In the fall of 2011, rostered leaders and lay members gathered around the Southeastern Minnesota Synod to discuss mission planning in their congregations, the resources necessary to implement such a plan, and means to evaluate and adapt that mission plan for future years. Below are resources from the event and examples that others have shared.

View photos from the events. If you are a Facebook user, find a photo of yourself or people from your congregation to share thoughts about what you gained from attending a gathering.

Resources

The following resources were distributed at the events. Unless otherwise specified, links are to PDF files. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader (or similar program).

  • Beyond Our Doors - A guide for mission planning provided by the Northwest Synod of Wisconsin. Includes  an introduction, Bible study, conversation guide, mission planning guide, and reporting form.
  • Resources for Congregational Renewal - A bibliography of useful resources. More resources are listed in this list (PDF) of books from Augsburg Fortress.
  • Disciple Life – A hymn by Ken Medema composed for the Northern Texas-Northern Louisiana Mission Area (shared with permission).
  • Evaluation - Information on and questions to ask in evaluation of mission planning.
  • Evaluation Tool - A sample list of evaluation questions.
  • Excelling in Mission Presentation from the events – This is the presentation that Rev. Linda Gunderson shared at the events. View it online from the Prezi site (the online program it was made in). You can also download the ZIP file for use when not connected to the internet. You will have to “unzip” the file to extract the useable files. Once unzipped, on a Windows-based PC, open the file entitled “prezi.exe” or on a Mac, open the file entitled just “prezi” (not the .exe one). For technical assistance, call the synod office at 507-280-9457 or 800-426-6376 and ask for Linda or Katie.
  • Getting to Know Your Community - An outline for community information gathering.
  • Gratitude Resources for Families with Children and Youth – A list of books and other resources with a focus on families, many of which are specifically for children or youth.
  • Goal Setting - Questions to lead a goal-setting discussion.
  • Journey to Macedonia – Information was shared on this synod initiative. Follow the link to the online information (web version, not PDF).
  • Leadership and Change - What do strong, vibrant ministries have in common?
  • Map Building - Getting to know your congregation’s surrounding mission field.
  • Resources for Mission Support - A bibliography of useful resources, including some information on upcoming programs associated with the Journey to Macedonia.
  • Northern Illinois Synod Toolbox – Another synod’s list of resources useful in asking questions about mission.
  • One to One Starter Kit – A guide to engaging in conversation to build deeper relationships in congregations and community.
  • One to One Questions - Some conversation-starting questions specifically on the principles from II Corinthians 8:1-7 and generosity.
  • Paradigms for Missional Renewal – Old vs. new paradigms as a conversation start for adapting for mission in today’s world.
  • Program Budget - An exciting alternative or addition to the typical line item budget in expressing the budget in terms of the ministry areas in the life of a congregation. So instead of a number on a line item budget, it is expressed as a ministry area. This is part of a larger resource, Step by Step: Fostering Financial Stewardship in Your Congregation. This book offers a general overview of stewardship practice and theology. It is available as a two-part PDF - Step by Step and Theology of Stewardship. Step 12, found on pages 20-21 of the Step by Step portion, is the program budget component.
  • Purpose and Guiding Principles - Information on discussing and defining your congregations purpose and guiding principles.
  • Purpose and Principles Planning Retreat - Sample information for a Purpose and Principles Planning retreat. Includes schedule and follow up actions.
  • At Risk to Risking Mission
  • SOAR - A planning tool that evaluates strengths, opportunities, aspirations, and results.
  • Stories of Faith in Action – You can download individual print-ready bulletin insert versions of the stories in this magazine or order free (you pay shipping) hard copies at www.ELCA.org/stories.
  • Synod Budget Pie Chart – This chart breaks down the synod budget by category to show what percentage of the budget go to ELCA churchwide support, synodical partners, congregational support, and the office of the synodical bishop.
  • Table Tent – These were on the tables as conversation starters. Feel free to print and use in your conversation settings if you wish (or create your own with the same or similar information).

Congregations’ Examples:

These items were sent in by congregations as examples of what they are doing/using in their settings.

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