Bishop’s Leadership Conference 2022: What’s Now? What’s Next? Church in Pandemic and Beyond

Our communal life as the Body of Christ has been forever changed by the ongoing pandemic, altering the ways we think about worship, formation, stewardship, and the very nature of community. In this time of unprecedented upheaval, how do we meaningfully do the work of congregational development in the midst of our current reality, all while preparing to move soberly and joyfully into the future God has called us to?

The Office of the Bishop in the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia was pleased to bring back “The Bishop’s Leadership Conference” – an event that explored what it means to be faithful, healthy, and effective in your church’s local context, at this current moment, while looking ahead to the future.

Leadership groups from churches gathered Wednesday, May 11 through Friday, May 13, either in-person at Fort Worden (for those who could be physically present) or virtually through our online event platform (for those with health conditions, physical limitations, or who are otherwise unable to be physically present) and met in congregational cohorts of similar size to explore such topics as hybrid community, stewardship in and after the pandemic, youth ministry, children and family ministry, the state of the clergy in our diocese, and the trauma our communities have experienced over these last two years.

Recordings of selected workshops can be found here.

Workshop and plenary resources:

• PLENARY – PLANNED RENEGOTIATION (PDF Slide Deck)
• PLENARY – HYBRID COMMUNITY (PDF Slide Deck)
• MESSY CHURCH (PDF Info Packet)
• MESSY CHURCH (PDF Slide Deck)
• STEWARDSHIP: HOW TO TALK ABOUT MONEY (PDF Slide Deck)
• STEWARDSHIP: RELATIONAL STEWARDSHIP (PDF Slide Deck)
• STEWARDSHIP: TELECARE MINISTRY (PDF Slide Deck)