Vision & Planning
By Ken Howard
Once there was a time when church buildings were considered indispensable fixtures for their surrounding community. Now, many of our buildings are empty most days of the week and people on the street pass by without a second …
By Bob Williams
Do your congregation’s communication tools need sharpening? Maybe you’d like to get on track for fall and the new program year? Here are suggestions from the Media in Ministry class at Bloy House, the Episcopal Theological Sc…
By Nancy Davidge and Susan Elliott
“What are we to do with that knowledge?” Ongoing visioning and planning is a key vestry responsibility. In “Why Articulate Your Mission & Vision,” an excerpt from the new Vestry Resource Guide, Nancy Davidge and Susan Elliott…
By Nancy Davidge
Who sets the vision for the congregation? In “name,” Nancy Davidge shares the responses from congregational leaders – lay and ordained – from across our church.
By Nancy Davidge as told by Edgar Gutierrez-Duarte
How does a congregation live into its sacred role as a healer?
By Sandra Montes
Sandra Montes speaks Silvestre Romero shares his thoughts and experience working with multicultural parishes as well as the Episcopal identity and the challenges they face.
By Estela López
Estela Lopez shares the story of the rebirth of a struggling church in Texas. A shared vision and inviting all members to become leaders are central to the success of this ministry. (Also available in Spanish.)
By Alex Montes-Vela
In ”God Helps Us to See,” Alex Montes-Vela reminds us that it is through our brokenness that we can truly see what God is calling us to do – and be – in the world.
By Nancy Davidge and Susan Elliott
A special excerpt from the new Vestry Resource Guide, Nancy Davidge and Susan Elliott offer strategies for shifting a strategic planning process to the more nimble and dynamic strategic thinking model.
By Donald V. Romanik
What will our Episcopal church look like in 100 years? Numbers and trends suggest a drastic makeover is in order. In New Leadership for a Changing Church, ECF President Donald V. Romanik, alerts us to the swiftly changing lan…
By Sandra Clark Kolb
Group dynamics need to develop and will change with each new vestry. In “Framework for Vestry Success”, Sandy Kolb guides us through the key stages to give care and attention to.
By Terri Matthes
Do you need a video for your capital campaign? Maybe you've had your heart strings pulled by glowing shots and the stirring soundtrack of your alma mater's video or the local hospital's. But is something that flashy appropria…
By Nancy Davidge
Online listings offer churches the opportunity to tell their story 24/7, with capacity to include far more than name, address, contact information, and worship times. Learn about what's available and how to get maximum (free)…
By Lisa H. Towle
Concern for the future started Lisa Towle and ECW-NC on a journey of discernment and discovery. More
By Bruce Barnes
Disasters happen. In “Supporting First Responders,” Bruce Barnes shares how during a major fire, Church of the Redeemer quickly opened a cooling shelter for first responders due to the hard work of his congregation’s disaster…
By Jane Patterson and John Lewis
How can you tell when a ministry is no longer viable?
By Greg Syler
Collaboration has about as much buzz as any buzzword seems to buzz these days.
By Blair Pogue
St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in St. Paul, MN has been re-envisioning the role of the vestry over the last five years: inviting vestry members to understand their role as that of a spiritual discernment team.
By Tom Ehrich
For a better future to happen, vestries need to recognize that business-as-usual is over. Over the next two to three years, vestries need to undertake six radical shifts in how they operate.
By Rosa Lindahl Mallow
The New River Regional Ministry is the result of the commitment of The Diocese of Southeast Florida, All Saints Church, St. Ambrose Church, El Centro Hispano de Todos los Santos, and St. Ambrose Pre-school to serve joyfully b…