THRIVING CONGREGATIONS

Our congregation was nominated to participate in a program called Thriving Congregations. When I initially brought up the idea to the board, the immediate comments were, “But are we thriving?”

And ultimately, the answer is yes.

The thriving church looks different in every single context, which makes it so hard to define what churches are thriving and what churches aren’t. By definition of this program, a thriving congregation is curious and willing to embrace change. We are centered on our mission. Thriving is an attitude. It’s not a metric.

Based on this understanding, we are a thriving congregation. Over the last month, a team was put together and we applied for the program and were accepted at the beginning of May. Which is exciting.

The program lasts for 18 months, and it involves Pastor Aerii and five lay people: Elizabeth Sampson, Theresa Barbre, Kenzie Anderson, LuAnn Chaffin, and Jason McMillan. On June 15-18, Pastor Aerii and Elizabeth will travel to Fullerton, CA to participate in the first initial training for this program. Afterward, there are three zoom calls for the entire group. There are bi-monthly zoom calls that Pastor Aerii will participate in.

All of this is paid for through the Lily Foundation. In addition to all of this training that we’ll receive, we have the opportunity after each of the group zoom calls to apply for a $750 grant to complete a project that will be beneficial to the congregation.

And that’s about all we know when it comes to the program so far. We’ll give small updates in The Bell going forward, but hopefully, we’ll see a lot of energy and fruit from our participation in this program. If you have questions, please reach out to Pastor Aerii or Elizabeth Sampson.