Topical Index of Practices and Tools
ADMINISTRATIVE
First Impressions
To help congregational leaders understand how the congregation is intentionally or unintentionally communicating to visitors, friends, and members.Initiating an Audit
To help the pastor initiate an audit.Make It Colorful
To help leaders use a calendar to plan for mission and assess how congregational energy is being invested.Photo Release TOOL
Photo release form for general use.Review and Readiness
To help the pastor and pastor’s leadership team lead mission without unnecessary problems or delays due to neglecting legal matters.
DISCERNMENT
Conversation about U.S. Percept Reports and Mission
To have conversations about demographic data for your congregation’s neighborhood to discern mission.I Have a Dream
To stay focused on the possibilities that await us in the future and to unite our decision making processes by the guidance of our collective dreams.Permission to Yearn, Invitation to Dream
To help congregational leaders explore their yearnings and dreams to be open to the inspiration of God’s Spirit.Praying the News
To help make conditions and happenings in the community an integral part of congregational spiritual practice.Who Do We Want to Be?
To describe how the enduring principles can be lived out in the congregation by asking, “Who do we want to be?”
DISCIPLESHIP
Disciple Formation Guide
To help leaders become familiar with the online Disciple Formation Guide as a tool for growing disciples.Exploring Your Culture
To help congregations be acquainted with and understand community needs that the congregation may be called to address.Generosity
To provide a setting where people can reflect on generosity and their personal discipleship.Hospitality
To practice the hospitality of sharing one’s home.Our Own Vulnerability
To help pastors and leaders explore their own vulnerability and generosity through relationships with people who are fragile or suffering.Prayer of Examen
To help us review the day with God by examining our need for forgiveness, healing, reconciliation and recommitment.Reflecting on Our Own Disciple Formation for Mission
To help leaders think about their personal formation as disciples.Sharing in the Round
To develop and deepen relationships by sharing in table fellowship.Sharing Our Stories
To help disciples develop their story of faith and prepare them to listen to the stories of others on their journey of faith.’Tis a Gift to be Simple: A Lifestyle Audit
To help people consider the difference between “wants” and “needs” to free resources for Christ’s mission.
GENEROSITY
Generosity
To provide a setting where people can reflect on generosity and their personal discipleship.Ministry of Generosity
To increase generosity by the congregation being more aware of the life-changing ministries that their contributions make possible.Our Own Vulnerability
To help pastors and leaders explore their own vulnerability and generosity through relationships with people who are fragile or suffering.’Tis a Gift to be Simple: A Lifestyle Audit
To help people consider the difference between “wants” and “needs” to free resources for Christ’s mission.
GIFTS
Body of Christ
To affirm the gifts that each person brings to the team or group.Celebrating Life
To celebrate the gift of our own life and the life of others who are part of our community.Exploring Call and Giftedness
To help leaders explore and discuss their personal sense of calling and giftedness.Exploring Congregational Gifts
To help congregations explore their gifts for mission.Honoring and Discovering Your Gifts
To review ministries of the congregation, identify gifts, and share stories of how these gifts are expressed.Identifying and Using Peoples’ Gifts
To help pastors and worship planners identify gifts for worship within the congregation.Mission and Congregational Gifts
To align the congregation’s gifts with mission to increase effectiveness and energy.
INVITE AND WITNESS
Pastor’s Leadership Team and Focused Prayer
To seek the leadings of the Holy Spirit for ministries of invitation and witness.Regular Evaluation of Activities
To determine to what extent congregational activities are promoting the mission initiative Invite People to Christ.Sharing Invitation
To heighten congregational awareness that the sacraments are to be generously shared.Schedule Quarterly Baptismal Services
To uphold the importance of uniting with Jesus Christ and a faith community through baptism and confirmation.Witness and Invitation Moment
To plan witness and invitation as a part of every worship service.
