Because of the shifts in traditional church attendance, especially in rural settings, many churches are struggling to see how they can best serve the needs of their communities. This course seeks to reframe the idea of “vitality” as it is traditionally conceptualized in ministry, by looking through the lens of liberation theology.

Time: Tuesday evenings, from 6:30 to 8:00 pm MST
Dates: Tuesdays beginning October 26th and ending November 16th
Course Leader: Dr. Kristina Lizardy-Hajbi, Assistant Professor of Leadership and Formation, and the Director of the Office of Professional Formation

Registration Cost: $25 per individual or $50 per group (no limit on group size)

Registration Link: http://weblink.donorperfect.com/resourcevitality2021

Framing the Idea of Vitality

What does an effective, vital organization look like? Join us as we explore concepts of vitality and organizational effectiveness. Our instructor is Rev. Michael Smith, Superintendent of Congregational and Community Vitality of the Mountain Sky Conference of the United Methodist Church.
Cost: $40 (alumni, student, and group discounts available; ReSource discount codes apply)

Organizational Identity and Values

Organizations need to be clear on their core values, vision, and mission – in other words, they need to be aware of their organizational self-identity. But how do you even begin to think about that? Join us as we think about finding clarity regarding values, and understanding our community DNA. Our instructor is Rev. Dr. Jason Whitehead of Mosaic-Insight. Rev. Whitehead is an ordained clergy member of the PCUSA.

Cost: $40 (alumni, student, and group discounts available; ReSource discount codes apply)

Panel: Women Leading Innovative Ministries

The conversation centered the voices of women embarking on innovative ministries in the Denver metro area including the congregational context and beyond. Facilitated by The Faith Space, our conversation will invite the panelists to share their insights, include their real-world experiences – both challenges and successes. Our panelists are:

• Dr. Celene Lillie, Director of Adult Education and Spiritual Formation at First United Methodist Church in Boulder, Colorado
• Kate Newell, CEO and Co-Founder of The Faith Space
• Rev. Lauren Chance Boyd, pastor of Be3UMC Dinner Church in Denver
• Rev. Stephanie Price, pastor of The Land

Cost: $40 (alumni, student, and group discounts available; ReSource discount codes apply)

Developing Laity: Empowering, Equipping, and Enabling

Clergy are called to provide leadership in their ministry settings, but no ministry will be successful if the clergy try to do all of the work! Lay people are called to ministry too, and in this workshop we examine ways to help them find their ministry niche and participate in transformative ministry. Our instructor is Rev. Annie Arnoldy, the Superintendent of Leadership Development and Director of Connectional Ministry for the Mountain Sky Conference of the United Methodist Church.

Cost: $40 (alumni, student, and group discounts available; ReSource discount codes apply)

Framing Scarcity and Abundance Narratives

In most organizations (and for many individuals), the dominant worldview is one of scarcity, whether or not that is accurate. In this workshop, Rev. Dr. Tom Wolfe, President of the Iliff School of Theology, will share his thoughts about moving from scarcity to abundance – a critical step for effective fundraising and authentic stewardship.

Cost: $40 (alumni, student, and group discounts available; ReSource discount codes apply)

Re-Thinking Around Institutional Narratives

The self-understanding of any organization will deeply impact its effectiveness and impact. Here, Rev. Mark Feldmeir, pastor of St. Andrew United Methodist Church in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, will help us explore the importance of institutional narratives.
Cost: $40 (alumni, student, and group discounts available; ReSource discount codes apply)

Essentials of Grant Funding

We hear about grants which can help transform organizations, but how does one begin to think about obtaining that kind of funding? Is it worth the effort? What is involved with managing grant funds? The reality is that finding, securing, and managing grant funding is part art and part science. In this workshop, we provide an overview of the grant process, including:

• Discovering potential grant sources
• Creating effective grant requests
• Tracking and managing grant funds

Our instructor is Dr. Erin Christensen, Grants Program Director for the Iliff School of Theology.

