Joseph Duggan, an Episcopal priest and fellow of the Episcopal Church Foundation, has created a Facebook page, “Congregational Seasons: A Resource for Transitions,” dedicated to supporting congregations in transition through resources, networking and best practices. It celebrates creative people around The Episcopal Church who have the vision and resources to assist congregations towards becoming vital and viable.
Duggan makes the statement, “Dioceses need to have a strategic plan for all their capital building assets.” Thanks to InReach and the work of people in our diocese like Amy Haynie, Kathleen Wells, Cherie Shipp, and Jim Hazel, the Diocese of Fort Worth is developing resources that will equip congregations to create just such a plan for themselves.
The Congregational Seasons page features lots of encouraging news about congregations’ innovative approaches to the challenges they’re facing. He also links to a number of really informative sites and provocative articles, like
- Three Churches – demonstrating fresh thinking about sharing space and costs.
- The Death of the Mall and the Future of Church Buildings – a provocative look at contemporary culture
- Holy Currencies: Six Blessings for Sustainable Missional Ministries soon to be published by Eric Law.
Definitely worth a look!