LEADERSHIP AND TEAM LEADERSHIP
Assessing Your Team Climate: Components for Establishing the Right Climate TOOL
To indicate agreement on attitudes, trust, safety, working together, and emotional intelligence.Assessing Your Team’s Communication: An Examination of Behaviors and Skills TOOL
To assess effectiveness on reflective thinking and delay responding, perspective taking and empathy, expressing emotions, and listening for understanding.Exploring Call and Giftedness
To help leaders explore and discuss their personal sense of calling and giftedness.Finding My Voice, Finding Our Voice
To clearly articulate “what I will do” and “what we will do” in faithful ministry to God.Hearing with New Eyes and New Ears
To be receptive to the Holy Spirit in hearing and seeing the needs of people in the community where we live, work, and play.I Have a Dream
To stay focused on the possibilities that await us in the future and to unite our decision making processes by the guidance of our collective dreams.If I Could Change One Thing
To listen to one other about the one item that each one would change so the group can decide what might be the best activity to focus on next.Mission Initiatives Overview and Questions for Leaders
To reflect on the five Mission Initiatives.My Favorite Scripture
To deepen our relationship with one another and with God by sharing important scripture passages.Our Own Vulnerability
To help pastors and leaders explore their own vulnerability and generosity through relationships with people who are fragile or suffering.Pastor’s Leadership Team and Focused Prayer
To seek the leadings of the Holy Spirit for ministries of invitation and witness.Permission to Yearn, Invitation to Dream
To help congregational leaders explore their yearnings and dreams to be open to the inspiration of God’s Spirit.Reflecting on Our Own Disciple Formation for Mission
To help leaders think about their personal formation as disciples.Role Play Different Perspectives (based on Six Thinking Hats®)
To look at challenges and opportunities from different perspectives.Serving Side by Side
To build community and prepare young adult leaders for successful participation and leadership in the congregation.Shared Leadership
To deepen relationships and a sense of community on the pastor’s leadership team.Time for Personal Spiritual Practices
To create an environment in the pastor’s life for renewal, continued insight for leadership, and grounding in a relationship with God.
MISSION
Aligning Budgets with Mission
To align the congregational budget to the Mission Initiatives.Aligning What We’re Already Doing
To help the pastor’s leadership team align congregation ministries with the Mission Initiatives.Exploring Congregational Gifts
To help congregations explore their gifts for mission.Exploring Your Culture
To help congregations be acquainted with and understand community needs that the congregation may be called to address.Identifying Gifts for Mission
To discover one’s gifts and to summarize the gifts of priesthood members for planning ministries.Mission and Congregational Gifts
To align the congregation’s gifts with mission to increase effectiveness and energy.Mission Initiatives Overview and Questions for Leaders
To reflect on the five Mission Initiatives.Panes of Perspective
To design and plan activities, ministry, and mission by use of current trends that impact ministry and mission.Sustaining a Focus on Mission
To help the pastor and the pastor’s leadership team keep their focus on mission.Talking About Mission
To create a climate to explore the Mission Initiatives in relationship to the congregation’s context.Third Place Ministry
To learn to listen and pay attention in neighborhood or community settings to what is happening in the lives of people.Walking the Neighborhood
To listen and pay attention to what is happening in the lives of people in the community.Who Do We Want to Be?
To describe how the enduring principles can be lived out in the congregation by asking, “Who do we want to be?”
PASTORAL CARE
Assessing Our Pastoral Care Needs
To help the pastor’s leadership team assess pastoral care needs and resources.Grief Ministry
To help congregational ministers care for people who are grieving the loss of a loved one.Holding in the Light
To pray for others by use of the scriptural image of light.Pastoral Care and Worship Ministry to Homebound Persons
To blend pastoral care and worship ministry gifts to people who are homebound.
PEACE AND JUSTICE
Justice in the Bible
To raise awareness of justice and peace in the scriptural tradition of Community of Christ.
PRIESTHOOD
Centering Prayer (for Priesthood)
To be aware of God’s presence and guidance as the pastor and priesthood share prayer and conversation.Consider Calls by Reflecting on Doctrine and Covenants 163:6
To seek insight regarding potential priesthood calls by prayerful reflection.Consider Calls by Reflecting on Scriptural Principles about Priesthood
To seek insight regarding potential priesthood calls by prayerful reflection.Conversation about U.S. Percept Reports and Mission
To have conversations about demographic data for your congregation’s neighborhood to discern mission.Exploring Scripture on Ministry
To equip priesthood members to magnify their gifts and abilities to build up God’s people and strengthen the witness of the church.Finding My Voice, Finding Our Voice
To clearly articulate “what I will do” and “what we will do” in faithful ministry to God.Identifying Gifts for Mission
To discover one’s gifts and to summarize the gifts of priesthood members for planning ministries.Permission to Yearn, Invitation to Dream (for Priesthood)
To help members of the priesthood explore their dreams and be open to the inspiration of God’s Spirit.Priesthood Covenant Renewal Service
To re-covenant together in mutual ministries by planning an annual worship service of renewal and commitment to Christ’s mission.Priesthood Ministry Conversations
To begin conversations with their pastor to assess the needs of the faith community and discover the ministry each person can offer.Sharing in the Round
To develop and deepen relationships by sharing in table fellowship.Walking the Neighborhood (for Priesthood)
To discern ways members of the priesthood and their congregation can respond to specific needs in their neighborhood.
