"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.
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| 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!
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