Formation in Faith and Ministry Practice

For the Diocese, Synod, or Comparable Church Community

Lifelong Ministry Formation Consultation

A healthy and vibrant church that lives its gospel mandate needs ministers, ordained and lay, who are mature, competent, dedicated, and effective.   Are you concerned about the effectiveness and financial burden of ministry formation for those who serve your diocese, synod, or comparable geographic community as clergy and lay ministers?

This consultation leads you through a faith-centered assessment of the strengths and improvement opportunities of your current structure and then to discern how your local church can best build on those strengths to design a sustainable, outcomes-based, cost-effective ministry formation system.

The consultation starts with a half-day introductory meeting with the bishop or comparable pastoral leader, ministry formation staff and committee members, and any other staff and other community leaders you’d like to include.  The process includes other stakeholders as it moves forward.

For the Parish or Local Congregation

Faith Formation Program Sustainability Consultation

Are you disappointed with your parish’s or community’s present approach to faith formation?  Are you frustrated with the perennial difficulty of recruiting qualified teachers?  Are you concerned that parents and other adults are missing out on the riches of a strong formation in Christian faith?

If you are ready to consider alternatives, through this process you can systematically assess the strengths and improvement opportunities of your current faith formation approach and map out how to build on those strengths to design a sustainable approach that can attract much greater participation and include all age groups.

The consultation starts with a half-day introductory meeting with the pastor or principal community leader, faith formation director and any other staff and other community leaders you’d like to include.  The process includes other stakeholders as it moves forward.

Faithful Ministry Effectiveness Consultation

As shrinking budgets and “leaner” staffs make faithful and effective ministry in the Christian churches more and more challenging, this consultation is designed to identify the strengths or “assets” your community possesses and to map out how you can build on these strengths to improve your ministry’s faithfulness to the gospel and effectiveness in serving your community.

Your Next Step

If you would like to consider investing in a consultation for your community, contact JHA Consulting at jimalphen@comcast.net or 312-636-4267.