The Scenario

At the March retreat of the new Evangelism and Congregational Life Center staff we did a series of scenario planning exercises. Contrary to the experience I had when I worked at Pitney Bowes, I felt it was a very positive experience. Four small groups came up with scenarios of what a thriving Episcopal Church would look like in 2018.

In April Suzanne asked each of us on the Evangelism and Congregational Life staff to write individual scenarios about how we were part of that thriving Episcopal Church in 2018. I've put mine below. I actually had fun doing it, and I folder full of pages of brainstorming exercises, which I will probably need to go back and look at as I further consider the Storefront Ministries.

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April 18, 2018

Harre Appointed To Oversee New Center

The Presiding Bishop’s office today announced the appointment of the Rev. Jeffri Harre as Lead Missioner for the newly formed Learning Ministries Center. Harre, who currently serves as the Program Officer for Congregational Life based in the Omaha, NE office of the Episcopal Church Center, will begin his new position on May 1. He is also Assistant Pastor of the Chicago Storefront Ministries Project.

Initially, the Learning Ministries Center will consist of two “offices,” Biblical Studies and Episcopal/Anglican Studies, and share the oversight of and work with two other offices. The Liturgy & Worship Studies and Resources office will be a cooperative effort with the Outreach Ministries Center and the Spirituality Ministries Center, and the Congregational Studies and Resources office with the Development Ministries Center.

During his tenure in the Congregational Life Office, Harre led the team that developed the successful Local Congregations Conferences series in response to declining interest and participation in national and regional conferences. The purpose of the conference series is to provide all the resources of a large conference without the investment of time and money that few church employees and volunteers can afford. By pooling resources with other denominations, teleconferencing nationally known speakers, and calling on and developing local experts for workshops, participants rarely have to drive more than two hours to participate. It also allows worship leaders to be in their own congregations for Sunday worship.

Harre also worked with the National Organization of Episcopal Resource Center (NOERC) to create the Episcopal Resource Network to facilitate development and distribution of resources for local congregations. Recognizing that even in this day of advanced technology, not all congregations have computer access, “distribution centers” have been set up in each Resource Center and in many Diocesan offices. Anyone may come to one of these centers to download and print out resources they need. For those who are not within a convenient distance, a growing “delivery network” gets the requested resources into their hands within three days. The Resource Network also assists congregations developing their own resources and serves as a way communicate with offices of the Episcopal Church Center regarding resource needs. In addition, the Network provides referrals to local experts who can consult with a congregations in a cost effective way.

Harre plans to take a leave of absence from the Chicago Storefront Ministries during the transition to his new position at the Episcopal Church Center.