03.12.21
Overnight, COVID-19 might have done more to change the church as any reformation of the past. As the world begins to re-open following a year-long pandemic, the church is facing unique opportunities and challenges.
“We are at a point in our history where we can either lament or lean in," said the Rev. Bill Brown, the BWC’s director of New Faith Expressions. “We can lament at our perceived losses within the context of being the Church or we can lean into what we have gained during this season. We can lean into a season of pruning so that new growth can occur. We can lean into a new way of being the Church that incorporates our rich history and presents it in new and creative ways.”
Thoughts on Church and Innovation
Church enters season of boom and bloom: To be a church that survives and thrives in the wake of COVID-19 will require grace and guts, says the Rev. Leonard Sweet. In this time of COVID, it is a time of unveiling, a time to rethink the church, rethink the world, take off one’s shoes as Moses did before the burning bush, roll up our sleeves, and let our imaginations loose, Sweet told churches trying to move forward and grow in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.
A church’s destiny lies in its gifts and history: Church leaders don’t need fancy gadgets or expensive programming to move their church into the future. Rather, what is needed is strong adaptive leadership, a creative examination of a church’s best gifts and strengths, and a heart for listening deeply to the needs of people and the community, said Todd Bolsinger, the author of “Canoeing the Mountains,” and the new book, “Tempered Resilience: How Leaders are Formed in the Crucible of Change,”
Game-changers in a Post-Pandemic World: In crisis, lies opportunity. Kay Kotan explores eight traits for leaders who want to relaunch their churches and show up in the world in new ways.
Upcoming Training Opportunities
Both/And, a webinar on Maximizing Hybrid Worship Experiences for Online and In-person Audiences
Led by Jason Moore, sponsored by New Faith Expressions
April 8, from 9:30 a.m . to noon and 6:30 to 9 p.m.
This two-hour workshop will delve into strategies for how to create powerful transformative worship where no one feels like they’re an afterthought.
The same workshop will be offered at both times. Cost $20
Evening Session: 6:30 to 9 p.m.
After Christendom: A Crucible Course
An Online Seminar - April 14, 28, May 12, 26
Christians across western culture are facing profound challenges and fresh opportunities. The long era of 'Christendom' is coming to an end. We now live in a plural society, with multiple religious options alongside the prevailing secular assumptions. Christianity has lost its position of dominance and privilege, and churches are on the margins of society. Although we seem to be declining in numbers and influence, this context offers many new possibilities – if we have the courage and imagination to grasp them.
$50 per participant, due upon registration. For more information, check out the Crucible Course brochure, or contact the Rev. Bill Brown, Director of New Faith Expression, Baltimore-Washington Conference
Register
Next Level Leader Academy: Evaluating, Eliminating, and Energizing: Making Ministry Matter
Presented by Rev. Dr. Donna Claycomb Sokol
May 4, 10 a.m. to Noon
William Sloane Coffin once wrote, “Most church boats don’t like to be rocked; they prefer to lie at anchor rather than go places in stormy seas.” And yet, the church, along with so many other institutions, has been rocked mightily by the Covid-19 pandemic. Buildings were vacated. Many congregations quickly went live for the first time. Several ministries were suspended while new ways of connecting and growing in faith emerged. During it all, discoveries have been made about what ministries matter most, what efforts are producing fruit, and what is no longer needed. How might we faithfully discern how to cultivate the ministries that are bearing fruit while letting go of ministries that are no longer needed or making a difference? What would an effective ministry evaluation plan entail for your congregation? You are invited to gather as we seek to name our learnings from this unique season and effectively lead into the future by pondering these questions and many others together.