Last week we held the eighth weeklong College for Congregational Development program at Dumas Bay Centre in Federal Way. This is our first program, the one that inspired later program launches in Spokane, California, British Columbia, and Chicago. We had a fantastic time hosting a record number of 72 participants!
This was “Year B” in our 2-year cycle, the year we focus on identity, self-differentiation, marketing, power, and politics. Our director, Alissa Newton, describes it this way: “Year B is all about managing the relationship between the internal life and the external life of the leader and of the congregation, and the relationships between them. For the individual leader, this is about learning to set direction, manage anxiety in self and system, and stay connected to one’s congregation. For the congregation, this work is about discerning the unique identity and call of this particular community of faith, and then learning to clearly communicate that identity to those who do not yet belong.”
These are photos of a portion of our marketing unit, in which we help congregations get in touch with their unique identity, history, gifts, and strengths. We invited participants to select and discuss a few adjectives and a few biblical phrases that might capture the identity of their congregation. From there, we led them in activities that identified segments of the population around them that might want what they offer. All congregations are already inviting segments of the population to join them: that’s who came to church last Sunday! There are many more around them who might also want to come, if the congregations can clearly articulate who they are, and what makes them special.
