The Parish Collective connects
people to be the church in the neighborhood
Learn more about our ecosystem approach using the Two Loop Theory of Organizational Change by Meg Wheatley and Deborah Frieze from the Berkana Institute
Dominant System
The default posture and imagination of the Church in North America struggling with its own purpose, now in steady decline.
Emerging Parish System
The growing movement of congregations organizing around the dreams of God in the neighborhood and building trusted relationships across the region.
System of Influence
The future that we see, where viable and resilient pathways for becoming the Church in the neighborhood.
Where do you find yourself in this ecosystem?
Parish Practitioner
Any follower of Jesus who shares a desire to work for the good of the neighborhood while discerning how to be the Church in their place.
You might be a local church leader or pastor, an artist, an entrepreneur, a community leader, an environmentalist, a community development practitioner, or someone else passionate about the church in the neighborhood.
Stabilizer
Steady pastoral and lay leaders inside an established church system who are working to bridge the gap between the people who exist in their congregations and the possibility for a new future to emerge.
You want to be faithful to the people in front of you, and you long for what new thing God might do in the neighborhood and in the Church as a whole.
Hospicing Chaplain
People called to care for dying congregations with dignity and to transition the rich traditions and resources to new opportunities in the neighborhood.
You are not fighting to preserve the past; you’re simultaneously seeking to hold space for grief and for new imagination to emerge.
Convener
Champion
The convener is someone who sees and names the unique gifts of multiple practitioners and invites them into a collaborative space of shared learning.
Your calling is to show people they are not alone and to celebrate that what they are doing matters far more than they realize.
People who hold positions of influence within the dominant church system, often on the edge of their denomination, congregation, seminary, or foundation.
Your calling is to invest, advocate, and support the emerging Parish system with the resources you have.
Our work as the Parish Collective happens along the bottom loop as we co-labor with you to create a system of influence out of the emerging Parish system.
We Campaign
We work to make the movement visible through storytelling, creating resources, and providing thought leadership, primarily though our Parish Collective Fellowship.
We Convene
We offer curated environments like the Cultivate Gathering and the Inhabit Conference where local leaders can celebrate one another, discern possible futures and collaborate together.
We Catalyze
We make valuable introductions to local leaders who feel like they are alone. Currently we have the most capacity to do this work within our membership community.