Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

This month we offer five resources on evangelism. Please share this digest with new members of your vestry and extend an invitation to subscribe to ECF Vital Practices to receive Vestry Papers and the monthly digest.

1.Does your congregation yearn to bring others into church but are not sure how? In Evangelism for the 21st Century, Day Smith Pritchartt from the Episcopal Evangelism Society shares stories of some of the projects she’s worked on to serve as inspiration.

2. Harold T. Lewis maintains that, “the ministry of welcoming newcomers…is arguably the most important evangelistic activity in which a parish can engage.” In Newcomer Incorporation: A Countercultural Activity, he shares his church’s specific strategies for welcoming and engaging newcomers.

3.Do you think of evangelism as the “e-word”? Do you feel that it is difficult? In her blog post Easier Evangelism: So, Tell Me Your Story, Richelle Thompson shares the example of Fran, the 92 year old leading evangelist in her church who welcomes every newcomer.

4.Are you happiest when a job, hobby or community demands something of you? In Will You Give Me a Hand? Jeremiah Sierra suggests that a church shouldn’t be afraid to ask its new members to do some hard work, as it makes them feel included and welcomed.

5.How does your parish engage with its surrounding community? In Drive Through Mission, Alan Bentrup asks the question - how can a church be neighborly?