Best Practices

The Walk On book has many examples of best practices in addition to these listed here.

A Church Family Gathers on Sunday Nights

At Hope Reformed Church in Clifton, NJ, church meetings are held in members’ homes one Sunday night per month from 6:30-8:00. The members gather over food and an elder reads aloud from a children’s picture book. The books, such as Water, Come Down! or Peter’s First Easter by Walter Wangerin or Just the Way You Are by Max Lucado, are carefully chosen to relate to children but also convey larger themes. An intergenerational discussion takes place about the themes of the book, followed by a prayer time. Usually prayer requests are written on Post-It notes and passed around the circle so everyone can participate. For Jolanda Malburg, the church’s former youth director, this time “was very meaningful, especially because I was far from my family. It gave me the feeling of being at a family gathering with cousins running around. It helped make the church feel like a home while encouraging people to talk about their faith with one another.”

Summer Programs Emphasize Community

Two churches in Holland have held entirely different but effective summer programs to bring their church community together. 

Summer Blitz at Providence CRC includes sixteen events held over 10 days. Kathy Mouw, the Director of Children’s Ministries, organized these events so the church members “can get to know each other better and to provide an easy and fun way for others to get to know who we are.” These events are varied to meet the different interests of their members and include a Lake Michigan Sunset Cruise, miniature golf, movies, a picnic in a park, an all-night video tournament, a scavenger hunt for adults, and a water day in the church parking lot. A booklet was published describing each event and giving details such as the time, location, cost, and contact people. Members could register for as many events as they could attend. An award was given to anyone participating in seven events. 

With four worshiping congregations, the members of Harderwyk CRC have a difficult time getting to know each other. This summer Beth Jewett, the Children’s Director, organized Kid Connect to help kids become friends with adults in the Harderwyk congregation. For four evenings the children met in small groups of four or five with one adult leader. The leaders were encouraged to share their personal faith with the children while working through different faith topics each evening such as:

• What if I mess up? What if I’m not good enough?
• What do I do when my friend wants to do something wrong?
• What’s heaven like?
• What is the right way to pray?

To encourage friendships the groups also spent time having fun by playing games, making crafts, singing songs, and baking cookies.

Recovering Testimony

During Lent the Presbyterian (PCUSA) congregation that Kendra Hotz worshipped with "focused on the ways in which Jesus violates our expectations. Each week someone from the congregation offered a reflection on how God had worked unexpectedly in his or her life, on ways in which God had violated expectations about what a good life ought to be." Read Kendra's take on how this congregation made a place in the liturgy for testimony at http://www.reformedworship.org/magazine/article.cfm?article_id=1789

Testimonies in Worship

How can we include testimonies in worship without it turning into a spirit-filled (or perhaps not so spirit filled) free-for-all? We want to allow encourage people to share what's on their hearts, but we also know that sometimes a topic that is very dear to one person doesn't translate well into a talk in front of the whole congregation.

Ron Rienstra faced just such a dilemma in leading worship in his college setting when he wrote his "Notes from the Loft" column on testimonies for Reformed Worship. Read the article here: http://www.reformedworship.org/magazine/article.cfm?article_id=1051

The Lord Is My Shepherd

At a retreat, the staff and council of Seymour CRC studied Psalm 23, reflecting on God’s work in their lives. They focused on identifying God’s presence in their lives by looking back, looking at today, and looking toward the future. Mary Bouwma, Director of Adult Ministries, said that the study facilitated good personal reflection. By using the readings with discussion questions the staff and council looked at their personal walk with God as well as how God was using their congregation in this world.

No Time for Bible Study? Try Summer!

Women at Fellowship CRC in Grandville, Mich., gathered for Bible study at a time when many church programs are put on hold—in the summer. Barb Sanders, the Director of Discipleship and Education, discovered that many women with full schedules during the school year have time for Bible study in the summer. They meet every other Wednesday night from 7:00 to 8:30. Last summer they studied Beth Moore’s “When Godly People Do Ungodly Things” for seven weeks. The evening began with an opening song and one or two Bible readings. Then the group watched the video that accompanies the Bible study and later broke into small groups for discussion and prayer. Even though Barb was unsure how many to expect, she was pleased that 45 women participated, including 10 who were not members. Many women have told her they are looking forward to attending the Bible study again this summer.

