Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Forward Leadership Moves Into It's 2nd Year!

"Holy Experiment" Progress Report


What does it mean to be a congregation today when attending church is no longer a priority for much of society?  
How do we measure progress and growth? 
How do we adjust to a changing culture and context?  
What is real adaptive change and what is only a temporary technical fix? 
Where is God leading us, here, now, in this place? 
How will we guide our faith communities as we move forward?

Those are just some of the questions that the Forward Community asks together as we journey through the program year. In the quest to find answers to those questions, we look to recent research and scholarship, congregational self assessment, and prayerful reflection. But more importantly, we look to the shared experience of our faith communities; learning from one another, exchanging ideas, and developing relationships as we seek to know ourselves in the present and discern God’s call for the future. While no one is an expert, and each congregation’s direction will be unique, we are all bound by the  common cord of hope which drives us forward in ministry and mission.

Having just completed our pilot year with the 2014 Forward Leadership Community, we can’t say that we have all the answers, but we can say that we’ve seen some remarkable initiatives grow out of our time together. Rev. Sara Anderson and I would like to thank the Leadership and Accountability Teams from Christ the King, Holliston, MA, First Lutheran of Lynn, MA, First Lutheran of Southington, CT, First Evangelical Lutheran, Waltham, MA and Holy Trinity, N. Easton, MA for their dedication and support. It was a truly a blessing to see the enthusiasm, creative energy, and faith of each of these teams translate into active ministry and mission. Their suggestions and insight have helped us to make changes to the Forward timeline and curriculum for the 2015 program year. Although they have completed the one year commitment, they are still a part of the Forward Community and we will continue to offer opportunities for learning and fellowship in the coming year.

Forward Leadership Community Retreat January 2015
In January we embarked on our second year of Forward Leadership, welcoming nine new congregations to the learning community; Bethlehem of Sturbridge,  MA, Christ of West Boylston, MA,  Faith of Gardner, MA, First of  Ellington, CT, Good Shepherd of Monroe, CT, Grace of Needham, MA,  Immanuel of Holden, MA,  Redeemer of Woburn, MA, and St. Mark’s of Woonsocket, RI. The Leadership Teams have set goals based on their Church Assessment Tool responses and are in the process of implementing changes. We’re moving forward!

We’re also happy to announce that we have received funding to continue the Forward Leadership Community through 2016. Applications are available for download by clicking the 2016 Application Tab. Additional information about the program year and leadership resources are also available on the site, but if you really want to know more about the Forward Leadership just talk to one of the 14 congregations that are part of this community!