The Rev. Canon Carrie Schofield-Broadbent, canon for transition and church development in the Episcopal Diocese of Central New York, will give the keynote address at diocesan convention on November 5. She will speak about Gather-Transform-Send, a model for congregational growth and vitality developed by the College for Congregational Development.“Gather-Transform-Send talks about the primary task of a congregation as coming together for God to transform lives and then send us out to bring the reign of God,” Schofield-Broadbent says. “There is nothing new and shiny about the core value of it. It is a gift for the church that we can use according to the resources we have; an invitation into curiosity about how we move from here to there, building on the strong foundation and gifts of each congregation.”
Schofield-Broadbent is excited about how models like Gather-Transform-Send can be helpful at this stage of the pandemic. “Gather-Transform-Send can be a lens for for new insights,” she says. “How can we as a congregation regather, re-invite, reincorporate, reengage, reexamine – how has that shifted during these past years?”
In anticipation of this year’s convention, she hopes members of the diocese will begin to consider what drew them to their parish and why they choose to stay. “Every Sunday we have a choice: what makes church more valuable for your life than any number of other things? What difference does your experience of faith and your faith community make in the ways you live your life in the world?”
