Preparing Congregations for Mission: Moving from Reflection to Action

This course integrates a theology of mission and the insights of asset-based community development to give clergy and lay leaders an urgently-needed toolkit for helping faith communities join in God’s mission. Especially relevant for leaders and faith communities at transition points, this course will delve into practices for discovering the unique identity of a faith community, reexamine resources and experiments that build relationships and awareness of the neighborhood, and explore emerging models of church management and leadership that can be sustainable today.

Instructor: Caroline McCall

Caroline McCall is an experienced lay professional, serving as a consultant, trainer, and coach focused on building capacity for structured discernment and faithful action throughout The Episcopal Church. After 17 years of consulting for secular organizations, Caroline began applying her consulting and organization development skills in the Episcopal Church in 2007. In 2015 Caroline closed her secular consulting business and started the Center for Church Vitality where she is the Director.

Caroline has a Masters in Theological Studies from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific. Her thesis, Developing Vital Congregations: Insights from Virtue Ethics, explores the links between virtue ethics and congregational development and proposes a formational view of congregational vitality. Caroline also has a Master of Public Policy and a Master of Public Health from the University of California, Berkeley and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and English Literature from Drew University in Madison, New Jersey. She continues to develop her practice through education, collaboration, and spiritual direction.