The Source Collaborative at Wesley Theological Seminary is a collective effort among churches, coaches, and the seminary to connect more deeply with God, our own stories, and our neighbors that we might drink more deeply of and become conduits for God’s love, justice, and mercy (Ezekiel 47:9). This two-year program will help congregations identify their own markers of thriving based on their community and context, create a strategic plan for congregational change that will allow them to move toward those markers, and implement the plan with the help of a coach and a small grant. Throughout the process, each congregation will commit to intentional prayer and other spiritual practices. Learning processes will be guided by the wisdom and experience of the Lewis Center for Church Leadership, the Community Engagement Institute, and the Wesley Innovation Hub, in consultation with experienced congregational coaches. Seminarians will be engaged as research associates. Six regional United Methodist congregations will be selected for the pilot cohort; two additional cohorts of 10 congregations each will be selected to begin in 2022 and 2023. Ultimately, the research and learnings from the cohorts will be used to create sustainable tools and resources to share broadly with congregations through the Lewis Center for Church Leadership and the Community Engagement Institute.
Source Collaborative
Washington, DC
Regional
Beth Ludlum