This page is intended to provide tools to help with:

Resourcing Your Congregations

Appreciative Inquiry (AI): is a process of having a conversation that gets at what is the best of the organization and builds on the words of Philippians 4:8, " Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things." NIV.  A detailed outline of the AI process can be found in the book "Memories, Hopes and Conversations" by Mark Lau Branson and available from the Alban Institute (www.alban.org). Mark B. outlines 5 steps for using AI in congregational (and classis) change: 1) Choose the positive as the focus of inquiry. 2) Inquire into stories of life giving forces. 3) Locate themes in the stories and select topics for futher inquiry. 4) Create shared images of a preferred future. 5) Find innovative ways to create that future.  

The August 29 issues of the Alban’s Institute’s e-mail newsletter contains a good summary of asset mapping and how it can be used in a congregational setting. A Quick and Simple Congregational Asset-Mapping Experience is available to try with a group from your congregation or community; it can help you discover your assets and how you can act on them. 

A fuller explanation of asset mapping and how to use it is available through the Alban book The Power of Asset Mapping: How Your Congregation Can Act on Its Gifts  by Luther K. Snow, an Alban Institute publication. Snow, a long-time community developer, shows congregational leaders how to help a group recognize its assets and the abundance of God’s gifts and to act on them in ministry and mission.

For a forwarded e-mail containing the Alban newsletter with the Asset-Mapping experience, contact CRMT at crmt@crcna.org.

Classis Ministries

Tom Bulten, the administrative assistant for the Home Missions committee of Classis GR East, prepares an annual brochure for the classis listing the partnership ministries of its 16 congregations. In addition, at its January classis meeting, each ministry prepared a display for a classis ministry fair to further inform classis of their work. Download a copy of the brochure or contact Tom for more information.

Classis Newsletters

A classis newsletter can be an effective means of keeping the ministries and congregations within a classis connected to each other. Not sure what one would look like? Take a look at Classis Chicago South's—prepared quarterly, it is sent electronically to its mailing list.

Classis Web Sites

What is a Wiki? A new web tool that allows the collaborative development of a website without centralized management. Anyone with access can log on, view, and edit the pages directly from their computer. Classis Central California is trying this out as a communication tool. Check it out and see if it could work for your classis.

Looking for a more traditional example? Take a look at Classis Toronto’s web site for how your classis’ web site could provide vital and effective communication between the congregations of your classis.

Classis Networking

Classis Toronto hosted a Home Missions Networking evening this past November. Interested in how that works?

• Format for evening of sharing best practices (Word 32k)
• Letter to facilitators (Word 28k)
• Invitation to congregations (Word 64k)

Classis Meetings

Reporting guidelines from Classis Lake Erie for its five classical committees: Diaconal, Leadership Development, Congregational Life, New Church Development, and Specialized Ministries.

Classis meeting evaluations from Classes Huron, Chatham, Lake Superior, and Alberta South.

Classis Ministry Committees

Three classes share designs for this key structure of a renewed classis:

• Classis Atlantic NE
• Classis Hudson/Hackensack
• Classis Holland

Instituting Prayer at Classis

Four prayer resources from Classis British Columbia NW

• A sample congregational prayer coordinator's mission, management, scope, and appointment document
• A sample handout distributed at classis meetings to gather prayer requests from churches
• A sample classis prayer calendar for use in congregations
• A sample letter from classis prayer leaders to congregational prayer coordinators

Empowering your Classis Through Prayer

• Prayer Kit
• Prayer and Praise Planning Sheet

Developing Regional Mission Plans

• Strategy For Mobilizing Church Planting and Development

Church Visiting

• Agenda for Synod 2000, Guide for Conducting Church Visiting and Church Visiting Proposal: An Experimental Model
• Church Visitor Training Event, Classes Chatham and Huron's evening of shared church visitor training.

Self-Assessment

• Benchmarks of a Healthy Classis

Strategic Planning

• Who’s Driving the Vehicle? Presented by George Bullard at the November 2000 conference this handout applies his congregational leadership map to classis.
• Six Principles for Adaptive Leadership presented by Gil Rendle at the May 2004 CRMT conference. A discussion guide for a classis' strategic planning team.
• Developing a Vision in a Classis
• Evaluating a Vision Statement
• APA: Achieve, Preserve, Avoid
• Classis Lake Erie Strategic Plan
• Steps From Mission to Ministry
• Developing Our Plans

Classical Ministries Staff Position

• Classis Chatham's Ministry Developer
• Classis Niagara's Ministry Coordinator
• Classis Toronto's Ministries Coordinator