Vision & Planning

Would your small church be better off in collaboration with another small church? In his latest blog, Greg Syler proposes that the Episcopal Church use some multisite thinking. He presents statistics to show that the movement…
This month we offer five resources on strategic thinking.
Canoeing the Mountains by Tod Bolsinger takes a look at opportunities for adaptive leadership within the Church. Linda Buskirk talks about the book and the ways that others find encouragement in his insights.
Joe Merlino talks about discernment in his first blog post for ECF. A capital campaign consultant, Joe meets with parishes that often have tried various approaches before turning to ECF. Here he explains the holistic approach…
How does your congregation’s business model impact your church’s mission and ministry? Are there areas that are too complex? Are there areas that consume energy but do not drive ministry? What would you change if you could ch…
Is geography destiny for a capital campaign? In the case of Camp Wingmann, a small Episcopal summer camp in the Diocese of Central Florida, the answer happily was no.
What if we, from the treasures of our Anglican theological heritage, took some of our common life out of the church buildings proper, and into the neighborhoods, homes, parks, restaurants, and coffee shops?
Set the expectation that an extended annual retreat is important and all leadership team members should attend.
Where have you seen a change in your community, and how have you tried to engage?
This month we are highlighting five resources to help your vestry or other church groups learn more about strategic visioning and planning.
Congregations often want to be all things to all people, jumping on every new idea without considering whether it supports the congregation’s mission to the community. The ideas may be good individually, but how do they align…
Here is a creative way to get visionary juices flowing at your next Vestry planning retreat: Start writing your congregation’s 2023 Annual Report.
Strategic planner that I am, I love it when a plan starts coming together with results. One of the readings for Epiphany, Ephesians 3: 1-12, reveals some pretty amazing aspects of God’s plan already in the works.
It is important to add this critical topic (disaster preparedness) to the agenda at our next Vestry meeting.
This month we offer five resources to help your congregation with vision and planning.
A way for congregations to raise funds and cover costs of specific projects.
Why can’t we just ask people what they want to do?
Taking time away from our daily routines to refresh, renew and revitalize our mind, body and spirit will enable more rewarding ministries.
Within congregations, a Parish Coordinator is essential to ensure that all items planned by the clergy, vestry, and committees are reflected on a master calendar.
What old ways of thinking do we need to let go of - what old things need to die - so that we can more clearly hear and discern where God would have us act?