Moving from vision to lifestyle is a challenge for every church and person. How does what we believe get translated into the way we live together as a community?  How do we encourage those who worship to live every day of their lives?  Many times the desire to live faithfully is defeated by the habits we have unconsciously embraced. This webinar will explore the way habits have power over the church organization and suggest some key habits that are faithful to our tradition and transformative to the church culture.   

Does your global missions strategy feel scattered to the ends of the earth? Is it difficult to remember which missionaries your church supports? Wish your congregation would get more interested in missions? This webinar will show how adding a FOCUS to your missions program can result in more people being part of the missions strategy and more effective ministry being accomplished.

How should the church respond to those with a criminal sexual history? People shouldn’t be defined by the worst things done in their lives, nor cast out and shunned like the lepers of old. Two truths must be held in tension: Churches must maintain a safe, welcoming, and nurturing environment; and churches are called to exemplify God’s grace. This webinar explores how churches can navigate between these truths so that the church becomes a safe and healing community, a station of hope for those who are repentant and seek the Lord's help to make better choices and walk in righteousness. 

During the past 24 months the CRC and RCA have joined together in mission through the Church Multiplication Initiative. Through a generous grant we have worked to establish Hispanic Training Centers, begin new ministries, and start new CRC and RCA churches.  As we continue this joint work in mission there’s an opportunity for Classes from the RCA and CRC to come together. This webinar will explore what it means to collaborate with a RCA classis, what other projects have been successfully carried out in this joint mission and how a classis can receive a grant for a joint project.

This webinar introduces some of the sobering statistics about youth staying, leaving and returning to church in Canada. It asks questions about why these trends are happening and what can be done to inspire our youth to carry on the tradition of serving Jesus Christ through the church and into his world. It is suggested that Canadian society no longer supports the discipleship of young men and women and thus parents and congregations need to be more intentional about raising youth to be agents of renewal in God's kingdom. For more information visit Hemorrhaging Faith

This webinar will examine and discuss the Diakonia Remixed (Office of Deacon Task Force) report to synod, a report that re-visions the diaconal calling and calls for greater participation of deacons in the life of the church, including its major assemblies. You’ll get an insider’s viewpoint on this important document and process. Please prepare for participation by reading the Diakonia Remixed report. Additional information is available on the Diakonia Remixed website. Our panelists have created a list of 3 questions for your reflection. Your questions and suggestions for discussion topics can be submitted to the panelists via the webinar registration form, so please register early. 

To access the song lyrics for "Everybody Get Diakonian!" here's the link that will get you there. Please note, audio for the song is not part of the webinar recording.

The church lives between the borders of Christ’s first coming and his promised return. National borders and immigration laws are also a part of the context in which the church finds itself. In this “in-between” place, the CRC is called to demonstrate profound and welcoming love to those who seek to join our communities. So how do we do it?

This webinar will cover these three topics to help churches to image God’s love in them and “welcome the stranger:”

1. An overview of why so many churches are speaking out and calling our current immigration system unjust,  
2. A layout of the ways that churches are called to welcome the stranger, and
3. A preview of the new Church Between Borders workshop.

A boy in your congregation has autism and many challenging behaviors. A man with intellectual disabilities makes sexually-oriented comments to women in your church. Parents of a girl with severe disabilities are worn out and turn to your congregation for help. What do you do? You’ve begun to apply what you’ve learned but questions still remain about doing ministry with children and/or adults with visual, hearing, intellectual, or physical disabilities. Here’s your chance to get them answered by our panelists during this webinar. You can submit your questions via the event registration form or be ready to present them during the live webinar Q & A. 

You may also be interested in previously recorded webinars on related topics - "Is Everyone Really Welcome to Your Church" and "Autism and Children's Ministry."

So your congregation is moving forward on welcoming children and all baptized members to the Lord's Supper. You've begun a process to do that with warmth and integrity. But moving with your congregation through the changes and challenges of this new opportunity for nurturing the faith of your congregation is raising new questions.

Here’s your chance to get them answered by our panelists, and to hear the questions that other churches are asking. You can submit your questions via the event registration form or be ready to type them in during the live event. We'll answer as many as we can during this session. We look forward to a great time of learning together.  

You may also be interested in viewing the webinar "Children at the Lord's Table" which was recorded on April 25, 2012.

The audio portion of the video excerpt that was shared (length 5 minutes 48 seconds) is not part of this recording. Please go to My House Shall Be Called a House of Prayer cued to 10:07 to watch the video excerpt that was shared in this webinar.  

