First Congregational Church

First Congregational Church: who are they?

First Congregational is a dynamic intergenerational congregation of the United Church of Christ in Appleton, Wisconsin. They’re committed to extravagant welcome, social justice, and transformative service and exploration — not dogma and rules.

They are faithful to scripture and seek to purposefully live the grace of God as witnessed in the life of Jesus Christ.

Strategy + vision

First Congregational Church is engaged in a series of transitions in leadership, in organization, in ministry styles and goals. With robust community assets, they are moving into a model of church that is more community-focused with plans to utilize their property for the needs of the surrounding area.

We worked with leadership to help them articulate their core values and purpose, utilizing this to transform the ways they are organized and engage in relationships. Together, we explored options for property development, and laid the foundation to establish a community hub. To accomplish all of this, we:

• led a retreat for leadership

• conducted interviews

• wrote and hosted a survey and analyzed data

• engaged in congregational change through a month on-site

• led 3 congregational town hall meetings

• conducted interviews of community partners to see how the congregation and its space usage was viewed externally

• analyzed the building and property for more efficient and effective usage

• worked with a potential developer, and analyzed city planning documents to create building strategy

As part of their month on-site at First Congregational Church, Mieke and Dave both preached.

Want to learn more about how we engaged with First Congregational Church in the summer of 2022?

Knox Presbyterian Church

Knox Presbyterian Church: who are they?

Knox is a Presbyterian Church that congregates on Sunday mornings to explore and discuss Christian faith.

They believe in social justice, community, and compassion. Their doors are open to everyone. Knox is a place of sanctuary; where you are embraced for being your authentic self.

Knox Presbyterian is an inclusive Christian atmosphere for spiritual nourishment and caring fellowship. Together with Parish Properties, through a series of interviews and retreats, we created a report with recommendations to help them discover how to become a sustainable community hub. We then worked to create and implement a season of fundraising plans.

Presbytery of Baltimore

We are delighted to have joined the Presbytery of Baltimore as part of the Thriving Congregations initiative. In partnership with Parish Properties, we led "Reimagining Church: From Buildings to Community—Weaving a fabric of love and care in the neighborhood," with representatives of local congregations who are asking, "How can we be the church in these unsteady and quickly changing times?"

Sunnyside

Sunnyside is a United Methodist space in Portland, OR which has not had a faith community present for years. Working with a gifted church planter who is currently using the space, and who has been empowered to work out a plan for the transformation and upkeep of the space, we partnered with Parish Properties to refine their mission and vision, strengthen community partnerships and explore potential development of the building.