Episcopal Church Foundation Vital Practices

March 2013

Cultivating Leaders

Building Young Adults Networks
By Mary Cat Young
Some congregations don’t know what they can provide to attract young adults. Mary Cat Young offers a different approach for congregations.
Determinar el ‘Por qué’
By Miguel Angel Escobar
No es ningún secreto: la Iglesia Episcopal funciona gracias a la extraordinaria dedicación (y al verdadero sacrificio) de sus líderes legos y sacerdotales. Sin embargo, con excesiva frecuencia, hasta la dedicación extraordinaria puede marchitarse si se desconecta de un sentido de propósito mayor.
Facing Differences
By William M. Kondrath
Bill Kondrath’s “Facing Differences,” demonstrates what can happen when, instead of dismissing our differences, vestries and other groups pay attention to their racial and cultural assumptions and behaviors. By changing their frame of reference, groups can begin to develop new ways of interaction that are more inclusive and egalitarian, opening up new avenues for leadership.
Getting to the ‘Why’
By Miguel Angel Escobar
Does your leadership have a shared sense of purpose? Miguel Angel Escobar shares ways of introducing group leadership development and shared purpose.
Getting to the ‘Why’ 2
By Miguel Angel Escobar
“Getting to the Why 2” continues Miguel Angel Escobar’s exploration transformational leadership, offering some of the key practices used by transformational leaders to both build a shared sense of purpose and strengthen leadership capacity.
Pushing Past Fear
By Karen Hunter
“Pushing Past Fear” by Karen Hunter shares what can happen when a congregation commits itself to being church in the world. The growth – and success - of Grace Episcopal’s mission church, La Gracia Farmland, is largely due to being comfortable reaching sideways, especially when very few people in the congregation speak Spanish.
Reclaiming Relevance
By Lori Mills-Curran
How could St. Andrew’s welcome its Brazilian neighbors? Lori Mills-Curran shares how a ‘boot camp’ leadership experience spurred new ideas and connections.
Recuperar la Pertinencia
By Lori Mills-Curran
En el siglo XIX, propietarios ricos de fábricas textiles fundaron la Iglesia St. Andrew’s en Framingham, Massachusetts, para sus trabajadores. Deseosos de rendir culto aparte, los propietarios construyeron su propia iglesia. La nueva parroquia maduró y tuvo una historia gloriosa. Una de sus feligreses fue una famosa escultora de raza negra de la década de los 1920. Otra fue una nacionalmente famosa campeona de la reforma de las prisiones de mujeres. Los feligreses acudieron a la marcha por los derechos civiles en Selma. En una lista de 1963 figuran 568 niños y la parroquia estuvo en pleno auge hasta bien entrada la década de los 1980.
Time to Bloom
By Margaret Babcock
Margaret Babcock’s “Time to Bloom” invites congregations to consider a model of ministry and leadership that has taken root across our Church. Called baptismal, total, shared, or mutual ministry, this model recognizes the shared responsibility of all of the faithful for leadership.
Transformational Churches
By Mike Michie and Clay Lein
Mike Michie and Clay Lein have been successful church planters with thriving congregations. They share the three tenets they follow to have committed and empowered leaders.