For Such A Time As This

Numerous external and internal factors impact a local church’s mission and ministry effectiveness. This workshop intends: 1) to identify many such factors and 2) to imagine new ministry models to fulfill God’s mission. Attention will be given to both traditional (full time clergy) and non-traditional (bi-vocational, co-vocational, part time clergy) models of ministry and how each models shapes and informs a congregation’s missional impact. A glossary of terms will be provided to enhance clarity of conversation and discernment within the local congregation.

Rev. Dr. Jeff Barker is the District Superintendent of the Metro New York District Church of the Nazarene, having previously served in New England as a pastor and professor.

Do you wish that you better understood our complex immigration system? Do you have questions about laws and policy changes that are affecting your immigrant neighbors? This session will provide a brief overview of our U.S. immigration legal system and equip you to understand terms like refugee, green card, citizenship, and visa. We will also briefly explore ways that you and your church can be involved in serving the immigrants in your community through partnership with the Immigrant Connection- New England office. 

Rev. Rachel Hafler is the Director of Immigrant Connection - New England, a Department of Justice (DOJ) accredited representative authorized to practice immigration law, and a member of our North Street Community Church of the Nazarene in Hingham, MA.

While we ministry leaders are always serving others, it can be difficult to invest time in our own spiritual well-being. Join us as we seek to recapture the spiritual practice of retreat for the sake of our souls. You'll walk away from this workshop with practical tools you can use right away, along with opportunities to connect through upcoming events and more. 

Rev. Mike Kennedy is our District Spiritual Formation Curator. 

In this day and age we find ourselves in a "friendship recession" where social interactions in homes remain lower than in previous decades. This workshop highlights some contributing factors to this trend, which creates isolation both physically and emotionally. However, spending time with one another is integral to one's Christian walk and can contribute to everyday discipleship. We will discuss how hosting, gathering, and spending time contributes to discipleship and  some low pressure ideas to gather and spend time with those in our communities.

Rev. Abigail Kingsbury is an associate pastor at our Bethel Church of the Nazarene in Quincy, MA.

This workshop invites participants to prayerfully prepare for the end of life with hope, intention, and faith. We’ll explore how God can use the assets entrusted to us to reflect our deepest values, care for those we love, and glorify Him far beyond our lifetime. Through a grace-filled conversation, the Nazarene Foundation shares how churches and donors can steward their legacy for lasting Kingdom impact.

Recovering the Purpose of the Church

Many churches unintentionally drift into maintenance mode, where preserving systems and sustaining the institution become the primary focus. In this session, we will explore how Ephesians 4 reframes the purpose of the church—not as a place where a few leaders perform ministry for spectators, but as an equipping missional family/community that forms and releases every believer into the mission of God. Together we will examine the subtle ways mission can become subservient to institutional survival and rediscover Paul’s vision of a mature, Spirit-empowered body where “each part does its work.” This session includes teaching, reflection, discussion, and interactive Q&A.

(While Parts 1 & 2 are meant to complement one another, anyone should feel free to attend one or both of the sessions.)

Revs. Jad & Jaime Levi are the pastors of Trinitas Communities, which exists as a decentralized network of Communities on Mission — small to mid-sized, Spirit-led expressions of the Church scattered throughout the city.

Cultivating an Equipping Culture

If the church truly exists as a missional family to support and release the mission of God, what kind of culture must leaders cultivate to make that possible? Building on Session One (but not essential to have attended), this breakout will explore the practical leadership and cultural shifts necessary to move from maintenance to mission. Using Ephesians 4 as our framework, we will discuss how churches can transition from clergy-driven models and institutional preservation toward shared ministry, spiritual formation, incarnational presence, and communities on mission. Participants will engage in collaborative discussion and feedback as we wrestle honestly with what it takes to create churches that function less as destinations and more as equipping centers for everyday missionary disciples of Jesus.

(While Parts 1 & 2 are meant to complement one another, anyone should feel free to attend one or both of the sessions.)

Revs. Jad & Jaime Levi are the pastors of Trinitas Communities, which exists as a decentralized network of Communities on Mission — small to mid-sized, Spirit-led expressions of the Church scattered throughout the city.

