Thriving Practices

Churches in Learning Communities

A Thriving Practices cohort connects churches to explore a specific aspect of ministry together. It’s like a small group, but for churches! 

These learning clusters have been found to be one of the most effective and encouraging ways to develop a particular area of church ministry. And they are a great followup to the Thriving Essentials course, allowing your congregation to take a next step alongside other churches who sense a similar calling. There’s no need to go it alone—let’s learn with, and from, each other.

Choose from the topics below and we'll form a cohort of churches interested in that same aspect of ministry. Some cohorts will meet in person, others via Zoom. Although the meeting formats and topics vary, every Thriving Practices cohort benefits your church with:

Monthly Gatherings

With a handful of churches to learn from each other.

Trained Facilitator

To guide the conversation and maximize learning.

Your Own Coach

Providing one-on-one support to your church.

Grants

Up to $1,000 for fees plus travel and project grants.

If your church feels called to grow in ministry and mission, this grant-funded initiative is a tremendous opportunity to breathe new life and new resources into that calling. Your church will gain access to expertise and support along the way, plus experience the joy of linking arms with other churches who are pursuing that same calling.

Let's Connect!

New cohorts start Fall 2023. See the list below, and submit the form to register your church's interest in one or more cohorts. Then we'll connect to provide more details and explore whether it's a good fit for for your congregation.
Submit Interest Form

Upcoming Cohorts 2024-25 season

Spots are limited. Please email the listed cohort contact as soon as possible.

Facilitated by Thrive Disability Concerns and the RCA

People with disabilities are an important part of God’s body of believers, but churches often overlook their gifts and are unaware of the wide variety of visible and invisible barriers that can limit or exclude their participation. People with disabilities tire of self-advocating and asking for what they need. Self-advocating becomes even more exasperating when churches fail to respond, do so grudgingly or half-heartedly, or do so only once and then revert to their old ways.

This cohort will help congregations learn to model hospitality and equity by learning from people with disabilities and then developing practices that anticipate and reduce barriers. Together churches in the Cascadia region will learn tools and strategies to increase accessibility, increase belonging, and discover ways to recognize and celebrate the gifts each person brings. With the help of a coach* (see explanation below), the guiding team in each congregation will create and implement a plan that creates change that will last. Let’s work together so that everybody belongs and everybody serves.

Church Fee: $1,000 $0 (grant-funded for 2024-25)

Want more info? Email us ([email protected]) and we'll be in touch.

*Why do we need a Coach?
This cohort experience is a grant supported project with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. This organization has been supporting similar projects for many years and they have observed that congregations who view themselves as learning communities and who take advantage of coaching opportunities are most likely to make positive changes in their growth as a community. Because of this, grant recipients must provide coaching to congregations within the cohort.

The job of a coach is to listen with a curious posture and ask clarifying questions in order to draw out the learning that is taking place in each cohort team. These sessions are meant to help the team set and roll out an action plan and keep their learning and experimentation momentum. The whole church team can meet the coach together, or the coach can meet with one or two team leaders. In addition to cohort time with other churches and meeting with a coach, churches should meet together on their own time to move their projects and priorities forward.

Facilitated by Thrive

The Link is a vibrant online Christian community that fosters connection, shares valuable resources, and facilitates communication to support the growth and development of our in-person community. We are dedicated to creating a space where young adults can deepen their faith, find community, and navigate life's challenges together. Initially started in Edmonton, AB, we envision this growing into other regions and spreading across North America. Who can you recruit in your area? 

Church Fee: $1,000 $0 (grant-funded for 2024-25)

Want more info? Email us ([email protected]) and we'll be in touch.

The non-Caucasian membership of the CRC is growing rapidly, and one result of this growth is that congregations that were originally founded by Dutch immigrants are becoming multicultural. This delightful development of becoming a "multitude from every tribe and language and people and nation" (Rev. 7:9) is accompanied by growing pains involving language barriers, cultural assumptions, and more. This cohort has gathered congregations from across Canada that are becoming increasingly multicultural to become more informed concerning multicultural wisdom, share learnings from various experiments, and develop fresh practices that encourage multicultural hospitality and community.

Church Fee: $1,000 $0 (grant-funded for 2024-25)

Want more info? Email us ([email protected]) and we'll be in touch.

Suggest a Cohort

We're eager to hear your ideas for future cohorts! If you'd like to connect with other churches to explore a particular topic, please let us know. As this project moves forward we'll be gathering your suggestions and connecting like-minded churches to form new cohorts. Please suggest a cohort topic by emailing us at: [email protected]

Cohorts in Progress

These cohorts have already begun. But you can still submit the interest form to be alerted when the next group forms.

The non-Caucasian membership of the CRC is growing rapidly, and one result of this growth is that congregations that were originally founded by Dutch immigrants are becoming multicultural. This delightful development of becoming a "multitude from every tribe and language and people and nation" (Rev. 7:9) is accompanied by growing pains involving language barriers, cultural assumptions, and more. This cohort has gathered congregations from across Canada that are becoming increasingly multicultural to become more informed concerning multicultural wisdom, share learnings from various experiments, and develop fresh practices that encourage multicultural hospitality and community. 

At the Spring 2023 Classis Toronto meeting, delegates noted that the primary purpose of the Human Sexuality Report is to equip congregations to learn to love their neighbours who are part of sexual minorities and develop concrete practices that express this love. Furthermore, delegates noted that we have a very poor track record of doing so (which is also noted in the HSR). Nine congregations have covenanted to form a community of learning and practice, taking experimental steps together to embody such neighbour-love, sharing what is being learned through these experiments, and using these learnings to strengthen the practices of hospitality. 

Want to start a cohort like this? Let us know we'll be in touch: [email protected]

Facilitated by World Renew and Diaconal Ministries Canada

Is your congregation interested in helping make your neighborhood and community a great place for ALL to live in, to be proud of and to thrive in, particularly those who have been marginalized? This cohort held in partnership between Diaconal Ministries Canada and World Renew will help your church be inspired and mobilized to love, listen to, and engage with your neighbors, neighborhoods, and local organizations as you seek to cultivate a place of flourishing . Sessions will feature learning, stories, reflection, discussions, and practical assignments to put our learning into action.

Church Fee: $1,000 $0 (grant-funded for spring 2023)

Want more info? Indicate your interest in this church cohort and we'll be in touch.

Facilitated by the Center for Church Renewal

The purpose of the Church Renewal Lab virtual cohort is to ask and answer: Who are we? Where are we headed? How will we get there? The hoped for outcome is that churches become intentional missional congregations that make more and better disciples. Fall, Winter and Spring learning labs are scheduled over two ministry seasons to help congregations walk through a three-step process of listen, imagine, do. Five renewal tools are examined during the labs: vision, outreach, faith formation, church vitality and implementation.  Each learning lab includes a Thursday and Friday training for pastors/key leaders and a Saturday gathering for congregational renewal teams.

Church Fee: $1,000 $0 (grant-funded for 2022/23)

Want more info? Indicate your interest in this church cohort and we'll be in touch.

 

Facilitated by Indigenous Ministry

Hearts Exchanged is a learning and action journey designed to equip Reformed Christians to engage with Indigenous people as neighbours and fellow image bearers. Participants are transformed in their minds and hearts as they are invited into honest dialogue about the harms of colonialism, and encounter ‘hearts broken’ stories and experiences. In this cohort we will explore and learn from each other how Hearts Exchanged can be used in a congregational setting, resulting in Canadian CRC churches that are communities of reconciliation and belonging. LEARN MORE

Want more info? Indicate your interest in this church cohort and we'll be in touch.