Loading...The vision of the Commission on Congregational Development is of a diocese of healthy congregations supported by healthy clergy.
Most of the parishes of our diocesan family are living into this vision. There are some that are in need of special attention while all of our parishes are called to do more. Opportunities for mission abound. God has blessed us with a bounty of resources. To match our gifts with our needs is the challenge that lies before us.
Our Bishop and diocesan staff by their dedication and creativity are leading us forward in this direction. With the aid of the recent Diocesan Effectiveness Review the strengths and weaknesses of our diocesan mission are being more clearly defined and addressed. The role of the Commission on Congregational Development is to give our congregations what they require to carry out Christ’s mission by coordinating the talents of our diocesan ministries.
The Commission is specifically charged with providing stewardship for these diocesan ministries: Operating Grants, Project Grants, Clergy Wellness, Clergy Deployment, Parish Transformation, Stewardship and Planned Giving. Each of these areas of ministry is supported by a member of the diocesan staff. Each diocesan staff person is partnered with a member of the Commission. Together we regularly assess the health of our congregations, assigning resources to those who are in need and recommending enhancements for those parishes who are doing well.
Appointed to the Commission by Bishop Baxter, the membership is meant to reflect the geographic diversity of our diocese and to convene the skilled leadership, lay and ordained, necessary to assist in the development of our congregations. While the Commission has long had oversight for diocesan funding for operating and project grants of the congregations, what is new is the charge from Bishop Baxter to coordinate financial support with new diocesan mission initiatives.
These new model ministries include: Enterprise Zones in every quadrant of our diocese where parishes with unique mission opportunities have been identified for greater intentional support; Clergy Wellness Initiative that brings clergy together for honest encouragement and mutual care; Appreciative Inquiry that helps congregations look at themselves with grace to see the ways to true renewal; Parish Companions who nurture with trust and understanding parishes in transition. It is the discernment of the Commission as to how to best apply these ministry tools, often in combination, to achieve the greatest benefit for each congregation thereby enhancing the mission of us all.
The Episcopal Churches of the Diocese of Central Pennsylvania are blessed by God with a rich heritage, with people of many charisms, and with the mission challenges of the twenty first century. With your help and the power of the Holy Spirit, the Commission on Congregational Development will achieve its purpose of moving the parishes of our diocese toward greater health and vitality in accomplishing Christ’s mission of giving love, hope and new life.
