Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

All of us at the Episcopal Church Foundation are excited about the launch of ecfvp.org, the new online home of Vestry Papers.

For 15 years, the Episcopal Church Foundation (ECF) and Vestry Papers have provided vestry members with spiritually grounded, practical resources to help vestries build healthy congregations in service to God’s mission. Over the years, Vestry Papers has won numerous awards, but more importantly, it has prepared vestries to respond to the ever-changing needs of the Church.

And now it is our turn to respond to those ever-changing needs. Moving online lets us expand our offerings to include more voices, more sharing, as well as ‘at your fingertip’ access to audio, video, and print resources designed to inspire, affirm, and inform church leaders in their work.

The site also encourages conversation and community building between and among the ECF Vital Practices team and our readers. To join the conversation, register then use the comment fields throughout the site to share your thoughts, ask questions, or post experiences, resources, and best practices.

As you explore the site, you will find:

• The award winning publication Vestry Papers, both new issues and recent Vestry Papers archives.

• Vital Posts – daily blog posts discussing news and views about faith and leadership; readers are invited to join the conversation by posting comments and questions.

• Fieldwork – first person stories exploring vital lessons of change and leadership told in a serial form, giving readers the opportunity to follow along as faith groups try on new approaches to challenges encountered in their ministry.

• Your Turn – readers share best practices, resources, and materials.

• Tools – a compilation of practical, hands-on resources by and for congregational leaders.

• VP Talks – hosted, online chats with experts and peers beginning Wednesday, October 20 at 8:00 pm eastern time with "Eat Pray Love: A Menu for Vestry Leadership," a live web chat with the Rev. Angela Emerson, the new president of The Episcopal Network for Stewardship.

As I begin my new ministry as editor of ECF Vital Practices, I look forward to working in partnership with all of you to make this new incarnation of Vestry Papers as valuable a resource as its predecessor. I welcome hearing from you either through the website or by email, editor@episcopalfoundation.org.

Faithfully,

Nancy Davidge