responding to the economy – a larger picture

As churches continue to learn to respond creatively to the world of tightening finances, they already seem ready for resources that help them move constructively beyond “the money crisis mentality.”  Congregations are asking how to sustain a focus on their core mission and ministry, while at the same time being responsible stewards of the resources they have.

Articles such Joy Skjegstad’s “The Case for Nonprofits” (in the Christianity Today E-zine: Your Church newsletter) and her upcoming Alban Institute webinar, “Winning Grants to Strengthen Your Ministry” (January 28, 2009, 1 p.m. EST) help congregations to extend their vision of what community ministry looks like and funding sources beyond the usual church budget.

The Episcopal Church’s episcopallife online shows an entirely different face of the conversation, reporting on a meeting of British bankers calling “for a return to basic banking and an economy propelled by values other than greed.”  The Presbyterian Church U.S.A. is urging its members to fast on January 30-February 1 in order to focus attention away from our own needs in the developed world in order to see, for example, the impact of diminishing global resources in the face of “increased demand on food in India.”

How is your denomination or congregation beginning to refocus on the larger challenges — and opportunities — that are being raised by the economic jolt of a rapidly changing economy?