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April 2024 Edition
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Importance of Effective Human Resources Management
Ms. Irma Reyes, Director of Human Resources and Staff Engagement for your Southern New England Conference recently led a recent Super Saturday workshop, HR Overview: The Basics. In this reflection, she shares valuable insights and strategies for successful personnel management which can benefit congregational leadership in their work with church staff.
Read the reflection here (3 mins. to read)
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This blog series by Charlie Kuchenbrod, Legacy Church Specialist is for churches that are experiencing steady decline, as measured by members, worship attendance and financial support. If your church can no longer balance your budgets and are consuming assets to continue to “do church,” this blog series is for you.
In beginning this series, Which Path are You On?, Charlie named four options: Revitalization, Transformation, Legacy Building and Ministry Completion, and “Path Closed Ahead.”
In this reflection, author Charlie Kuchenbrod, Legacy Church Specialist begins, "A congregation does not need to travel down any path alone...Collaborating with other congregations will create new opportunities." Charlie goes on to write, "I have a dream where multiple congregations collaborate to create a discipleship network, where staffing, programming, facility management and administration are centralized and shared across congregations."
Read the full reflection here (2 mins. 30)
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Recommendations from the CTL staff team. Discover insights, ideas, resources and tools and what we've been reading!
This month, the CTL staff recommends:
Tide In, Tide Out -
Anne Lamott on Growing Old and Making Peace with Death
"I have been with many people who were dying, and what is revealed besides the worry is all that they loved, both what they will miss and what still fills and feeds them."
"The theologian Frederick Buechner wrote: 'The grace of God means something like: ‘Here is your life. You might never have been, but you are, because the party wouldn’t have been complete without you.'”
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In 1877, a stained-glass window depicted Jesus as Black for the first time − a scholar of visual images unpacks its history and significance.
From The Conversation
..."Now in the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, the window was made by the studio of Henry Sharp, a prominent 19th-century American stained-glassmaker who was popular with Episcopal congregations. Sharp’s first three windows for the now-closed St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Warren, Rhode Island, were of solitary white male figures, including one of Christ as 'Salvator Mundi,' or Savior of the World... The Black Jesus window is different – instead of depicting a singular saintly figure, the 12-by-5-foot window tells a full narrative. It depicts scenes of Jesus speaking with women who also have dark brown skin."
Read more here (3.5 mins. read)
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Reminder: We are pleased to invite our congregations and their leaders to a variety of program opportunities created with your expressed needs in mind. As you prepare to register for the exciting programs being offered, The Center for Transformational Leadership would like to share some guidance - tips and practices - for registration to our events. You can find them here!
April Lunch and Learn Webinar:
Last DAY to REGISTER!
Rumors of Our Death are Greatly Exaggerated
April 18, 2024
Noon to 1:00 PM.
What do you do when your historic building takes up half a city block, but the members don’t take up even a quarter of the sanctuary? What would happen if you gave it all away and focused on just being the church? Learn more with Rev. Brae Adams & Register HERE
May Lunch and Learn Webinar:
Archiving Your Church's Records
May 16, 2024
Noon-1:00 PM
Congregational church records provide a window into the history of a community and its many families. Memories of events, outreach programs, community engagement, and more may appear specific to your church and its mission, but when combined with memories from other congregations, these artifacts tell a larger story, not only about your community, but about American society and Congregationalism’s place within it. Join Mr. Zachary Bodnar and Mr. Billy McCarthy to learn more!
Register HERE
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Practical Resources for Churches
Webinar Offerings
As a subscribing member, the So. New England Conference, UCC is able to provide our church leaders with access to this amazing resource center. We hope you'll take advantage of their webinar offerings, programs, and extensive collection. As a subscribing member, the webinars offered are always FREE.
We suggest:
Managing Investments and Endowments for Churches
Thursday, April 18, 2024
2:00 - 3:00 PM ETD
Leader - Charlie Kuchenbrod
How to Create Transformative Ministries Through Theological Innovation Workshop
Thursday, May 9, 2024
2:00 - 3:15 PM EDT
Leader - Meghan Hatcher
If you'd like to know more about PRC or have any questions, please feel free to reach out to a member of the CTL team.
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From Acumen Academy: A worthy asynchronous learning opportunity! 2 hours... on demand...free!
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- Adam Grant on Developing Original Ideas: Elevate your creative thinking with guidance from Adam Grant, a leading authority on innovation and originality. In this course, you'll uncover the secrets to developing original ideas and learn how to harness your creative energy to shape a brighter future. Start your journey towards creative excellence today! Begin your creative journey.
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