Strengthening Congregational Ministry brings together a variety of leaders from across our synod to offer practical workshops in three areas of congregational life: Children, Youth & Family Ministry, Governance, and Stewardship. Choose the workshops most helpful for your ministry context and leave with ideas, resources, and tools you can use. There is no cost to attend; however, registration is requested. Please fill out the registration form once for each participant. 

Strengthening Congregational Ministry: LSS Growing Together Workshop
Date & time: Saturday, October 17, 2026, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Location: St. John’s Lutheran Church, 44 W Main Street, Shiremanstown, PA

8:30-9:00 a.m. – Arrival, welcome and hospitality
9:00-9:20 a.m. – Morning prayer and opening
9:20-9:30 a.m. – Transition to workshops
9:30-10:15 a.m. – Workshop Block 1
10:15-10:30 a.m. -Break
10:30-11:15 a.m. – Workshop Block 2
11:15-11:30 a.m. – Break
11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m. – Workshop Block 3
12:15-12:30 p.m. – Closing and sending

Ministry Collaborations between congregations and/or between our synod office and congregations. We will also highlight partnerships with our outdoor ministry sites, and partners like LutheranHANDS, while focusing on specific opportunities for summer 2027.

This workshop will focus on the value of Children and Youth Ministry as part of a church community along with the practices that work best for our congregation.

Emerging Ministry with Young Adults will highlight our latest ministry partnerships with young adult cohorts around our synod, and a new ministry resource for congregations and young adults coming in early 2027. We will also think creatively together about new opportunities.

This practical workshop will explore clear roles, healthy communication, effective meetings, shared accountability, and ways to lead teams without carrying every responsibility alone.

Obtain a practical introduction to Robert’s Rules of Order that can help congregations gain greater efficiency in their decision making while regarding every member’s opinion. Explore how motions, discussion, amendments, voting, and minutes can support fair, clear, and orderly congregational governance.

What should a congregation keep, who is responsible for keeping it, and where can leaders find reliable constitutional guidance? This workshop will offer practical help with records retention, minutes, archives, institutional memory, as well as ELCA and synod resources for reviewing and updating congregation constitutions.

Move beyond a single annual fall campaign and explore practical models for cultivating generosity throughout the year with a year-round stewardship focus. Katie will share approaches and practical ideas congregations can adapt to their own context to connect stewardship and congregational life.

Explore mission funding possibilities that can complement and strengthen weekly offerings, including grants, partnerships, shared-use arrangements, facility income, planned giving, and other mission-aligned opportunities. We will consider both the possibilities, and the questions congregations might ask in exploring sustainable, faithful ways to expand financial support for ministry.

Learn practical approaches to building a congregation budget that are clear, mission-focused, and useful for decision-making. This workshop will address planning and communicating financial information and helping the budget tell the story of the congregation’s ministry priorities.