At the Center for Congregations, we are consistently exploring new and innovative ways to achieve our

mission of “strengthening congregations by helping them find and use the best resources to address their challenges and opportunities.”

One of the ways we do this is by providing excellent edu-cational opportunities throughout the state. We bring in experts on various issues related to congregational life to address the topics that are most important to you.

This year, we’re making it even easier to access excellent learning opportunities. May 4, 2016 marked our first foray into the world of live online education. Our president, Tim Shapiro, shared the results of a constituency survey to a statewide audience in a highly interactive, 90-minute online presentation.

Convenient aCCess to learning

We’re excited about this new medium for a number of reasons. With our live online events, you can join in without the travel. While we strive to do a solid job of providing our physical events within reasonable driving distances from just about anywhere in the state, some of you may still face transportation and travel challenges.

With our live online events, you can participate anywhere with a connection to the internet and computer or mobile device. The Adobe Connect app is available for free in the Apple app store for iOS devices and the Google Play store for Android devices. We understand that, as congrega-tional leaders, you have commitments day and evening and that some of you are bi-vocational. We are working to vary the schedules of these online events so that everyone has the opportunity to attend and to access our expert speakers.

inCreasing interaCtivity Interactivity is another advantage in the live online en-vironment. When organized properly, it is possible that everyone’s voice is heard during a live online education

event, including inner thoughts and concerns that are not typically shared in a room full of other people. It is also possible for learners to share their experiences and resources with one another much more readily than when physically together. And this is in addition to receiving excellent teaching from expert instructors.

We strongly encourage you to not only check out the live online offerings of the Center for Congregations, but to take advantage of the broad world of online educa-tion. There are a number of organizations that offer a wide variety of classes, seminars and programs, both live online and on-demand. Look for an upcoming blog on our website that discusses Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and on-demand online education. These can be great resources for you or others in your congregation looking for new learning opportunities.

We are very excited about this new medium. It represents one more way that we are able to serve you, the congrega-tions of Indiana.

Keep an eye on your e-mail and our workshops web page. You can still expect the same excellent face-to-face education events around the state, but we hope that you will take advantage of these additional online offerings.

CenterpieCeA newsletter from the Center for CongregAtions summer 2016 Volume 16 number 2

Center for Congregations Offers Live Online Learning

We hope to see you live online in the fall of 2016.

Center staff look for the workshop topics that are im-portant to your congregation in the format you want.

Autumn events include full-day workshops, luncheons and live online events. Find the format and the topic that best fit your needs. Below are a sampling of the work-shops happening this fall. Check the website for these workshops and new additions.

reframing money talk

This luncheon workshop will help you reframe congrega-tional fundraising language to the concepts of generosity and vision. Center for Congregations Southwest Direc-tor Wendy McCormick leads you in conversation about positive experiences and associations with generosity. You will dream and envision specific ways to use additional money in the congregation and apply that vision to make a specific request. This luncheon workshop is Thursday, September 1, 2016 in Brownstown.

shaping youth as servant leaders

Youth clergy leaders and youth workers are invited to this experiential training, which will provide a student leadership development framework for youth. uLead’s Ritch Hochstetler and Ben Rheinheimer integrate foun-dational servant leadership principles with unique skill development processes to offer a framework that honors the unique gifts of each person and equips individuals to be dynamic change agents. This workshop is Wednesday, September 14, 2016 in Fort Wayne and Thursday, Septem-ber 15, 2016 in northwest Indiana.

Creative Worship: designing memorable experienCes

The Creative Worship workshop teaches techniques and methods that your congregation, large or small, can use to make big things happen in worship and beyond. The day is a mix of practical philosophy and tips for developing and maturing your use of technology and digital imagery to communicate the gospel through powerful, transform-ing stories in worship. Led by author and animator/il-lustrator Jason Moore, this workshop is helpful for a wide variety of people, regardless of proficiency level. Creative Worship is 9 a.m.-4 p.m. (Eastern time) on Wednesday,

September 21, 2016 in Evansville.

leadership in a neW key

Leadership matters! Learn an effective approach that unlocks the leadership

capacity in yourself and others and creates a positive, collaborative atmosphere. This session will show you how positive language, including others, strong vision and authenticity can yield powerful results for leaders. Learn how to engage each congregant in the life and vision of your community. Workshop facilitator and Center staffer Katie Lindberg will lead you to experience and practice a leadership approach that transforms observers to full-hearted participants. This luncheon workshop is Wednes-day, September 21, 2016 in Brownstown.

evaluating your Congregation’s CommuniCations and WelCome

This practical and upbeat lunch workshop offers easy-to-follow steps for conducting a “DIY” communications and guest experience assessment within a congregation of any size. Learning and development strategist Jamie Shafer presents resources that will allow congregational leaders to step into the shoes of a first-time guest visiting the con-gregation in order to gain perspective on what’s working well and where there is potential for improvement. This workshop is on Thursday, September 29, 2016 in north-west Indiana.

