Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

The question of how the church must change was the theme of the opening address at The Episcopal Church’s Executive Council meeting in Fort Worth.

As reported by Episcopal News Service, House of Deputies President Bonnie Anderson used part of her opening comments to say that "our society is changing both demographically and economically, the size, and resource base of our Church is changing and the world is changing through climate change, population change, technology and a host of other factors." The church, she said, must respond in ways that are "rooted in our core values as Episcopalians and that includes the gifts of all the people of God in our church."

Anderson said that it is the job of council and of the members of the church's committees, commissions, agencies, and boards "as leaders of the church to embrace this change in an intentional and proactive manner." That leadership must be aimed at trying to "figure out what will bring us closer to Jesus, guided by the Gospel and rooted in the Book of Common Prayer, and using our representative governing system."

The work of the Executive Council and the church’s committees, commissions, agencies, and boards represents ‘top down’ change. Yet often, real change occurs ‘bottom up.’

In his January 2011 Vestry Papers article “The End to ‘Business as Usual’,” Tom Ehrich offers six radical shifts congregational leaders should adopt to cultivate healthy, vibrant, and growing churches.

How is your congregation addressing change? What are the demographic and economic changes facing your congregation and how have they impacted membership and resources? What steps has/is your congregation taking to address these changes? How can the Executive Council and The Episcopal Church support you in this work? What support can ECF Vital Practices provide?