Calling a new Rector or Vicar?
Use this precious opportunity to grow your church!
The moment of change when a new Rector or Vicar is called represents a unique and wonderful opportunity to spark growth and new vitality in a church. It’s the chance for a new start and to welcome back everyone who has drifted away. It’s also a rare opportunity to invite newcomers to church (outside of the holidays) at a time of great optimism and hope for the community.
An outside consultant can help congregations develop a plan to make good use of that precious time between calling a new leader and their first Sunday and then help growth continue in the context of a healthy and spiritually alive community. When congregations do the work necessary to create strong attendance on the Rector/Vicar’s first Sunday, and the worship experience is excellent, the energy generated from those initial weeks can create a snowball effect in attendance and engagement. The next set of potential strategies you might use helps the leader capture this great start and make the most of it, building and strengthening the community.
The incoming Rector or Vicar generally finds transition coaching very helpful. We work through letting go of the previous call and planning for the future. Having an outside sounding board and colleague for this preparation work can be transformative in terms of true readiness.
From one client: "When I landed at a new congregation, we decided to try using Diana's approach. It was amazing! She offered unflagging support, and a vision and a process that gave us the inspiration to jump and go; she unlocked something that allowed congregants to engage projects they'd been longing to do for *years*. It was the work of an enormous team, but Diana provided the catalyst (get it?). We're wildly grateful!"
Learn about my experience helping churches grow here!
Contact me and let's figure out how strategies that have worked for others might be customized for your community!