Cost: $40 (alumni, student, and group discounts available; ReSource discount codes apply)

Beyond Membership: Adapting Stewardship for 21st Century Ministry

Stewardship is the wellspring for our organizations and churches. How well we build donor relationships, raise money from stakeholders, and foster a culture of giving and abundance helps determine our budgets, shape our programming capacity, and dictate our staffing plans. However, many of our organizations are struggling to adapt fast enough to the changing needs of our constituents and are stuck in old models of stewardship that are inflexible. This workshop, Beyond Membership: Adapting Stewardship for 21st Century Ministry, invites participants to examine their current stewardship practices and the underlying assumptions that drive them. Participants engage in deeper questions of what it means for them to steward an organization and are asked to reflect on how they can better integrate stewardship into the rest of their role and sense of calling. Finally, participants learn and practice proven stewardship skills to bring back into their communities. The goal of this workshop is to help participants feel greater agency over their stewardship model and to help participants create a culture of stewardship that is adaptable, agile, and able to attend to the unique needs of a 21st Century institution. Facilitated by The Faith Space: Kate Newell and Dylan Doyle-Burke.

Cost: $40 (alumni, student, and group discounts available; ReSource discount codes apply)

Understanding Ministry Context via Demographics

In the midst of changing populations, too many organizations are blind to the new folks who are living right outside their doors. Keeping up with the changes means being aware of who is in your ministry area – what their preferences are, how they understand faith, and so much more. In modern terms, this means exploring the demographics of your ministry context.
Our instructor is Rev. Jasper Peters, Lead Pastor of Belong Church in Denver. Rev. Peters led the planting of Belong just a few years ago, and found demographic data invaluable as he guided his team through their process of envisioning what Belong needed to look like.
Cost: $40 (alumni, student, and group discounts available; ReSource discount codes apply)

Dialogic Process in Congregations

Churches, like all non-profit organizations, can use dialogic processing to move through organizational change. Many consultants focus on diagnostic processing, which seeks to find problems to solve. Dialogic processing uses generative conversations to move with an organization toward possibilities for the future. Our instructor is Rev. Annie Arnoldy, the Superintendent of Leadership Development and Director of Connectional Ministry for the Mountain Sky Conference of the United Methodist Church.
Cost: $40 (alumni, student, and group discounts available; ReSource discount codes apply)

Understanding Worship Models

Preferences about ministry are important to understand, and demographics can provide vital insights. One particular area, however, is more complex than others: worship.
Here, we explore seven key styles of worship identified by Dr. Tom Bandy, an internationally-known authority in church demographics.
Our instructor is Rev. Dr. Cathie Kelsey, Dean of the Chapel and Spiritual Formation and Gerald L. Schlessman Professor in Methodist Studies at the Iliff School of Theology.
Cost: $40 (alumni, student, and group discounts available; ReSource discount codes apply)

Video: Conversations on the Way Forward

Prepared for our United Methodist denominational partners, this video creates an opportunity for conversation regarding the potential results of the 2019 General Conference decisions.
Total runtime: 20 minutes
Cost: Free

Video: Spiritual Entrepreneurship

From Iliff’s Office of Professional Formation, this video provides the full content of the fall term Vocation and Formation Seminar Series. Here, Sara Jolena Wolcott presents on the topic of Spiritual Entrepreneurship.
Total runtime: 59 minutes
Cost: Free

ReSource Podcast: Bivocational Ministry

Packard Brown shares his insights and expertise regarding bivocational ministry, a growing reality for clergy today.
Total runtime: 20 minutes across 3 segments
Cost: Free

ReSource Podcast: Social Media & Fundraising

A helpful conversation with Matthew David Morris about his experiences using social media as a tool for fundraising.
Total runtime: 23 minutes across 3 segments
Cost: Free

ReSource Video: Funnel Conversations

There are ways to guide an interview – even when you are the interviewee! Learn some helpful tips from Packard Brown, former Director of Career Services at Iliff. His new Theology Careers Initiative provides support to those navigating the ministerial and non-profit job markets.
Total runtime: 13 minutes
Cost: Free

PIFN – Jobs & Other Opportunities

Iliff’s Office of Professional Formation offers their Professional (In)Formation Network (PIFN) site where community partners can post information about job openings, internships, and volunteer positions.