Our Discernment Process

Considering our Future:

Center Church, like many other mainline protestant congregations, is feeling the heat of the nationwide shift in culture. In the face of a shifting landscape and its effects on church involvement, our faith community is embarking on a journey to assess the landscape and how we might proceed into the future. Check out the video to listen to Pastor Connor give a rundown of what the discernment process entails. For more information feel free to get in touch with our staff! To access the congregational survey, click the "Discernment Survey" button below.

Spring Programming:

This spring, we will be diving into the heavy lifting of our discernment process. We will review the results of our fall survey. We will discuss the potential paths ahead that lie at our feet. We will participate in a book study to help center our spirit and emotions as we walk through the process. See the schedule below and be sure to review the New Church Model presentations from the fall that can be found further down the page.

Survey Report and Discussion:

  • 2/7/21 @ 11:30 AM on Zoom

    • Further Discussion: 2/10/21 @ 6:45pm

Book Study: How to Lead When You Don’t Know Where You’re Going – Susan Beaumont

  • Chapter 1 Discussion: 2/14/21 @ 11:30 AM on Zoom

  • Chapter 2 Discussion: 3/7/21 @ 11:30 AM on Zoom

  • Chapter 3 Discussion: 3/21/21 @ 11:30 AM on Zoom

  • Chapter 4 Discussion: 4/11/21 @ 11:30 AM on Zoom

  • Chapter 5 Discussion: 4/25/21 @ 11:30 AM on Zoom

  • Chapter 6 Discussion: 5/9/21 @ 11:30 AM on Zoom

  • Chapter 7 Discussion: 5/16/21 @ 11:30 AM on Zoom

  • Final Reflection: TBD

Path Forward Presentations:

  • “Trim the Green”: 2/28/21 @ 11:30am on Zoom

    • Further Discussion 3/3/21 @ 6:45pm on Zoom

  • “Heritage”: 3/28/21 @ 11:30 AM on Zoom

    • Further Discussion: 3/31/21 @6:45pm on Zoom

  • “Reconstruct”: 4/18/21 @ 11:30AM on Zoom

    • Further Discussion: 4/21/21 @ 6:45pm on Zoom

  • “Better Together”: 5/23/21 @ 11:30 AM on Zoom

    • Further Discussion: 5/26/21 @ 6:45pm on Zoom

New Church Starts:

Pastors, church leaders, and denominational leaders come together in this conversation surrounding new churches and the trends that those communities experience. While we ourselves have been around for hundreds of years, learning from these new churches that are finding their stride in modern times is something all churches can and should do! Take a listen to hear some unique insight!

-Pastor Connor

New Church Model Fall Presentations:

During the fall, Pastor Connor made several presentations on the lifecycle of local congregations, as well as the cultural shifts in America and the challenges they present local faith communities. The information presented is crucial in understanding what churches are faced with. You can find the recording of those two presentations below, as well as PDF copies of the slides.

NCM PART THREE: The Focus

Videos are available with closed captions

NCM 1: The Local Church Lifecycle

NCM 2: A Cultural Shift