What is a Vital Congregation?

Vital Congregations work with pastors, church committees and middle governing bodies to provide training, materials and consultation for all worshiping communities and in planting new congregations.

The purpose of the Vital Congregations Initiative is to work alongside leaders of existing congregations continually assessing, discerning and living into faithful actions that increase vitality through intentional spiritual practices that take them deeper into following Jesus Christ, so that their own lives are changed, congregations are transformed, and the mission of God spreads throughout particular communities and the world.

View the Vital Congregations Two-Year Revitalization Initiative. 

As a vital congregation, We Believe...

Our Values:

• Courage, conviction, and commitment to faithful discipleship

• Prayerful discernment

• Reliance upon Scripture

• Persistence — emboldened/enacted faith

• Honest assessment

• Resilience

• Intentional pursuits of reconciliation

• Hopefulness in change

What we believe:

• This is a necessary re-turn to God and re-forming of God’s people

• This is a crucial time of awakening throughout our neighborhoods, nation and world

• The Holy Spirit’s power is changing, re-forming, revitalizing the Church

• This is necessary to rediscover faithful discipleship in 21st century context

• God is calling the Church to transform and transcend cultures and contexts

• We must move from inward institutions to neighborhood relationships and mission

What this initiative is:

We hope that is this is the beginning of intentional, authentic relationships between the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Mission Agency and mid council leaders and pastors to:

• Come together as the people of God

• Pray: re-turn to faithfulness in God

• Inspire openness to the Holy Spirit’s transformation/change

• Honestly assess, discern and act

• Resource, equip and support leaders and pastors

• Practice missional evangelism and faithful discipleship

• Equip vital congregations and develop a praxis of sustainability and ongoing assessment

• Capture congregational stories and develop new measurements of vitality