Leadership in the New Parish

A practitioner think-tank to equip leaders in reimagining missional innovation & church revitalization in their neighborhood.

Thousands of churches and faith communities are moving toward a more localized and embodied way of being the church in everyday life. But the journey is complex, the transition is difficult, and the experienced guides are few. Often leaders resort to the old leadership tactics that produce consumer-driven services, colonial mission experiments, and information-based discipleship strategies. A new way of practicing and developing leadership is necessary for the context of the 21st century.

Because of that, we have designed a program that is modeled as a practitioner think-tank with innovation converging at the center of three processes. First, your geographical parish is the primary locus for whole-life experimentation and theological reflection. Second, the classroom forums bring participants together with innovative and recognized place leaders from around North America in think-tank environments that are both participatory and dialogical. Finally, field visits to diverse parish expressions create an immersive experience to compare and contrast your own ministry context.

Why Does Place Matter?

We believe that the work of theology must be rooted in Place. Our context and community serve to help us know who God is and how the Kingdom of God is at work. Rather than seeing the church as a haven from the culture, we want to see the church grounded in that very culture in order to see redemption in our neighborhoods and in ourselves.

What is the Outcome?

Pastors and leaders will leave the Leadership in the New Parish program knowing:

• How to integrate a holistic approach for neighborhood and church renewal. The neighborhood’s context holds the key to your church’s missional innovation. Rather than unilaterally imposing a pre-set model of church upon our local neighborhood, the place-based approach seeks to earnestly engage the neighborhood context and respond according to the emerging themes and stories.
• Ways to lead your church towards collaborative engagement within the parish. Twenty-first century complexities require deep discernment and nuanced adaptation to the particularities of your neighborhood. Develop the processes, postures, and skills necessary for transitioning congregational life toward deep partnership with the Kingdom of God already present in the neighborhood.
• Lead the church to respond, move, and flourish alongside their particular place. Leaders will discern the growth of the church at the convergence of the following: the history and future of a neighborhood, the story and passion of a faith community, and the calling and desires of the leader.

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In other words, the place-based approach seeks to discover the intersecting narratives of the neighborhood, the church community, and the gospel.

Request more information about the Leadership in the New Parish Certificate.