According to data from the church center in New York, out of the almost 6,000 Episcopal congregations, some 1,730 have 29 or fewer people on a given Sunday. Many don’t have clergy except every so often, sometimes even every few months. “Many smaller congregations are thriving, and you can feel the spirit,” says TryTank’s’ Rev. Lorenzo Lebrija, “but others can use a boost to give them some momentum.” To help them gain the momentum and thrive in their communities, TryTank is launching a set of experiments:
- Virtual Preaching Series: since we now know that people are okay getting their sermons from video, an Advent preaching series from the monks of the Society of St. John the Evangelist will be provided on video.
- Momentum Cohorts: Utilizing some of the amazing results of the Thriving in Ministry initiative from VTS, several cohorts of smaller congregations will be created to provide clarity, momentum, and connection in a peer learning environment.
- Stewardship Planning: A simple on-demand course that the leadership of a smaller congregation can take together. The result of the workshop is a stewardship plan ready to put into action.
If you are a smaller congregation, please register for to learn more about these experiments and maybe partner to participate by clicking here.
