The FaithX Project

Strategic Missional Consulting

Using MapDash to Identify and Prioritize Vulnerable Neighborhoods and Populations

by The Rev. Ken Howard
Vulnerable Neighborhoods

This post is part of a blog series on
“Keeping Congregations Connected in the Face of COVID-19”
Click here for the previous post

Okay. You’re a pastor of a congregation in the midst of a worldwide pandemic, economic meltdown, and now a societal upheaval in the aftermath of the murder of yet another unarmed black man by police, all the while trying keep your congregation connected virtually, and planning for the reopening of your building and the recovery of your neighborhood.

Not much on your plate, right? WRONG!!! 

Seriously, it’s nearly impossible for you to give equal time and attention to every person in your congregation, let alone attend to the needs of the vulnerable neighborhoods you service.

So how do you prioritize your time and attention? One way is to identify and prioritize the most vulnerable people in your congregation and the most vulnerable neighborhoods around your congregation. And you can do that relatively quickly through data-grounded discernment using MapDash for COVID-19 or MapDash for Faith Communities.

Here’s how we did it with the Episcopal Church of the Ascension in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

[Read more…]

Looking Toward the Future: How Your Judicatory Can Help

by Mary Frances
Judicatory

This post is part of a blog series on
“Keeping Congregations Connected in the Face of COVID-19”
Click here for the previous post

In our last blog post I wrote about the amazing ways that judicatories have stepped up in the face of these unprecedented times.  Today I want to consider how your judicatory can help you as you look to the future of your ministry.

Here at FaithX we work with judicatories all around the country to help them identify growth and define areas in their geographic region and key demographics to target as well as community issues and partners.  Combining data with anecdotal information has perhaps never been more important.  We support this work in several ways:

MapDash for Faith Communities Subscription
MapDash is a powerful missional assessment and planning platform with interactive demographic map layers and analysis tools to identify the “real world” make-up of your communities.  If your judicatory has a MapDash subscription, ask them to help you identify key demographics for your community.  If they don’t have a subscription, there are helpful alternatives such as the ones below…or you could encourage your judicatory to get a MapDash for Faith Communities subscription to support all the ministries of your judicatory.

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“How do you need help?” Locating and Reaching Populations most Vulnerable to COVID-19

By Steve Matthews
Vulnerable Populations

This post is part of a blog series on 
“Keeping Congregations Connected in the Face of COVID-19”
Click here for the previous post

More and more people are talking about “Caution Fatigue” or “COVID Fatigue.”  If it has a name it must be real, right?  If you are like me, you don’t need a name to know that it takes a lot of energy and conscientiousness to be safe and cautious these days.  As we see people abandoning recommended safe practices for the sake of relationships, connection, and “normalcy,” we are reminded that many in our communities are tired and weary and often frustrated. But we have to be vigilant and continue thinking of our most vulnerable populations.

“Caution Fatigue” shows up in church too.  Many are anxious to get back into their church buildings. Some are tired of Zoom gatherings.  Pastors and priests are weary too.  And then there is the question of outreach.  How do we continue to fulfill this part of our mission when our traditional methods may have been abandoned for safety’s sake?  Perhaps we don’t feel like we have the energy for outreach with all of the other demands on us these days.  OR perhaps we are being invited into new ways of considering outreach to our neighbors and those most vulnerable to COVID-19.   

Is it possible that a fresh approach might actually give us some of our energy back?  Could outreach be a source of connection that rejuvenates us?  Here are some suggestions:

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Why we need our judicatories now more than ever

by Mary Frances

This post is part of a blog series on
“Keeping Congregations Connected in the Face of COVID-19”
Click here for the previous post

In the PC (pre-covid 19) age, I worked at the national offices of a mainline denomination, and so it was no secret to me that many people, even within our denomination, wondered about the future of judicatories.  Were they necessary?  Could or would churches continue to support them in the long term?  

Now, in the midst of the covid era, it is clear that the role of judicatories in this time of crisis is vital and much needed.  In my coaching practice, I work with judicatory leaders as well as parish clergy and the message I hear over and over again is that the judicatories have been up in front providing much needed information, resources, support, and respite.  

Here are a few of the ways that judicatories have been leading the way and supporting churches during the covid crisis:

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Online Bible Study and Formation in the time of COVID-19

by Steve Matthews
Online Bible Study

This post on forming an online Bible study is part of a blog series on
“Keeping Congregations Connected in the Face of COVID-19”
Click here for the previous post

“Our intention creates our reality”
Wayne Dyer

I grew up in an area that prided itself on self-sufficiency and hard work.   The phrase “the road to hell is paved with good intentions” still resonates in my mind as a corrective for not meeting my goals.  Today, I think differently.  Intentions matter.  Intentions can be like cairns that point me in the right direction and help navigate me toward my goals and where I feel the Spirit may be leading me.

Last week Ken Howard wrote in his blog about online Bible Studies and formation in a COVID-19 world.  As you think about your church landscape in this reality and in the reality(s) to come, what are your intentions for spiritual formation and Bible Study?  What do you want the harvest of these online gatherings to be?  Who do you want to be there?  As most churches continue to rely heavily on online watering holes, FaithX provides resources that can help you with your intentions to invite your neighbors into these online gatherings.  It seems like a great time to hold an intention for invitation to online community.  Many of your neighbors may not want to walk into church, but meeting online is often less threatening (and less committal), so why not use this resource to learn about your neighbors and invite them into your programming?

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