*Please note, our monthly Clergy and Congregational Leadership meetings will shift to 6:30pm (CT) starting in September.
Province VI of The Episcopal Church is committed to building community among its eight dioceses of Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. Many churches across the Great Plains region are often located in rural communities where vibrant day-to-day ministry occurs with congregations of less than 20 people.
During its February 2022 Synod gathering, each of the Province VI dioceses voiced renewed interest in and commitment to understanding ministry in small parishes – specifically, how we listen to, support, and learn from the small churches of our respective dioceses. For these reasons and many more, Province VI invites your participation in a series of Zoom meetings dedicated to parish life in small churches. Our expectations for this offering are to strengthen the connections across diocesan boundaries and increase the sense of belonging to a larger whole.
We know that there is incredible adaptability and ingenuity happening in the many smaller parishes within our dioceses. The virtual space we seek to create will be for conversation and sharing among people whose context or commitment is “small church.” We will get to know one another, and we will organize ourselves – deciding on conversation topics and logistics. Here are a few possibilities:
- How does your parish organize leadership when the congregation is nine people strong?
- What are the important parts of being “church” in rural communities?
- How are you providing pastoral care when supply clergy are present less than once a month?
- How is your congregation responding to the needs of people in your community?
There are so many issues common to individuals and families living in rural towns and worshiping in small congregations. The agenda is simple – let’s create a space to bring questions, to share the “WOW”s and the “OOPS”s of ministry, and to remind one another that we are not alone in this journey. While there may be a similar group within your Diocese; the Provincial Small Church Gathering seeks to broaden sharing and listening across diocesan boundaries – throughout the Great Plains.
Our initial gathering will be held on Tuesday September 6, 2022, beginning at 6:30 MT/ 7:30 CT. Please register to ensure you get the Zoom link. We will provide space via a virtual connection on the first Tuesday of each month.
Come when you can – there is no expectation that people will be able to join each time.
