| What if this is not a time for fixing or getting new programs into place but of attending to, of listening, of discerning what the Spirit is saying to us?
When the lockdown started we realized that so many of our normal practices and activities as pastors and congregations were abruptly stopped. Many of us dove into planning and organizing ways of responding. We had to work out, quickly, how to put services on-line, how to be with those we cared for in social distancing, how to manage the fluctuating finances – a whole list of “how-to’s” that needed to be done. It was all quite hard work that, strangely, made us even more stretched than before.
Now, just as we are settling into some kind of “different normal” this other question is starting to be asked:
What comes next?
If there isn’t going to be a return to things as they were before, if our roles are going to change, if something is happening to our congregations through this period – how do we as pastors and lay leadership prepare for the next chapter and how do we lead our people into it and through it in ways that discern and integrate into our life what the Spirit is saying to us?
We Can Help
If this sounds like something your leadership would benefit from, we can help. The James Company has prepared a resource and process that provides a roadmap for listening and discerning with your leaders. It gives you a way to help you name together what you want to carry with you into this next, unknown, stage of being a congregation.
This is not a strategic planning process. It’s not the time for that. This is an opportunity to discover together God’s way forward with your congregation. With the help of Biblical stories, our stories, stories beyond our own, and connecting stories and church life, you will be able to adopt a narrative that will provide guidance for Leading To The Other Side Of Crisis.
This resource includes six, 90-minute virtual sessions led by a James Company Director. If you are interested in learning more, email us at info@jamescompany.com and we will schedule a complimentary call to see if this is something that will benefit your congregation’s mission.
John V. Clark, President/Partner
The James Company
(815)353-8997
Email: jclark@jamescompany.com
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