Worship Institute Points to Resource Guide

The websites of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship and the Congregational Resource Guide—a free, online publication funded by Lilly Endowment Inc.—have recently been highlighting each other's resources for their web users.

One example is a story on the resource guide in the latest issue of the worship institute's July Web Highlighter.

Since the abundance of resources available for congregations and their leaders can be overwhelming, the Congregational Resource Guide (CRG) has a range of experts who are constantly sifting through and mining for materials that show a high likelihood for usefulness in congregational life.

"With the assistance of our affiliate organization, the Indianapolis Center for Congregations in Indiana, the staff of the Alban Institute, and our board of advisors, we strive to point leaders to those materials that can assist them in aiding their congregation's efforts to become healthy bodies of worship and agents of transformation in the communities they exist," says information on the CRG website.

The guide gathers and directs congregations and their leaders to resources in a range of areas, including worship resources, websites, books, articles or podcasts, persons or organizations, any of which can be a "key to sparking imaginative thinking," says the story in the institute's Web Highligher.

The CRG offers more than 2,000 resources available for those who are interested in issues related to life of a congregation.

For instance, the CRG offers recommendations for summer reading on such topics as learning and growth in leadership, congregational life, public life, and spirituality.

The online guide also offers articles such as one on "Childhood Poverty: Addressing the Systemic Issues," which discusses churches linking with others to determine the root causes of poverty and how to seek ways to combat the problem.

There are also stories about burnout among lay leaders, the significance of having a good interim minister when a pastor leaves, helping clergy spouses to find balance in their lives, and the value of getting away for spiritual renewal in the setting of retreats.

"You can also subscribe to the CRG's weekly newsletter, which will ensure you never miss a new resource. The CRG can also help if you have need of a resource but don’t find one on the CRG website," says Calvin Institute for Christian.