Discovering Hope








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Discovering Hope

Discovering Hope is a process that helps rural and small town congregations rediscover their purpose and sense of mission. This evangelism tool is based on the book Discovering Hope: Building Vitality in Rural Congregations written by David Poling-Goldenne and L Shannon Jung. This resource celebrates the best practices of 26 rural and small town congregations highlighting their effective work in the areas of prayer, worship, discipleship, evangelism, congregational care and leadership.

The premise of this book is that the real experts on congregational vitality in rural settings are the people who have experienced it first hand. This study is "from the field for the field" and it is designed to be used in three different ways:

As an individual reader
As a congregation group study resource
As a guide and content for a learning event that could be sponsored by your synod or region.

Available from Augsburg-Fortress, the study resource comes with a video that presents three stories of renewal and hope. You will meet three congregations from three distinct settings: 1) in an open country farming context; 2) a two-point parish in which the town congregation serves as a gathering place for the surrounding county; and 3) a smaller town congregation that has survived conflict. This video is a great discussion starter for the workbook section and makes the principles shared in the book come alive in very practical terms.

Discovering Hope is gaining popularity as a synod wide project that includes three elements:

Enrollment and application process
Major celebration or launch event
Follow up and support for the participating congregations

The following synods already have a formal Discovering Hope project in place:

Upstate New York Synod
Eastern Washington/Idaho Synod
Central/Southern Illinois Synod

Many other synods are using Discovering Hope and are in the process of creating a synod wide structure similar to those listed above.

We hope to create a network for individuals and congregations to share stories and learn from one another. This can be especially helpful for congregations sharing a similar ministry context.

For more information contact Bob Vaage: vaage@milfordcable.net

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