Congregational Vitality

Adventures in Renewal

Adventures in Renewal (AIR) is a process developed the by the ELCA’s Greater-Milwaukee Synod. AIR invites congregations to seek deeper connections with our neighbors through listening, learning, and ministry experiments. To do this, congregations form “Renewal Teams“ who commit to being a seed of spiritual renewal in their congregations first, trusting that institutional renewal can then follow. Through prayer, skill-building, listening experiments and reflection they address the pressing questions about the future of God’s church. For further information, contact your Director for Evangelical Mission: Pastor Carlos Ham in the South (carlosh@fbsynod.org) or Pastor Derek Hoven in the North (derekh@fbsynod.org). You can explore AIR resources on the Greater-Milwaukee website:​

https://milwaukeesynod.org/resources/for-congregations/resources-for-mission-renewal/

Fresh Expressions

Fresh Expressions is a movement that helps congregations connect people with the love of Jesus in new ways. It follows a loving-first model that begins with listening and relating to people in the community, moves to loving and serving, and then to community building. Once this has been accomplished the work of discipleship can begin and church can take shape. To learn more, contact your Director for Evangelical Mission: Pastor Carlos Ham in the South (carlosh@fbsynod.org) or Pastor Derek Hoven in the North (derekh@fbsynod.org).​

The Florida-Bahamas Synod Vision to Action (V2A) grant program provides funding for congregations to experiment with Fresh Expressions. The V2A Dinner Church grant is a Fresh Expression that comes with training in addition to the funding. Contact grants@fbsynod.org to learn more.​

Storytelling Workshops

As Jesus ascended to heaven, he called the church to be his witnesses from Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). Telling the stories of God at work in our lives is a core part of our identity as the church. Bearing witness in the form of storytelling has not been a strength in the Lutheran tradition. The good news is we can practice and get better at it, which grows us in our faith and connects other people to God’s grace along the way. Pastor Derek Hoven can lead storytelling session or workshops with congregational groups or conference groups. Contact him at derekh@fbsynod.org for more information. ​

Church Property Resource Hub

A project of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the Church Property Resource Hub is being built in response to requests from synod and local church leaders for support navigating the challenges and opportunities that buildings and land represent for both congregational vitality and the wider mission of the Church. You can connect with the resource hub at: https://www.elca.org/church-property-resource-hub​

Leading Faithful Innovation & Faith+Lead

Leading Faithful Innovation shares the same paradigm as the Adventures in Renewal resources. The authors are also part of Faith+Lead from Luther Seminary, which is a non-degree theological learning platform uniquely combining trustworthy theological education, community, spiritual formation, and practices to meet the 21st-century challenges of the Church. ​

• Leading Faithful Innovation​
• Faith+Lead​
• The Pivot Podcast​

In Bearing Witness in Acts and Today, the Rev. Dr. Troy uses the book of Acts to reframe evangelism for our present day. Using stories from Acts, Dr. Troftgruben connects the experiences of the earlier church to our contemporary context and the ways we can bear witness with our lives, our actions, and our words. Each chapter includes opportunities for further engagement, questions for conversation, and action steps for individuals and congregations to grow in their ability to bear witness to the gospel. This resources is an excellent companion for Adventures in Renewal, Fresh Expressions, and Fuller resources. Dr. Troftgruben is an Associate Professor of New Testament and The William A. & John E. Wagner Professor in Biblical Theology at Wartburg Seminary.​

Resources from the Fuller Youth Institute

The Fuller Youth Institute provides research-based tools for ministry. Their Growing Young book provides six principles to help congregations shape their cultures to be more welcoming of younger people. Fuller also has a congregation assessment and other resources to support the Growing Young journey. Future Focused Church builds on these same principles to help congregations discern and live into their next faithful steps forward.​

• Growing Young​
• Future Focused Church