Creating ministries of exCellenCe

Ministry effectiveness is a key component of success in the congregation. Speaker and author Stan Toler explores innovative ideas for transforming your congregation into a ministry of excellence. This workshop provides informa-tion on how to evaluate the progress and performance of your various ministries and will challenge your congrega-tional leaders to deepen servanthood and ministry effec-tiveness. Based on Toler’s book, The Five Star Church, this workshop is Thursday, November 10, 2016 in Seymour.

Center for Congregations finalizing workshop line-up for autumn

When your congregation contacts the Center for Congregations,

one of first things we want to do is to understand your challenge. We want to help you articu-late what you are trying to do. Defining your challenge can be... well, a challenge.

Identifying the challenge is the first part of accomplishing something new. Your congregation seeks to answer the question, “Why are we doing this?” Think back on times when your congregation has learned well. I imagine that you were clear about the challenge or opportunity you were undertaking. What needs to be learned and what needs to be accomplished is more attainable when con-gregational leaders are certain about the task at hand and how the task fits an overall purpose.

A challenge often starts with a sense of unease. Some-thing isn’t quite right or something could be better. There is a dent in creation and it has come to your faith commu-nity. Sunday School is dying. Or maybe the neighborhood has little connection to the congregation. The develop-mental growth of your congregation (or any human com-munity) begins at the same place as the developmental growth of an individual. It begins with discomfort. Even in the circumstances when the challenge holds exciting possibility, it still takes a communal experience of uneasi-ness for people to be willing to put in the hard work that follows.

I have found that clear understanding of a congregational challenge involves a particular form of articulation. State your intent and the result you seek. Then answer the question “so what?”

A congregation seeking to revitalize Sunday School might construct a challenge statement that sounds like this: We seek to renovate Sunday School with new curriculum and more students so that our children know certain, key stories from scripture. This statement includes intent, results and the reason why the endeavor is worth doing.

What challenge are you currently work-ing on? Could the Center for Congrega-tions help you increase clarity about this challenge? Get in touch with us. We look forward to working with you.

CentervieW BY TIM SHAPIRO Resources You Can Use

Anderson, Keith and Elizabeth Dre-scher. Click 2 Save: The Digital Minis-try Bible. New York, NY: Morehouse

Publishing, 2012. How can social media impact the min-

istry and mission of Mainline congre-gations? Is there more to it than public

relations approaches adapted from the business world? In this exploration led by

a blogging pastor and a religious studies scholar, readers discover the “arts of digital ministry.” Calling this a time of “digital revolution,” the authors explain how the social map has transitioned from a geo-graphic basis to one rooted in relationships regardless of physical location. A discussion of major platforms includ-ing Facebook and Twitter describes the characteristics and features that can be used to develop ministry, followed by insights on how and when to use the various tools.

Beaumont, Susan. “Why We Aren’t Learn-ing.” PERSPECTIVES. Accessed Febru-

ary 19, 2016. http://thecrg.org/resources/why-we-aren-t-learningAs religious affiliation decreases,

congregations worry what to do in the face of decline. Susan Beaumont, leadership

expert and former Alban consultant, explains four factors that keep congregational leaders from adapting. Then she calls for learning and innovation. Beaumont references the Pew Research Center and the Harvard Business Review to explain key trouble areas: wrong metrics for success, fear of failure, lack of reflection, and generalities from outside experts. This article motivates leaders with guiding principles to avoid common mis-takes during decline. Readers will need to contextualize these principles to take action. Mainline traditions will most benefit.

You can find these and other resources on the Congregational Resource Guide (CRG). The CRG can be found at www.

thecrg.org. You can search, save and discuss resources around topics that are

important to your congregation.

Centerpiece is the quarterly newsletter of the Center for Congregations.

Our MissionThe Center for Congregations strengthens Indiana congregations by helping them find and use the best resources to address their challenges and opportunities.

info@centerforcongregations.org www.centerforcongregations.org

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Indianapolis Center for Congregations303 N. Alabama St., Suite 100Indianapolis, Indiana 46204Phone 317-237-7799 Fax 317-237-7795 Toll free 866-307-2381