This past weekend, consultants Alissa Newton, Aaron Scott, and Stephen Crippen traveled to Sitka, Alaska to present materials from the College for Congregational Develop
ment to the Episcopal Diocese of Alaska, gathered for their 41st diocesan convention. Working with 70+ delegates alongside CCD trainer and Alaska diocesan staff member Suzanne Krull, the workshops included presentations on Faith Development in Community (a model that helps leaders see how different people use their church in different ways to practice their faith); Marketing Your Congregation (a tool that helps leaders identify and express the particular gifts and strengths of their church to those who already attend as well as those who might want to join); the Life Cycle of Organizations (a model that helps churches see where they are in the natural life cycle of an organization, and assess what it would take to return to a place of formation and development); Gather-Transform-Send (a model that helps leaders assess how well their congregation is handling their core purpose and primary task as Episcopal Christians); and Benedictine Life (a model that helps Episcopal church folk get
in touch with the Benedictine “DNA” in our particular way of being Christian, and use that wisdom to strengthen the stable practices and habits of their congregation, improve their listening processes, and look to their future with more clarity).
We also spent a lot of time just being in community with these faithful people, hiking with some of them through beautiful forests, and resting in the spectacular peace of this sacred corner of the world.