This workshop will help New England churches see compassionate ministry through “multiple lenses of kindness,” highlighting the many ways care is already happening across the district. Based on survey responses from 35 churches, participants will explore areas such as relational care, food help, benevolence, mental health support, senior care, immigrant and refugee support, recovery ministry, and care for unhoused neighbors. The workshop will also identify practical next steps churches have requested, including volunteer development, small grants, training opportunities, practical tools, and stronger connections between churches doing similar work. The goal is to make compassionate ministries across New England more visible, connected, sustainable, and encouraged.

Rev. Dr. Margaret Scott is our District Compassionate Ministries Coordinator and NCM NE Team Leader. She is also co-interim pastor at our Fitchburg Church of the Nazarene.

Have you wondered how to (better) reach the hurting children and youth who have interaction with your church community? Trauma is a popular catch phrase nowadays, but its impact is profound. In this workshop, we will learn the basics of the impact trauma has on a young person's being, and how we as the church can respond in appropriate community, thereby counter-weighting trauma's influence.

Rev. Melissa Teeter is the Children's Pastor at our Ambassadors Church of the Nazarene in Pawtucket, RI. 

Many churches feel constant financial pressure—tight budgets, aging buildings, and uncertainty about the future. But financial resilience isn’t just about raising more money. It’s about building the habits and systems that allow a church to sustain and expand its mission over time.

In this interactive workshop, we’ll explore the core principles behind financially resilient churches and help you identify practical steps you can take in your own context. Participants will walk away with a simple framework for evaluating their church’s financial health and one actionable step they can begin implementing immediately.

Rev. Jarrod Spalding is the co-founder of Vision Partners and a vision-driven leader and coach with over 20 years of church leadership experience spanning pastoral ministry, nonprofit leadership, police chaplaincy, and mental health coaching. As founder of Vision Partners, he has helped churches in 10 states move from survival to sustainability through practical tools and coaching. Jarrod lives in Massachusetts with his wife, the youngest of their four children, and a three-year-old grandson.  He’s passionate about helping churches honor their past while stepping into God's future.

Change is hard. But leading change well might be one of the most important things you do as a pastor. This workshop provides a framework, a posture, and some tools - but more than anything, it invites you to lead from your heart.

Rev. Jarrod Spalding is the co-founder of Vision Partners and a vision-driven leader and coach with over 20 years of church leadership experience spanning pastoral ministry, nonprofit leadership, police chaplaincy, and mental health coaching. As founder of Vision Partners, he has helped churches in 10 states move from survival to sustainability through practical tools and coaching. Jarrod lives in Massachusetts with his wife, the youngest of their four children, and a three-year-old grandson.  He’s passionate about helping churches honor their past while stepping into God's future.

This workshop will explore prayer walking as a humble practice of seeing our neighborhoods and communities through the eyes of Jesus. Drawing in part from Jesus’ encounter with Simon the Pharisee in Luke 7:36–50, we will move from the good prayer, “May Jesus be seen through me,” toward the deeper prayer, “May I see others as Jesus sees them.” Participants will receive practical suggestions and resources, including helpful apps, for prayer walking in neighborhoods, driving through spread-out communities, and creating prayer rooms or prayer spaces that help churches intentionally intercede for their shared life and local mission. The goal is to encourage churches to take spiritual responsibility for the people, places, and spaces God has entrusted to them.

Rev. Ken Stanford is our District Superintendent and oversees the J. Elton Wood Center for Prayer & Intercession. He has pastored at churches in Indiana, Connecticut, & Massachusetts.

Before we name the hard thing, we may need to notice what is happening inside us. In this workshop, we will practice holy noticing: a contemplative way of listening to the body, our feelings, and the story we are telling before we enter the room where something difficult needs to be said. Drawing from spiritual direction and conflict transformation, this session is for anyone who has ever walked into a hard conversation already losing it, or walked out of one wondering what just happened. We will sit with the question together and practice a simple embodied exercise you can carry into your next difficult moment. 

Rev. Dr. Julene Tegerstrand is the co-founder of Everyday Peacemaking and a certified spiritual director with fifteen years of experience accompanying individuals who seek a deeper, more contemplative way of being. She holds a PhD in Leadership Studies with expertise in contemplative leadership and conflict resilience. Julene supports people navigating spiritual longing, transition, or leadership loneliness so they can live and lead from the inside out. Her approach draws on Nonviolent Communication (NVC) and spiritual formation and is informed by reflective, dialogue-based practice.