RELATIONSHIPS
Building Intergenerational Relationships
To deepen friendships, understanding and trust between older and younger people.Hospitality
To practice the hospitality of sharing one’s home.Our Own Vulnerability
To help pastors and leaders explore their own vulnerability and generosity through relationships with people who are fragile or suffering.Sharing in the Round
To develop and deepen relationships by sharing in table fellowship.Third Place Ministry
To learn to listen and pay attention in neighborhood or community settings to what is happening in the lives of people.Valuing the Other
To deepen conversation and understanding by developing active listening skills.
RENEWAL
Action Steps for Sustaining Balance and Renewal
To help congregational leaders take steps toward living a life of greater balance and renewal.Caring for One’s Spirit
To deepen one’s relationship with God through prayer, study, and reflection on a regular basis.Taking Time Away
To plan and implement a personal retreat—a time to be away with God.
SACRAMENTS
Assessing Congregational Familiarity with Sacraments
To help the pastor’s leadership team understand the awareness of the congregation relative to the sacraments.Congregational Preparation for the Sacraments
To help the congregation enter more deeply into sacramental experience through personal preparation.Sharing Invitation
To heighten congregational awareness that the sacraments are to be generously shared.
SCRIPTURE
Dwelling in the Word
To read and hear scripture as a spiritual practice that leads to new understandings.Encounter Scripture as Continuing Revelation
To help people open themselves to God’s presence and guidance through prayerful attention to scripture.Exploring Scripture on Ministry
To equip priesthood members to magnify their gifts and abilities to build up God’s people and strengthen the witness of the church.Justice in the Bible
To raise awareness of justice and peace in the scriptural tradition of Community of Christ.Lectio Divina
To listen prayerfully for what God wants to say to us through scripture.My Favorite Scripture
To deepen our relationship with one another and with God by sharing important scripture passages.Reading and Writing Psalms
To help people prayerfully express their deepest thoughts and feelings by modeling the Psalms.Using Lectionary Scripture and Dwelling in the Word in Worship
To bring scripture alive with personal reflection and sharing in congregational worship.
SPIRITUAL PRACTICES (See Renewal and Discernment)
Caring for One’s Spirit
To deepen one’s relationship with God through prayer, study, and reflection on a regular basis.Centering Prayer
To create a space of quiet openness to become aware of God’s presence.Centering Prayer (for Priesthood)
To be aware of God’s presence and guidance as the pastor and priesthood share prayer and conversation.Dwelling in the Word
To read and hear scripture as a spiritual practice that leads to new understandings.Encounter Scripture as Continuing Revelation
To help people open themselves to God’s presence and guidance through prayerful attention to scripture.Hearing with New Eyes and New Ears
To be receptive to the Holy Spirit in hearing and seeing the needs of people in the community where we live, work, and play.Holding in the Light
To pray for others by use of the scriptural image of light.Lectio Divina
To listen prayerfully for what God wants to say to us through scripture.Listening in the Spaces
To re-center during pauses throughout the day so we become more aware of God’s presence in the world around us.Prayer of Examen
To help us review the day with God by examining our need for forgiveness, healing, reconciliation and recommitment.Praying for the Other
To enter prayer that is focused on behalf of another person.Praying the News
To help make conditions and happenings in the community an integral part of congregational spiritual practice.Reading and Writing Psalms
To help people prayerfully express their deepest thoughts and feelings by modeling the Psalms.Time for Personal Spiritual Practices
To create an environment in the pastor’s life for renewal, continued insight for leadership, and grounding in a relationship with God.Walking in Nature
To become aware of God’s presence by being attentive to nature as a revelation of God.YOUNG ADULTS
Building Intergenerational Relationships
To deepen friendships, understanding and trust between older and younger people.Building a “Young Adult Friendly” Congregation
To help the congregation become responsive to the young adult generation’s special needs and life concerns.Panes of Perspective
To design and plan activities, ministry, and mission by use of current trends that impact ministry and mission.Serving Side by Side
To build community and prepare young adult leaders for successful participation and leadership in the congregation.WORSHIP
Congregational Preparation for the Sacraments
To help the congregation enter more deeply into sacramental experience through personal preparation.Identifying and Using Peoples’ Gifts
To help pastors and worship planners identify gifts for worship within the congregation.Pastoral Care and Worship Ministry to Homebound Persons
To blend pastoral care and worship ministry gifts to people who are homebound.Priesthood Covenant Renewal Service
To re-covenant together in mutual ministries by planning an annual worship service of renewal and commitment to Christ’s mission.Spiritual Types and Worship
To help people plan worship that blesses everyone by honoring various spiritual types.Using Lectionary Scripture and Dwelling in the Word in Worship
To bring scripture alive with personal reflection and sharing in congregational worship.Witness and Invitation Moment
To plan witness and invitation as a part of every worship service.Worship Planning Questions
To plan worship that helps worshipers to praise God, be formed in discipleship and experience congregations in mission.
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