Thriving Congregations: Seminar Track
Seminar Track
To express interest or find out more information, fill out this form: Interest Form
The Seminar Track of Thriving Congregations is our longer, more in-depth, version of the program. This version is a good option for: 1)churches who don't know where to start in building connections with their communities, 2)who want to learn more about our Reformed Presbyterian ideas and energize their imaginations, 3)who want to establish connections with their community and other Presbyterian churches; and 4)for churches who have completed the Exploratory Track and would like more depth, assistance, and incentives.
To participate in this track, you will need to have the approval of the session of your church before beginning
Meetings and Themes
This track will take place over 7 official meetings with representatives from your congregation, and includes the possibility of additional meetings for the purpose of meeting with consultants, or preparing for college interns, or more fully implementing your idea or plan to connect and thrive in your community
Before beginning the program there may be preparatory work for your congregational representatives to complete, and there will be assignments and activities for your congregation to complete between meetings
Meeting 1: Our Purpose, Work and Way of Living as a Church--Beliefs and Background
Will include: An overview and history of the 6 Great Ends of the Church; learning some history and background of your congregation and community, and initial assessments of your congregation and community, sharing your thoughts on your church's purpose, work, and way of living as a congregation and in your community, with an initial assessment to act as a benchmark as you move through the program
Meeting 2: Our Purpose, Work and Way of Living as a Church--Ecclesiology and Encouragement
Building on beliefs and background, this will include: In-depth study of "The Shelter, Nurture and Spiritual Fellowship of the Children of God" and "The Proclamation of the Gospel for the Salvation of Humankind"--anchored in scripture and with expansive definitions; activities based around how you engage in shelter, nurture and spiritual fellowship of the children of God as a church, and encouraging your congregation as it proclaims the gospel for the salvation of humankind in your community
Meeting 3: Our Purpose, Work and Way of Living as a Church--Presence and Place
Building on beliefs, background, ecclesiology and encouragement, this will include: In-depth study of "The Maintenance of Divine Worship" and "The Promotion of Social Righteousness"--anchored in scripture and the Book of Order, with expansive definitions; activities based around how you are present to engage in the maintenance of divine worship as a church, and how you could engage in the promotion of social righteousness in places in your community
Meeting 4: Our Purpose, Work and Way of Living as a Church--Faith and Furthering
Building on beliefs and background, ecclesiology and encouragement, presence and place, this will include: In-depth study of "The Preservation of the Truth" and "The Exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the World"--anchored in scripture, with expansive definitions; activities based around how faith helps you in the preservation of the truth as a church, and how you could further the exhibition of the kingdom of heaven to the world, in your particular community
Meeting 5: Our Purpose, Work and Way of Living as a Church--Imagining and Implementing
Building on the concepts we've studied and what you've considered and realized about your church and community, this meeting will be where you begin crafting an idea/program/activity/etc that you've imagined for your church to connect with your community, to live out the re-imagined concepts of the 6 Great Ends of the Church, and starting the steps to implement it
Meeting 6: Our Purpose, Work and Way of Living as a Church--Friendship and Future
This meeting will be a gathering of your congregation's participants in the program with those of other PC(USA) congregations in the Presbytery of Arkansas participating in the program. You will share with one another, find commonalities, connection and friendship and plan for the future of your congregation's ways of connecting with your community. You'll leave this cohort with ideas and homework for further connections with your cohort, and steps for implementing connection between your congregation and your community
Meeting 7: Our Purpose, Work and Way of Living as a Church--Connection and Community
This meeting will be a check-in and assessment of your plan to to connect your church and community, and encouragement in your connections to your cohort congregations. We will also assess whether your congregation wants and needs additional study, if you would find the work of church consultants beneficial, or whether you'd like to consider hosting college student interns in the future
Meeting 8: Our Purpose, Work and Way of Living as a Church--Assessing and Assistance
This meeting will be with church consultants, if you are making use of that possibility, or meeting with the program director in order to assess next steps and discern what assistance might be most helpful for your congregation
Meeting 9: Our Purpose, Work and Way of Living as a Church--Possibilities and Plans
Congregations making use of consultants will continue meeting with them; congregations meeting with the program director for additional levels of study or making plans for the future will continue meeting and begin the next phase of study or planning; congregations hoping to host college interns will begin working on plans for that possibility with the program director
For the initial run of this track will be accepting 4 congregations, no more than 4 participants each, and this track will run September 2025-May 2026, with additional meetings and activities going on beyond that date
If you would like to be considered for a cohort, please contact me: Rev. Sara Anne Berger, sberger@ozarks.edu or fill out this form: Interest Form
If there is not space in the initial cohort, we will keep your name and information for subsequent cohorts