Data on church renewal tells us that there are at least four disciplines associated with renewal. Think of them as what we offer up to God with the hope that he will use them to help us know and love him more deeply.
Below you’ll find suggestions of how to engage with each of these disciplines. These are working lists, and we can add your new ideas to them as we go.
Widespread prayer
We want to encourage widespread prayer across the Diocese – for individuals and church communities, on Sundays and in other meetings – so we begin this season focused on listening to and talking with God. Here are some ideas for how to get your church involved in prayer:
- Form a prayer team of church members who will commit to praying daily for the spiritual renewal of your church members and parish, and who will meet together monthly to pray as a group.
- Get the prayer team to invite and encourage church members to write some of their own prayers for spiritual renewal. The team could select and share some of these prayers with the Season of Spiritual Renewal coordinator so that prayers can be shared across the Diocese.
Include a prayer for the spiritual renewal of your members, your church and your Diocese in the Prayers of the People each Sunday for the next two years.- Ask your children and youth to write prayers for renewal and pick some to share with the Season of Spiritual Renewal coordinator.
- Engage the children of your parish in creating artwork for each of the prayers included in the prayer resources we send to your church. You could display the art and the prayers on your church bulletin boards, around the altar and on your church website.
- Include short (written or extemporaneous) prayers for your church’s spiritual renewal at the beginning of all meetings (e.g. wardens, building and property, outreach, study groups, worship committee and youth/children’s ministries). Let’s raise the profile of prayer for our renewal throughout this season!
- Share the prayer resources we send to your parish with all your church members to use in their personal daily prayers (e.g. Prayers Through the Ages, Prayers for Renewal from Across our Diocese).
- Encourage church members to participate in the workshops related to prayer offered as part of this season (e.g. ACTS: a pattern for personal prayer, The Daily Examen, The Daily Office, Christian meditation).
Other ideas? Share them with us so we can share them with other parishes too!
Engagement with scripture
We recognize the need for the study of scripture to be a part of our daily lives. Here are some ideas for how to get your church engaging with scripture:
- Encourage church members to use a daily bible reading plan (Canadian Bible Society and Scripture Union Canada or the daily lectionary), provide them with links to download these free plans and encourage them regularly in their reading with verbal and written announcements.
Tell church members about the single-session workshops related to reading and studying scripture that will be offered as part of this season such as:
- Starting a Missional Small Group Ministry
- Using The Bible Project videos, The Bible Course (CBS) or Christian Foundations for an overview of scripture
- Invite a few church members to participate in a series of five online lay-leadership training sessions that will prepare them to lead an in-depth bible study group in your church using the Engage study resource on Luke’s gospel.
- Make families aware of resources (CBS and SUC) for helping children and youth deepen their knowledge of scripture (e.g. CBS resources: Fear Not (8-to-12-year-olds, 12 chapters), The Word for Families (free and printable download with activities. SUC resources: bible guides for children Airlock (youth), Hotshots (age 7-8), Snapshots (age 9-11), Family Quest (family reading, prayer and discussion).
- Start a small group ministry focused on the study of scripture.
Other ideas? Share them with us so we can share them with other parishes too!
Commitment to worship
We desire everyone in the Diocese to have a renewed joy and desire to engage in the worship of the Living Triune God. Here are some suggestions for worship:
- Invite lay and ordained leaders to participate in some of the single-session workshops and use some of the print resources that the Season of Spiritual Renewal will offer related to worship. Topics include:
- The Central Place of Worship (For priests or deacons who preach: a walk through three sermon outlines focused on texts related to the importance of worship)
- Making Space for Babies & Toddlers in your Church
- Including Children and Youth in Worship
Enriching Prayer Ministry During Worship- Including “Stories of Grace” in Worship
- Thinking Theologically about Worship
- Enhancing Worship Music in a Small Church
- Getting the Most Out of Your Sound System
- Encouraging Spiritual Development in a Choir or Worship Band
- Blending Contemporary and Traditional Hymns in Worship
- Practical ways to Improve the Reading of Scripture in Worship
- Making your Worship space more Accessible to People with Disabilities
- Engaging All our Senses in Worship: Introducing Incense
- Engaging with Online Worshippers to build Authentic Community
- Highlight and invite church members to join in at least one of the large worship gatherings planned across the Diocese for 2025.
- Make use of sermon outlines related to worship that will be provided as a resource and made available to priests and deacons.
Other ideas? Share them with us so we can share them with other parishes too!
Discipleship & evangelism
We want everyone to be confident in sharing their story of faith. Here are some ideas to encourage faith sharing and discipleship:
- Tell lay and ordained leaders and other church members about the workshops on training leaders to host and lead a discipleship course, program or resource.
- Build a team (covering prayer support, hospitality personnel, table leaders and set-up people) in the church to offer (or join with another nearby parish to offer) a discipleship course on-site in fall 2024 and/or spring 2025. Some examples of such programs are:
Being With (10 sessions)- The Alpha Course
- Christianity Explored (10 sessions)
- Nua (8 sessions)
- Christian Foundations (9 sessions)
- Develop a team of lay leaders who will participate in and then lead members of your parish in “Everyday Witness,” a 10-week course written by Dean Stephen Hance
- Develop a small team with a passion for creation care to lead a study group, which builds upon the strong interest among millennials for care of the natural world.
- Encourage parishioners who may be shy to share their faith to join the online book study of A New and Ancient Evangelism: Rediscovering the God Who Calls and Sends led by Judy Paulsen.
- Encourage parishioners involved in outreach events, services and programs to participate in a workshop featuring a panel of deacons who can help your church build stronger bridges into your community.
Other ideas? Share them with us so we can share them with other parishes too!