Congregations in Transition A Guide for

This hands-on guide helps congregations meet the reality and challenges of today's constantly changing urban and suburban church communities. Congregations in Transition, written in an easy-to-follow workbook format, is designed to help communities of faith focus on the changing needs of their members and explore the opportunities and options open to them.

Carl S. Dudley and Nancy T. Ammerman are faculty members at Hartford Seminary and researchers at the Hartford Institute for Religious Research. They are authorities on congregational studies and the relationship between congregations and their communities.

Figures, Tables, and Working Notes

ix

Foreword

xiii

Loren B. Mead

Acknowledgments

xv

Introduction: Invitation to a Journey

1

(20)

Who Needs to Change?

2

(4)

What Does Change Look Like?

6

(2)

How Does Change Happen?

8

(3)

The Journey Ahead

11

(3)

Getting Organized

14

(2)

Companions for the Journey

16

(1)

Doing the Work

17

(4)

Getting the Lay of the Land

21

(38)

The Place Map: Define Your Boundaries

23

(6)

The People Map: Naming and Knowing Your Neighbors

29

(6)

Conversations with Community People

35

(10)

The Institutional Map: Recognizing Historical Resources

45

(6)

Summary Exercise: Windshield Survey

51

(5)

Summary

56

(3)

Sizing Up Your Tabernacle

59

(50)

Basic Timeline: An Orientation Exercise

63

(7)

Timeline of Buildings and Facilities

70

(6)

Timeline of Leadership and Decision Making

76

(9)

Timeline of Resources: People, Money, and Spiritual Presence

85

(6)

Timeline of Worship and Music

91

(8)

Summary Celebration: Creating a Comprehensive Timeline

99

(5)

Summarizing Your Work

104

(5)

Looking for Pillars of Fire

109

(36)

Encountering the Wilderness

111

(1)

Wilderness Exercise 1: Testing Your Choices

112

(9)

Wilderness Exercise 2: Discerning Directions

121

(5)

Wilderness Exercise 3: Naming the Pillar of Fire

126

(3)

Imagining Life Across the Jordan

129

(1)

Imagination Exercise 1: When Strangers Become Neighbors

129

(2)

Imagination Exercise 2: When Neighbors Become Partners

131

(6)

Imagination Exercise 3: Testing the Waters

137

(3)

Coda for the Congregation: A Time for Celebration

140

(5)

Across the Jordan: Settling in the Promised Land

145

(32)

Launching a New Ministry: Crossing the Jordan

146

(11)

New Habits of Ministry

157

(1)

Sharing Kitchen Tables

158

(3)

Sharing Tables, Chairs, and Schedules

161

(4)

Sharing Boardroom Tables

165

(4)

Sharing Sacred Tables

169

(3)

Conclusion

172

(5)

The Authors

177

(2)

Index

179

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Congregations in Transition A Guide for Analyzing, Assessing, and Adapting in Changing Communities

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials