How you can join Imagine: The Movement

Thanks to a generous grant from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, starting in January 2024 a group of six congregations will be selected to participate in a 12-month process of imagining together how God is calling us to live into a new and different future. What does the process include? Groups of 5 leaders from 6 congregations will gather over the course of 12 months for spiritual renewal, education, and experimentation. Each leadership group will be accompanied by a coach who will help groups listen, design and implement an experiment, and evaluate the process for the sake of continually imagining how God calls us into a new future together. Enrollment begins in October with a Zoom information session on Monday, October 30 at 7:00 p.m. and continues through the end of November, or until the program is full. Questions? Contact Pastor Erika Uthe: uthe@seiasynod.org

Imagine: The Movement FAQ

What is Imagine: The Movement?
It is a 12-month program that will help your congregation not only Imagine but actually try new ways of
being and doing church.

Who can participate in Imagine: The Movement?
There is space for six congregations in the first round of Imagine: The Movement. Depending on interest
and response, a second round will begin around March 2024. Each congregation that participates
agrees to appoint a group of 5 members, called the Guiding Team, to take part in the 12-month program.

What does Imagine: The Movement consist of?
The 11 months are marked by 3 in-person, day-long gatherings and monthly Zoom meetings for the
rostered ministers of each participating congregation. The in-person gatherings are scheduled for January
6, April 20, and June 8. In addition to these meetings, each Guiding Team will regularly meet with a
Synod Coach at a time scheduled locally. To recap: 3 day-long, in-person meetings; rostered ministers’
monthly Zoom meeting; regularly scheduled coaching calls (about every 6-8 weeks).

In order to participate, each congregation is asked to pay $500 – or $100 per Guiding Team member.
These costs help to cover coaching and gatherings.

What can we expect will happen if our congregation participates in Imagine: The Movement?
While there are no guarantees, the program is designed to:

• Bring spiritual renewal to team members and congregations – through specific congregational
  assignments and regular engagement with spiritual practices, team members and congregations
  will be better equipped to listen to God’s voice in your congregation, community, and world.

• Foster a culture of experimentation – working with a coach throughout the entire movement,
  congregational teams will not only design, but also execute and evaluate ministry experiments.
  This is best done in community, and the six participating congregations will have the opportunity
  to learn with and from each other.

• Celebrate shifting ministry – if God is calling the church to something new, it means that
  something old will need to be let go. In order to make room for imagination, the Guiding Teams
  will become attuned to the new ways God is pointing, and will be equipped to help
  congregations shift thinking and energy for future ministry.

How can we sign up?
Recruitment and registration begins October 15. Visit back at that time for a link to the application.