Resources from ECF to enliven your ministries

The Episcopal Church Foundation’s resources for vitality and innovation equip leaders to partner and bring about transformation and positive change in our communities.

1) Vestry Resource Guide: A practical guidebook for leaders of congregations and faith communities to consider and tailor to meet their own needs. This is an essential tool to help vestries focus on what God is calling them to do in the world. Topics include the ministry of the vestry, leading a community of faith, stewardship, and navigating transitions in clergy leadership. Available in both English and Spanish in both print and e-book formats.

2) Finance Resource Guide: In-depth financial management practices and principles promoting year ‘round, theologically driven stewardship. The FRG was written to encourage and inspire readers to face their discomfort about money and think about the ways that money is important to the health of their congregations. Chapters include stewardship, budgets, leadership, and financial administration supplemented by first-person stories of how financial principles have been applied to real challenges faced by congregations. Available in both English and Spanish.

3) Vital Practices: Our award-winning website ECF Vital Practices is available to you year-round at www.ecfvp.org with an extensive collection of resources on all things mission and ministry. We also offer resources in Spanish, created especially for Spanish speakers. A vibrant web-based resource for Episcopal leaders, it includes Vestry Papers articles, blogs for sharing ideas and experiences, stories about congregational issues, and practical tools and resources on every ministry topic you can imagine.

4) ECF 360: A single source, self-service site, for raising financial resources for your Episcopal parish or organization, available at www.ecf360.org. A subscription includes step-by-step guides and calendars to implement your plans, as well as downloadable templates and much more.

5) Congregational Vitality Assessment (CVA) tool: A ground-breaking, research-based online diagnostic tool designed to provide a congregation with an assessment of its Vitality (how healthy it is) and its Sustainability (whether it has the people, financial, and contextual resources necessary to survive). Available in English and Spanish, the CVA is made available free to congregations of all denominations and religions by a partnership between The FaithX Project and ECF. Denominational governing bodies (judicatories, diocese, synods, etc.) may purchase a subscription to a customized Judicatory Version and add additional questions specific to their congregations.

6) Planned Giving on Demand: Planned Giving on Demand provides easy-to-use resources to help you launch and sustain a planned giving program in your church, all in one place. A combination of printed and online resources, Planned Giving on Demand will walk with you through every step of the way to establish, enhance, and sustain an effective planned giving ministry.