Do You Think We Have Curiosity?

Spending three days locked in a room with other clergy and laity is always an interesting experience. But there were lots of great discussions, moments of prayer and serenity, and calls to action when it came to attending the Thriving Congregations Engage event in Fullerton, CA in June. 

It was so good to see other congregations who are experiencing similar and yet different things all at the same time, and for us to actually be able to say, yeah, this is hard work. But we’re up for it. And we’re trying. And we’re doing our very best to follow God’s call for our church, whatever that means. 

I’m not quite sure what I expected when it came to the Thriving Congregations first event, and while I’m still not wholly sure what to expect from the program as a whole, I do think there will be a lot more conversation about the possibilities of what we can do as a congregation. 

We have a small team of five people here in Cheyenne who will be working to put together three small projects over the next eighteen months (one project every six months, spread out). The projects will relate to our vision/mission, to clergy and laity relationships, and to building community partners—which is something we already do a lot of. Each of these projects has a chance to earn a $750 grant to help fund the ideas we come up with. 

The team at home is made up for five people: Elizabeth Sampson, LuAnn Chaffin, Theresa Barbre, Jason McMillan, and Kenzie Anderson. All of us will attend three very full zoom calls every six months. I will attend monthly calls with a peer group of clergy so we can continue in support and creativity as we move forward. 

When this program was first presented to us, there was a lot of question about thriving and what it means to thrive as a congregation. I think that it’s a very valid conversation for us to have and to continue to have as to whether or not we’re a thriving congregation. 

The most basic definition is that a congregation that is thriving has curiosity. Curiosity about future, about what-ifs, about possibilities, about call, about needs, about community within and without the congregation, about what we’re missing, about what could be.

Do you think we have curiosity?