Covenant Groups Build Relationships

Sunday evenings are a time to learn and build relationships at Eastern Avenue CRC in Grand Rapids, Michigan. At 5:00 the congregation meets for praise and worship followed by a light meal. By 6:00 the participants break into small groups for an hour of study. Covenant Groups meet on the first and third Sunday evenings for 6 or 7 weeks in the fall and the winter. The group leaders are church members who are recruited to lead the groups on topics that relate to the leaders’ area of interest or skills. Some of the topics covered this winter were “Communities First,” “Family Based Youth Ministries,” “Contemplative Prayer,” and “Multicultural Worship.” Fred Sterenberg, church administrator, says that “people find that Covenant Groups are something they want to do and it is enjoyable.”

Desired Learning Outcomes in Hudsonville

By what age should a child memorize the Lord's Prayer? Should we expect teens to memorize the first question and answer of the Heidelberg Catechism? What do we expect from our adult members?

To answer these and many other questions, Hudsonville Reformed Church appointed a task force to evaluate all areas of faith nurture in their church. The task force, made up of members of the Christian Education Ministry Team and volunteers from the congregation, met regularly over several months to develop a comprehensive discipleship plan identifying six important issues of faith formation. Their work resulted in a statement of Desired Learning Outcomes for the church.

Over the coming months the team will take steps to implement the plan. Barry Foster, coordinator of congregational life, will begin meeting with parents to explain what they can expect at each age level.

Making Church a Place that Welcomes People with Disabilities

To help their congregation provide a caring and supportive network for people with special needs and their families, Haven CRC in Zeeland has appointed Kathy Timmer to be their special needs coordinator. According to the church’s website, the Coordinator “is the bridge between the congregation and persons or families with special needs. The coordinator is empowered and equipped to knit together children and adults with special needs with group leaders, peers, and the congregation as a whole.”

When a family or individual with special needs comes to Haven CRC, the coordinator meets with them to determine a plan that will allow the individual to be better enfolded into the heart of the congregation. An individualized plan is written up with the help of a local special education teacher and approved by the parents and the coordinator. The plan is then given to teachers, leaders, or volunteers who work with the individual.

Timmer also runs the Helping Hands program through which church members provide respite care to the family of the person with special needs. Three or four families are matched with each special needs family and they care for the children up to one night a month so the parents have some time to themselves.

The coordinator also advocates for individuals with special needs in their church and looks for opportunities for persons with disabilities to serve others within the congregation. She sees that her job is to offer the perspective of persons who are sometimes unable to speak for themselves.

To learn more about this ministry, check out Haven CRC’s web page at www.havenchurch.org and click on the “Special Needs” link. The web page includes information about their program as well as forms they use for their volunteers and special needs families.

Family Ministry

A recent article in the Church Herald (February, 2007) written by Pam Kimpson highlights the following four programs that support home and families:

• Cedar Hills Community Church, Cedar Rapids, IA: “Family Matters” parenting classes are helping parents and the church understand that faith formation is a partnership between the two. Helping children grow in their faith and incorporating faith traditions, ritual, “faith talk” and service outings are other topics also being explored.
• Hope Reformed Church, Lincoln, Nebraska: In January, Hope opened its “Kid Day Out” ministry, providing children with Christ-centered care while allowing parents time for personal and spiritual growth. Parents can take advantage of parenting and other classes while their children are being cared for in this ministry.
• Third Reformed Church, Pella, Iowa: Family Festival is a special monthly worship service that engages both kids and adults in their worship of God. Parents are equipped to lead a family discussion time at home to follow up on the worship experience.
• Westview Church, Waukee, Iowa: Instead of their usual midweek programming, families did service projects and debriefing experiences together.