Ministry, Mission, Leadership and Congregational Development/Redevelopment

in a Diverse and Changing Canada

 Support to Local Ministire, Faith Formation, and Ethnic Ministries Units

Crieff Hills Conference Centre

January 31 - February 2, 2003

"Our neighbours and our communities have changed.  People come from all parts of the world.  Many religious traditions exist side-by-side in our towns and increasingly in our pews. People with different expressions of Christian faith from other countries are now our colleagues in ministries in many parts of Canada.  Individual Canadians have developed new religious and spiritual practices alongside the older ones.  The changing mission setting poses enormous challenges to the work of congregations, outreach ministries, and church institutions, as well as to the denominational infrastructure."  (Future Directions: The Mission Vision and Directions of the United Church affirmed by the Executive of General Council, Nov. 2001)

1)    To respond to the church's ongoing call to be engaged in ministry, mission, leadership and church development/re-development in a diverse and changing context by gathering people cross-sectorally (theological schools, congregational and outreach ministries, ethnic communities, GC staff, church development/redevelopment boards) in a collaborative model to develop advice/wisdom for the General Council Programs

2)    To continue to address the commitment made at the 36th General Council in response to the report of the Commission on Congregational Mission and Church Development affirming the following directions for the denomination's support of congregational mission in a changing Canada.

The 36th General Council agreed to:

 strongly encourage Joint Pastoral Relations Committee in ethno-culturally diverse communities to intentionally call ministry personnel who embody such diversity; and request the DMC, DMP&E, and the EMC to draw on one another's experience to develop a programme for recruitment, training, and appropriate settlement of ministry personnel from ethno-culturally diverse backgrounds;

 request that programmes and resources developed by the denomination for congregations be designed in ways that allow leaders to adapt them to the cultural, theological, and contextual diversity of their ministry settings, including those for newcomers to the language and practice of the faith community

In an environment that encourages debate, dialogue and creative tension, participants will have an opportunity to:

 share their work and questions in addressing these challenges;

 benefit from the analysis and information of key resource people regarding the changing Canadian context;

 advise the national church about how to give leadership and support to strengthening ministry, mission, leadership and appropriate church development/redevelopment in a diverse and changing context

 identify colleagues across the country who are responding to these challenges in their own context with whom they can network

 We  will have reflected on how God is changing us

 The participants will begin a sense of network among those gathered          

 The national church will have advice about how to lead and support in the area of increasing diversity in leadership & strengthened congregational mission

 The national church will gain further understanding of collaborative work and future endeavours