I was raised singing in the church, and music is one of the joys of my life! 

So when I was thinking of how to explain our method of congregational formation at Town Square Collaborative, I thought about music. I thought about how the differing parts come together in harmony, and form chords, and work as many to become one beautiful sound. I thought about how the notes vary, the chords shift, the melody lines move, but the song is anchored by the clef and staff, tempo and key signature. This image informed how I conceptualize congregational formation as part of the Town Square Collaborative

What does this mean? 

M=Meaning of foundational concepts: 

congregational participants will study scripture, the 6 Great Ends of the church and key words and ideas from those Great Ends, in order to reclaim and revive theological identity

U=Understanding your church: 

congregational participants will engage in study, conversation, reflection and activities which will help them think about who their church is and what their church's Core Identity is

S=Studying your community: 

through group work in meetings, and directed homework assignments outside of meetings, congregational participants will begin recognizing what their community has to offer and what it needs. Through this work, the congregational participants will work to challenge their own assumptions and confirm their church's gifts to connect with this community

I=Interacting with your community: 

congregational participants will work to build connections with their community, with the aim of being a valued part and having the opportunity of joining in with their community and what it is doing to care for the people and spaces within it

C=Connecting in cohorts: 

the congregational participants will gather on the University of the Ozarks campus, joining with other churches in this program track, in study and activities, to develop connectional ideas, encourage one another, learn and share with each other and remind themselves that in the Church of Jesus Christ they are not alone!

In practice, what does this look like?

The M.U.S.I.C. system for Congregational Formation takes place across 7 meetings with your church's participants

Meeting 1: Introduction to the 6 great ends, exploration of the concepts

Meeting 2: Getting to know your Church, thinking about Core Identity

Meeting 3: Initial 2 of the 6 Great Ends

Meeting 4: Getting to know your community 

Meeting 5: 2 more of the 6 Great Ends

Meeting 6: Final 2 of the 6 Great Ends

Meeting 7: Gathering as a Cohort, thinking about Connection

The fluidity of which Great Ends are studied, and when, allows for adapting to your church's unique melodic voice; that is, it allows us to build on your strengths and support you in more challenging concepts. 

The next run of the M.U.S.I.C. framework for Congregational Formation begins in September 2025

We will meet monthly September-November 2025, pause for December, and then meet monthly January-March 2026, with the final gathering in April 2026 at University of the Ozarks

We are looking for small-town or rural PC(USA) congregations interested in participanting, now

There are 4 slots for churches, 3 participants per church. You do *not* need to be on the session, or have been a ruling elder, to participate

To express interest, or find out more information you can fill out this form: M.U.S.I.C. Framework Interest Form

or email Rev. Sara Anne Berger at sberger@ozarks.edu