The ministry challenge in my context is that a decreasing denominational identity has resulted in a disconnect between faith and practice which has led to the erosion of community within and among congregations. This ministry project attempted to re-frame and to reclaim the Anvil as a symbol of faith in order to: re-establish denominational identity; to facilitate the spiritual formation and development of clergy and lay leaders by providing tools for persons to connect faith or belief with practice or being and doing; and to create an environment for personal faith to become communal thereby creating and sustaining community. The ministry of reconciliation passage found in 2 Corinthians 5:11-6:2 is the supporting passage for community building in this project. The valley of dry bones passage found in Ezekiel 37:1-14 provides a process for restoration, reframing and community building.
The change envisioned is that participants will reconnect to the denomination’s rich heritage and legacy but also look forward to how the contemporary context informs our ecclesiology. To accomplish the change envisioned participants were provided with the knowledge and skills needed for their own spiritual formation and development and in relation to their faith becoming communal. Additionally, the document AMEC Identity: Personal Faith Becoming Communal has been produced for clergy and lay leaders based on the understandings and insights gained in this project, and which is for this writer A Vision of Building Beloved Community. Denominational identity has been re-established through organizational development and change theory, systems theory, spiritual formation and development, and cultural analysis.
Ministry in this situation consisted of an analysis in the above stated areas of five congregations in the Midwest region which is the Fourth Episcopal District. The criteria for the selection of congregations are the openness, sensitivity, and understanding of the academic process of the selected pastors. The evaluation consists of determining whether the data gained through the organization and congregational studies (outcomes) correspond with my intentions and can be utilized to inform the development of the stated document, and the grading of the spiritual formation and development instrument.
