ECF Vital Practices

ECF Vital Practices (www.ecfvp.org) is live!

Update:  January 5, 2012 

In January and February, ECF  Vital Practices will focus on Real Basics for Vestries, offering strategies for congregations looking to try different ways of addressing familiar challenges.  January articles include:

All-Church Vestry, by the Rev. Rebecca Hendricks, rector of St. James' Episcopal Church, Milton Freewater, OR.

Managing Staff:  7 Things to Consider, by Jeremiah (Jeremy) Sierra.  Jeremy has a degree in creative writing from The New School, and seven years of administrative experience, much of it serving as parish administrator for Episcopal churches.  He is also editor and co-founder of Episcorific and contributes to the Huffington Post.

Lessons from Babylon, by the Rev. Christopher Johnson, Social and Economic Justice Officer for the Episcopal Church Center.

Providing Pensions to Your Lay Employees, by Pattie Christensen and Michael Macdonald, both vice presidents at The Church Pension Fund.

Additionally, the ECF Vital Practices archives include a variety of articles, blogs, and other resources related to vestries. To access them look for our Topic menu on each page and click on “Vestry.” To get you started, here are links to some of our more popular Vestry Papers articles relating to real basics for vestries:

• Vestry101: Archived issue of Vestry Papers, May 2009
• Vestry Meetings: Archived issue of Vestry Papers, January 2008
• Vestry Orientation: Archived issue of Vestry Papers, May2008
• Buildings and Grounds: Archived issue of Vestry Papers, May 2005
• Financial Planning: Archived issue of Vestry Papers, July 2009

Finally, in his weekly "Please Note" video segment, Bishop Michael Curry of the Diocese of North Carolina recently interviewed ECF Vital Practices editor, Nancy Davidge.  You can see his interview below:

About ECF Vital Practices:

ECF Vital Practices is the online extension of Vestry Papers and is a brand new resource for Episcopal leaders.

Since 1995 ECF and Vestry Papers have provided vestry members with spiritually-grounded, practical resources to help vestries build healthy congregations in srvice to God's mission.  ECF Vital Practices will build upon that heritage in new and innovative ways, reaching even more people who are dedicated to building healthy, vibrant, and vital congregations.

In addition to the Vestry Papers articles by experts and peers that our readers have come to expect, ECF Vital Practices will include practical tools for parish leaders, a lively blog where readers can share ideas and experiences, examples of congregational practices, and live chats with leaders, teachers, authors, and more.  Additionally, ECF Vital Practices is edited by Nancy Davidge whose strong experience in church communications will help shape this new ministry.

ECF Vital Practices, free to everyone, offers us even more opportunities to create community among Episcopal leaders and foster learning about congregational issues not only among vestries and rectors, but also all lay people and clergy who lead congregations.

If you have ideas and resources you'd like to share wit the wider church, visit ECF Vital Practices.  If you would like to learn more, you can email us here.