News & Stories

January 1, 2018 News

Resolve to get your church in shape this year

ECF is sharing six valuable resources to help strengthen your leadership teams and get your Church in shape this New Year.

1. Subscribe to ECF Vital Practices: ECF Vital Practices offers vestry members and church leaders resources and tools to respond to the changing needs of the Church. Subscribe to have our monthly publication Vestry Papers and other tools and resources delivered to your inbox twice a month.

2. Register for the 2018 Church Leadership Conference: The 2018 Church Leadership Conference is on March 2-4, 2018 at the Kanuga Camp and Conference Center in Hendersonville, NC. The Conference is an annual gathering of vestry members and congregational leaders for practical learning, reflection and formation and the focus is to strengthen, equip and re-energize church leaders for church leadership and ministry. The theme for 2018 is Equipped for Every Good Work: Practical Tools for Tough Times.

3. Purchase a copy of the Vestry Resource Guide: Whether you’re a first time vestry member or a seasoned veteran, the Vestry Resource Guide offers an approach for leaders of congregations and faith communities to consider and tailor to meet their own needs. With information and recommendations for congregations of all shapes and sizes, this is an essential tool to help vestries focus on what God is calling them to do in the world. The Vestry Resource Guide is available in English or Spanish, and in both print and e-book formats.

4. Use the ECF First Step assessment tool: ECF First Step was designed specifically for parishes wondering where to begin. It was intentionally designed for use by small groups of three or four individuals as part of a collective conversation. The assessment tool can be printed or taken online here.

5. Sign-up for ECF’s free webinars: As part of ECF's on-going efforts to assist congregations in developing their leadership and financial resources, we offer a wide range of webinars for clergy and lay parish leaders. There is no cost to participate and all are welcome to join. You can find a complete listing of upcoming webinars in our calendar. We keep an archive of many of our past webinars on ECF Vital Practices, here.

6. Plan a Vestry retreat: A Vestry retreat can be a powerful time of sharing, forming community and becoming a team. Click here for some resources to help you plan a vestry retreat.

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