and resurrection in our lives, our congregations and communities, as well as the wider world of which we are a part.

For April, we invited our contributors to share stories related to change; specifically tackling established beliefs or practices. With each article, questions are raised relating to our understanding of how well our congregational, diocesan, or organizational practices are working in relation to what God is calling us to do in the world today:

• “Remembering about God” by Stacy Sauls asks us to consider whether a long-ago decision to institutionalize the Church might in fact be contributing to what is widely seen as decline and if we instead, go back to our earliest roots as Christians, we might find the tools we need for Christianity to thrive.
• “Of Dinosaurs & Discernment,” by Lisa Towle begins the story of how the Episcopal Church Women in the Diocese of North Carolina are taking a serious look at their organization with an eye towards the future.
• Thomas Brackett’s retelling of the “Parable of the Lifesaving Station” (offered in both English and Español) challenges us to take an honest look at our ministries and ask if we’ve adopted a “Club” mentality.
• En "Cortejados por los Presbiterianos," Cam Miller describe cómo una iglesia episcopal y una iglesia presbiteriana están explorando la posibilidad de un campus compartido en Buffalo, Nueva York.

We invite you to explore the questions raised by our April contributors with your congregational leadership team.

In addition to our new content, a review of our archives resulted in additional content related to helping congregational leaders explore difficult questions.

"A Bible Study for Difficult Decisions" by Jane Patterson and John Lewis 

“Be Not Afraid – Is Our Role Business or Faith?" by Elizabeth M. Magill 

"Church Smackdown? Not in this Town" by Richelle Thompson 

"Little Church, Big Mission" by Anne Ditzler 

"Resurrection Leadership" by Jeff W. Fisher 

"Talkin’ About My Generation" by Miguel Escobar 

I invite you to add to this content by sharing your stories and resources of death and resurrection in the Your Turn section and by posting comments related to our articles, blog posts, or other content.

Faithfully,

Nancy

Nancy Davidge 
Editor, ECF Vital Practices