Hey everybody this is Steve, and it’s time we build better ministry.
60% of young people fall away from the Church as they leave high school and become young
adults.
More than half of the young people who pass through our youth ministries emerge, not as
faithful Christians, but as former Christians.
And, if anything, that trend is only getting worse.
It can feel like the challenges young people face in their lives are simply too great.
That the deck is stacked against us, and we’re doomed to lose more and more young people
in the years ahead.
But I don’t believe that’s true.
I believe we can give young people an experience of the Church that leads to deeper faith and
genuine communion with the Living God.
I believe we can transform our ministries into places of lasting transformation: where
young people develop a real relationship with Christ and a lasting connection with His Body,
the Church.
And that’s why we developed “Effective Christian Ministry,” an online ministry
training program that can help you do exactly that.
About 800 people have enrolled in “Effective Christian Ministry,” everyone from experienced
clergy with decades of ministry experience to college students who serve as summer camp
counselors and parish volunteers.
And their feedback has been incredible.
75% of them rated “Effective Christian Ministry” at least a 9 out of 10.
But we didn’t want to stop with this online course.
So we developed the ECM Cohort, a learning community designed to help you apply this
important work in your community.
And I’d like to introduce you to our ECM Cohort Director, Dr Athanasia Kostakis, who
can explain why this learning community is so important.
Thanks Steve!
When Y2AM surveyed people who completed the online course, one message was loud and clear:
changing ministry is hard to do alone!
We need support!
And, that makes sense!
I helped lead a young adult ministry team through Effective Christian Ministry at my
own parish.
I saw first hand how ECM can transform how we understand and pursue effective Christian
ministry.
And this is something we can’t pursue alone.
This need to learn and serve in community is why we created the Effective Christian
Ministry Cohort.
The ECM Cohort is a 9 month intensive learning community where parish teams come together
to learn how to apply ECM principles and practices in their own lives and parish communities.
So, how does it work?
Well, parishes assemble a team of 3-6 people who have completed the ECM course and are
ready to take the next step in creating effective youth and young adult ministry.
Up to 5 parish Teams will be grouped together as a Cohort under one of our 8 Coaches.
So that’s 40 Teams all together, grouped into 8 Cohorts.
From September to May, Team members meet 3-4 times a month and can expect to dedicate about
7-12 hours a month learning and growing in the Cohort.
A typical month includes training the first week, a personal reflection and Team meeting
the second week, a Cohort meeting the third week, and then an applied project and a Team
meeting with their Coach on the fourth week.
And what do parish Teams get from this 9-month intensive experience?
Well, Teams get:
* 3 online summits and 6 webinars all with diverse clergy and lay ministry speakers
* 2 hours of personal reflections and applied projects every month, to dig deep into what
you’re learning * 9 months of support from a trained Coach
and from me, the ECM Cohort Director * Ongoing support from the friends you make
in other communities * And a 1 year ministry plan, your roadmap
to implement what you learned from ECM
We’ve never seen anything like this in the Orthodox Church.
And it’s such a blessing to be a part of it.
Thanks to a generous grant from Leadership 100, your parish can get all of this support
for only $500.
That’s all it takes to be a part of this dynamic learning community of Faith and transformation.
The ECM Cohort is more than a quick fix or oversimplified hack that will magically fix
your parish ministries overnight.
No, the ECM Cohort is a powerful opportunity to co-create effective Christian ministry.
Because we’re playing a long game, and our young people are worth it!
That’s absolutely right.
The ECM Cohort isn’t the end.
Rather, it’s the beginning of your parish approaching the important work of ministry
in a new and transformational way.
It’s the beginning of your parish forming a new generation of faithful Orthodox Christians.
But don’t just take our word for it.
We want you to hear from people that have benefited so much from “Effective Christian
Ministry.”
[TESTIMONIALS]
So
what
can
you do?
If you haven’t yet, go to effectivechristianministry.org and enroll in our groundbreaking online training
course.
This is a must for anyone involved in ministry.
And, if you’re interested in even deeper support, head over to effectivechristianministry.org/cohort
and apply for your parish to join this year’s ECM Cohort.
Spots are limited, so act fast if your parish is interested.
Because applications need to be submitted by August 15th.
We’re incredibly excited about what God can do through this learning community.
And I hope to see you and your community in this year’s ECM Cohort.
Because, with Christ at the center, together we can move mountains.