Church & Community Renewal: From Fatigue to Flourishing

With Aaron Bouwens and Kaitlyn TeBordo-Wood

What do you do when every day seems to bring a new email, statistic, or headline about the decline of “the church”? The trustees are concerned about numbers, the senior members can’t understand why younger generations don’t make church a priority, members are at odds about politics, and online strangers seem to delight in every new church scandal. To make matters worse, you (and most leaders you know) are tired, lonely, and wondering what to do next. Some days it’s hard to imagine church renewal is even possible. How do you move yourself, your congregation, and your community from languishing to flourishing? How can you be a resilient leader that leads a resilient church? This workshop will help you leave hopelessness and languishing behind by getting curious with your local context, exploring tools to think beyond the overwhelmed feeling, and develop a process for renewing yourself and the church you serve without adding to the challenge at hand.

Rev. Kaitlyn TeBordo-Wood was born and raised in upstate New York. She was ordained at the United Church of Cohoes where she has been working with the congregation to bring about transformation, a renewed sense of vision, and a heart for the region. Kaitlyn is passionate about equipping smaller churches for transformation, spiritually formed leadership, teaching the holistic narrative of Scripture, and encouraging whole life discipleship.