PROFILE: ADVOCACY
Six Churches Launch Diversity of Sustainable Ministries with Holy Currencies Model by Lisa Madry
Six congregations from the Diocese of Texas came together to dream big about new ministries they are developing in partnership with Episcopal Health Foundation. Using the Holy Currencies model, congregations examine and build plans that address the “currencies” of time and place, gracious leadership, relationship, truth, wellness and money to help ensure that their initiatives are both sustainable and will have a meaningful impact in their communities.
Currency of Relationship
CYCLE OF
BLESSINGS
The incubation period for an initiative is six months Currency and begins with a two-day orientation workshop that of Money includes regular meetings and webinars. The effort culminates with the teams presenting their “business plans.” Working with the Kaleidoscope Institute (KI)’s Holy Currencies model Currency of developed by the Rev. Eric Law, teams of four to six congregational Time & Place leaders from each church proposed new initiatives in 2017 and will use the Holy Currencies model to further develop and refine their plans.
Currency of Truth
HOLY CURRENCIES
Currency of Wellness
Currency of Gracious Leadership
The process helps congregations better understand how their outreach initiative can draw from a variety of assets, skills and approaches to strengthen the benefit to the community, while developing the structure to support a sustainable ministry. Community health and development ministries in this cohort include: food security and nutrition, child and youth programs, mental health and community planning. The Holy Currencies teams started the orientation thinking about which currencies would improve their outreach. “I think the currency we’re developing right now, and what the program is helping us most with is ‘gracious leadership,’” said Steven Gallington of St. John’s, LaPorte. “Like so many other small churches, there’s a very small subset of people who seem to do everything. Through this work, we are raising up leaders; some of the leaders are within the church, but most of those leaders are the people we’re actually serving.” Other teams pondered what their strongest currencies are, which sparked ideas for their work. “The relationship currency kicked us off," said Rita Marquess of Trinity, Marble Falls. "The passion and idea for creating a hunger-free Burnet County came from an individual who then got others interested in our ministry and outreach. We began going out into the community and talking to and partnering with the different groups and organizations to feed people now.” 26 |
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