July 25, 2024

We learned an important lesson this week: that when it comes to leadership, the way we choose our leaders is changing quickly given the unique challenges of our time. The question we are forced to ask ourselves, then, is this: “Will we adapt to meet the changing needs?”

One example of this lies in how we think about those who lead our local churches. For generations, those of us in mainline traditions were raised to believe only an ordained clergyperson could lead a congregation. Over time, however, we began to acknowledge that some laypeople were also called to lead a particular congregation. So our denomination created first licensed ministry and then lay ministerial standing to extend ministry standing to those not ordained.

In the days following the global pandemic, it has become clear that there is a growing need to prepare even more lay people to lead in the face of things like a severe shortage of authorized ministers and the growing number of local churches who do not have the resources to support an authorized minister.

How do we meet the challenge of preparing lay people to lead worship as needed?

The Central Atlantic Conference has done two things. First, we created a Community of Support (COS) for Lay Worship Leaders that meets on the fourth Monday of each month from 7:00-8:00 PM. This Community of Support creates a network of lay leaders who can support one another in facing the challenges as well as help connect them to the resources they need to lead worship. If you’d like more information on the monthly gathering, please contact me at cpeterson@cacucc.org or 747-888-8349.

Second, the Central Atlantic Conference is entering into a relationship with Dr. Marcia McFee for a series of events called “Small Bites, Big Flavor: Skillsets and Mindsets for M-M-Good Worship (No Matter the Size).” Here is a video of Dr. Marcia McFee giving an overview of the program: "SMALL BITES" OVERVIEW".

The series will unfold over three events designed to prepare lay worship leaders – and authorized clergy who want to brush up on their worship leading skills – for leading worship in the liturgical year ahead.

The first livestreamed event, titled “The Inn: Housing the Holy”, will be August 16-18, 2024. It will prepare lay and authorized worship leaders for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany. The second livestreamed event, titled “Good Enough: Embracing the Imperfections of Life and Faith”, will be held January 10-12, 2025. It will prepare lay and authorized worship leaders for Lent, Holy Week, and Easter. The third livestreamed event, titled “Re-Shaped: What We Are Made For”, will be held May 2-4, 2025. It will prepare lay and authorized worship leaders for Ordinary Time.

The Central Atlantic Conference will pay the registration fee for all those in the Conference who want to attend. If you registered privately for each of the events, the series would cost $299.97 – so this is a tremendous savings for you and your church! If you can’t attend the events live, you can view the trainings when you have time. Individuals can then attend the monthly Community of Support for Lay Worship Leaders on the fourth Monday evenings at 7:00 PM to process their learnings.

If interested in registering to participate, click here: SMALL BITES REGISTRATION. We are excited about how this program will help our local churches meet the leadership challenges of our time.

Grace & Peace,

Craig