Photo by Nathan Hulsey on Unsplash
By The Rev. Julie Wakelee (Canon to the Ordinary, The Episcopal Diocese of Northern California)
I heard that someone once jokingly referred to my diocese as “the Diocese of the Northern Apocalypse.” While it is true that we have all kinds of natural disasters (floods, droughts, wildfires, earthquakes, even the occasional tsunami) we have learned to be resilient and to work together on these challenges which, in turn, have helped us see other ways of collaborating.
A healthy diocese supports the well-being of its congregations. As the Diocese of Northern California has worked with the FaithX Vitality Improvement Program (VIP) over the past three years, what we’ve learned has been shared with churches across our region – taking stock of congregational vitality and using hard data and soft tools to learn more about the communities we serve. We support risk-taking and try to model it from both diocesan staff and leadership.
Our Board of Trustees has a clear-eyed goal of thriving into the future, and backs that up with practical support. This means that at any given week, we are doing everything from helping churches build and improve their websites to coaching them through honing a new mission or vision statement, to partnering with our overlapping ELCA (Lutheran) synod to share candidates and discernment for churches facing big questions. Important work building vitality takes place from the congregation to the deanery, to coalitions that cover the whole region.
Working collaboratively provides more breathing space – everyone’s load is lightened, and we learn to see things from a broader perspective. Whether it’s a responding to the needs of people affected by a wildfire or new approach to stewardship, sharing our resources makes us stronger as we share the journey together. (Plus, it’s a lot more fun that doing it on our own!)
[Throughout the month of August, the FaithX blogs have focused on judicatory vitality broadly, and our new tool, the Judicatory Vitality Assessment (JVA) more specifically. To learn more about this valuable resource, please contact us at info@faithx.net].
