Tools, Trainings, Etc. to Enhance Your Congregations


Resourceful Servants COVID Grants – Pre-Launch Announcement

God’s mission in the world is served when vibrant leaders are supported in serving vital communities.
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many leaders used up savings they had built or had difficulty making payments on their homes and utilities, their transportation, or their healthcare needs. These struggles were felt particularly strongly by leaders serving in under-resourced communities.

To accompany leaders facing these situations, Resourceful Servants, an initiative of the ELCA churchwide organization and its ministry partners, is launching the Grants for COVID Emergencies program. Through a generous grant from the Lilly Endowment Inc., this program provides up to 200 ELCA leaders with one-time grants of $1,000 and membership in the ELCA Federal Credit Union.

This program is open to ELCA rostered ministers as well as those who lead congregations but are not ordained (for example, synod-authorized ministers, non-ordained mission developers, and leaders of communities in the Vulnerable and Vital Network or Homeless and Justice Network). This funding won’t completely resolve any financial crisis, but we hope it will give leaders some stability and further equip them to engage in ministry for the sake of the world. This program will launch on Thursday, September 22 through a Seeds Monthly article and on Friday, September 23 with an email to all rostered ministers.

Leaders can learn more and apply through the Resourceful Servants website.

Vital Congregations Training for Leaders Fall Session

Pastors, lay leaders, and teams (4-6 members) from congregations are all welcome. There is no cost for this training. All courses will be led by Rev Nancy Nyland, Rev Jason Adams, Rev Dan Forehand, Rev Gwendolyn Snell and Mr. Jon Dahl in partnership with additional leaders and the ELCA Christian Community and Leadership Congregational Vitality Team. This is a four (4) part training. Please plan to attend all. Dates are Oct. 6, Oct. 20, Nov. 3, and Nov. 17, 2022. Times will be 1:30-3:00PM (EST) and 7:30-9:00PM (EST) for each date. You may choose the time each day that works best for you For more information please contact our synod's DEM (Director for Evangelical Mission), Pr. Julianne Smith at jsmith@neos-elca.org, Neil Bullock at Neil.Bullock@elca.org (773) 380-2884 or Rev. Anna-Kari Johnson (773) 990-0814 Anna-Kari.Johnson@elca.org.  To access the registration link, click here.

Faith + Lead Lab

Have you checked out Faith+Lead Learning Lab yet? Grounded in radical trust that the Holy Spirit is moving in the midst of change, this space is for Christian leaders to connect, experiment, and discover how to empower their communities to connect with God, tell the story of Jesus, cultivate community within and beyond the church, practice justice, and shift ministry models. Faith+Lead offers a variety of webinars, course, and more for lay leaders and rostered ministers. It’s free to sign up for the learning lab which gives you access to conversations on ministry topics. There are fees for webinars and workshops.

North/West Lower Michigan Synod Disability Learning Day

The North/West Lower Michigan Synod’s Disability Ministry Task Force is hosting a Disability Learning Day in October and we wanted to share the information with your synods in case anyone is interested in attending. The event will be held on October 22, 2022, from 9:30am-3:30pm at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Portage, MI. It will feature a keynote address from Victoria White, Church Services Director of All Belong, and an opportunity for participants to engage in workshops. Registration is $20 and includes lunch and a book. The event information, registration form, and pdf flyer are available here on their website.