Come late summer, the rolling Palouse wheat fields stretch like a golden carpet south to the breaks of the Snake River Canyon. Far below, the river winds through rocky channels on its way to the Columbia River and eventually the Pacific Ocean. This evening, the Rev. Matthew McNelly, co-pastor of the Pullman Presbyterian Church, is preparing a silver pontoon fishing boat named the Suzie Q for launch on the river. It's 102 degrees as his crew and passengers don life jackets and the engine roars to life. McNelly slowly motors out of the cove and into the open current, where their adventure is about to begin. The Suzie Q is the humble stage for an enterprising and multifaceted new youth ministry called GoFish! In essence a floating monastic community, the participants share a river trip complete with Bible readings, prayer, discussion, meals and campfires, all while being paid to catch northern pikeminnow -- an aggressive fish that preys on juvenile salmon. The innovative program welcomes youth in McNelly's congregation ages 10 and up, as well as youth from other churches or with no particular faith background. On the boat, they are given a chance to work and learn life skills in a social enterprise based on ancient Christian practices. Over the last two summers, McNelly's crew has helped 40 participants catch hundreds of different types of fish, including nearly 200 large pikeminnow worth over $1,000. |
| | IDEAS THAT IMPACT: SOCIAL ENTERPRISE MINISTRIES |
Inspired by her own experience and that of her grandmother, the Rev. Dr. Argrow "Kit" Evans-Ford has established a safe space for women and a bath products business to help support it. |
Too often, neighborhood revitalization leaves behind the people who already live in urban neighborhoods. A new model in Cincinnati seeks to train and support locals so they can benefit from the economic boom. |
A youth pastor who began a church-based social enterprise shares advice for others interested in this kind of ministry. The three initial phases are discernment, consulting with the community and testing. |
This is an in-depth look at the power teams bring to congregational work. Wimberly demonstrates that younger generations in particular are much happier working in a team, rather than a committee environment. Congregations using teams are able to mobilize members across generations for both short and long term tasks.
After clarifying the differences between teams and committees, readers learn the important steps needed to set-up new teams. Leaders who simply create a team without attention to the formation process increase the likelihood of team failure. Using real-world examples and case studies, Wimberly addresses problems teams can expect to experience, as well as ways to resolve those issues. He highlights the surprising similarities between how teams and congregations function, both positively and negatively, providing keen insights from the business world and showing how they can be used to solve issues in congregations.
Here readers will find both the theory and practice of making a successful transition to a congregation doing its work through highly motivated, efficient teams.
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