Congregational Resource Ministers meet for annual retreat

Story by Rev. Tiffany Keith
Congregational Resource Minister, Peaks/Pikes Peak District
Mountain Sky Conference

CRMs (Congregational Resource Ministers) met last week to plan, wrestle with challenges, share experiences and struggles, and have some fun (or course!)

These positions are still new for the conference and as with all things new, we must create the path as we walk it. As CRMs, we’ve worked with churches to discover their future, resolve conflict, and resource them with needs big and small. We’ve led events and trainings, helped communicate church needs to the conference and conference vision to churches. We have done a lot in the last 18 months!

Wyoming CRM, Rev. Laura Rainwater said: 

Meeting together provided a great opportunity for the CRMs to discuss what resources we need and how to share them with one another. This work has already helped me to discover ways to help local churches and leaders to dream ways to connect with their community.

Eric Strader, CRM for Montana West spoke of several churches he is currently working with:

[Unnamed UMC] found themselves at crossroads of conflict between their identity and their purpose in the world. A whole church strategy meeting changed the conversation by initiating change through church-wide engagement and new processes for ministry. 

[Unnamed UMC] held a visioning retreat to examine the ways they are disconnected form their ministry. Through this process there was a realization of the barriers that were inhibiting ministry and the need to change to meet the needs of vulnerable youth in the 21st Century. 

We have so many learnings behind us and have a clearer direction for our role going forward. We now know that we are the connectors. We help connect the churches together, the conference to the churches, and a vision of the conference for transformation and hope. We are excited about the next stage of this journey together.