Connections Project Shows Signs of Success after One Year

When Adam Veenstra was ordained for ministry, he had sound theology and a good understanding of how to do pastoral care, but he was surprised by the full range of issues he faced in his role as pastor of faith formation at Ancaster (Ont.) Christian Reformed Church. He was also unsure how to navigate the vast array of resources available through the various ministries of the Christian Reformed Church in North America.

“I am relatively new to ministry in this area, having worked here for just over a year, and having been ordained for just six months,” he said, explaining that two regional staff have been vital to helping him overcome these challenges. “Both Lesli [van Milligen] and Marian [Lensink] have been incredible sources of support and information as I navigate a new ministry culture and position, and they have been an amazing resource for the ministries of Ancaster CRC.”

Veenstra is just one of many CRC leaders who has been benefiting from the Connections Project, a three-year, Lilly Endowment Inc. grant-funded initiative to help Christian Reformed churches in three regions (southern Ontario, southern California, and the U.S. Midwest) explore and connect with resources for ministry. Van Milligen and Lensink serve as resource coaches for Connections in the southern Ontario region.

Under the umbrella of Pastor Church Resources, Connections Project staff, such as van Milligen and Lensink, walk alongside congregations and ministry leaders as they address the unique questions, opportunities, and challenges they face in their contexts.

The goal of the project is to improve ministry by helping churches discover and use a wide variety of ministry resources from the CRC and beyond. The project staff also hope to connect congregations within a region for mutual support, learning, and fellowship.

“Most congregations need help navigating the maze of resources that are available. With a plethora of resources available to them from the denomination and beyond, they value a local, trusted voice to guide them through the discovery process,” said Derek Atkins, coordinator for the Connections Project from January 2016 through June 2017.

Atkins added, “In many cases, connections between congregations are just as, if not more, valuable as the connection to a book, video, or article resource.”

To meet these project goals, the Connections Project includes annual training for the regional staff (coaches and catalyzers) that is focused on learning in community. It also includes creating resource teams in each region to effectively support and connect with congregations, and hosting regional gatherings where representatives from congregations can get together and decide on learning objectives.

As a final step, the Connections Project encourages the formation of learning cohorts in each region, where congregations can work together to tackle specific issues they face. The goal is to eventually replicate this type of learning and resourcing in every CRC classis (regional grouping of congregations).

The Connections Project recently celebrated the end of its first full year of the three-year grant. Over the past 12 months the project has seen a lot of success.

“Two team-training events were planned in cooperation with Tim Shapiro, president of the Indianapolis Center for Congregations, in order to enable our teams to effectively resource and connect with congregations,” said Atkins. “It was evident by the end of the second training in May 2017 that the teams had the tools, postures, and support needed to effectively resource congregations. They also showed they are hungry to continue to learn and to grow as a team.”

Atkins said this training has led to fruitful work that is benefiting the congregations in the target regions. They have already connected with 47 percent of the 274 CRC churches in the three regions. The goal was to connect with 60 percent of the churches by June 2019, which means progress is ahead of schedule. These connections are having an impact.

In the U.S. Midwest, resource coach Joel DeBoer reports a recognizable shift occurring since the project has launched, especially in the two classes he is working with. He says that as leaders have become more comfortable talking with him about opportunities and challenges, and as he has shared those stories and helped leaders connect, a new openness to sharing and change has developed.

In southern California, resource coach Tomas Ivens reports that learning cohorts have connected several previously disconnected ethnic minority leaders who explored the topics of community engagement and church planting. One participant remarked that it was the first time he felt the denomination actually cared about him and his ministry.

And in southern Ontario, pastors such as Veenstra are finding ways to improve their ministry and to support each other.

The Connections Project will continue until at least June 2019. Read the first year report.