Now you are ordained by the church to provide spiritual oversight to the body of Christ. What does that involve? How is that carried out in today's culture? How can I serve in an office that I feel "unqualified" for? Together we will explore the nature of spiritual leadership in the church. Questions submitted via the registration form will be used to tailor this event to the needs of attendees so register early!

Someone will sin against you and it will hurt. When that happens, Jesus tells you to forgive, for forgiveness is the realistic remedy to hurt and shame. But how does one forgive? Who can forgive? Will it work? This webinar will explore the topic of forgiveness and introduce a new resource from Faith Alive called (Un)Hurt designed to answer those questions in a Bible-based, four-step process that equips participants to actually forgive real hurts. 

Students want to leave the church building Sunday morning knowing that their congregation is active in the community and the world. They want to see how their faith in Christ impacts the hungry, homeless...down the street and in the developing world.

While going on a trip is certainly a valid method for cultivating a mission heart, there are many other ways they can be involved. Every Christian student should be able to answer the question, “How are you involved in missions?” Every church should be able to answer the question, “How do you involve students in missions?”

Let's explore those questions together and ask God to lead us to transforming answers.

An earlier webinar recording is available through Barnabas Foundation's webinar and audio library.   Due to technical difficulties, we were unable to record this presentation on October 10. Slides from the October 10, 2012 presentation are available in pdf format for downloading.

Clergy and their church leaders must consider the long-term impact of financial decisions on a pastor's financial health. This webinar will provide tips on such topics as: taxes, housing, pensions, and retirement planning. This webinar has suggestions for the financial care of pastors at any age and at any stage of ministry. Canadian and U.S. pastors/church leaders are encouraged to attend. Pointers will include: housing options of church-owned parsonage or minister-owned housing, how to figure a housing allowance, three legs of retirement savings, and investment risk management and emergency savings.

Do you care? Of course you do! But sometimes our care can miss the mark when our understanding is lacking. In this webinar we will look at how to take first steps in walking beside someone with mental illness. Various forms of mental illness will be introduced such as anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, and bi-polar disorder, and suggestions will be given for what people in the pew can do to respond in love. Responding to threats of suicide and setting boundaries also will touched on.

We're sorry but the recording for this event is no longer available for viewing.

Health insurance plans can sure seem complicated and confusing. Join us as we hope to unravel some of the complexities and answer questions about both the High Deductible Health Plan and Health Savings Accounts (HSA's). Learn how you can set aside pre tax funds to pay for your medical expenses, whether you need to use those funds next year or anytime in the future.

All Christian Reformed Churches are eligible to participate in the denominational health insurance plan offered through Consolidated Group Insurance (CGI). Staff working at a participating church are eligible for health/dental insurance coverage. Please note: Effective January 1, 2013 this will be the only plan offered for CRC staff members.

The audio for the video clip that was part of this webinar is not part of the recording. You may view the video here: https://vimeo.com/5859400

Being a hospitable congregation goes far beyond just having a friendly greeter at the door. Everything you do says something about who you are. Is your website visitor friendly? Do you have a plan for welcoming guests? Are you consistently communicating with your members so they feel like a valued part of your congregation? Every time someone encounters your church, whether it’s through the web or in-person, you have a chance to be hospitable to them. In this webinar, we'll look at principles and best practices for being a welcoming church.

Do you want to settle for being an average deacon who only responds to immediate needs or do you want to fully embrace your calling as ministers of mercy? Many deacons today are not trained and prepared to fulfill their role in the church. Join us as we identify the main roles of the deacon, discuss how deacons can be more effective with benevolence needs, as well as learn how to encourage good stewardship of time, talent and finances in the congregation. Even though this workshop is geared to deacons, other church leaders may find it helpful. NOTE:  We experienced a loss of audio twice from the presenters and those times were from minutes 9:35 - 11:45 (2 minutes) and 24:40 - 25:40 (1 minute).

You can keep the conversation going, share tips with other churches, and more. Just visit our Discipleship & Faith Formation discussion forum and post a question or discussion starter.

Is your congregation reflecting on Synod's decision to welcome children to the Lord's Supper? Are you looking for a process to do that with warmth and integrity? Moving with your congregation through the change and challenge of this new opportunity for nurturing the faith of children requires thoughtful, intentional planning. It doesn't just happen!

Join us to explore the roles of the pastor, elders, and parents in this significant process - and equip your congregation to move forward with joy.

In this session we'll examine some of the basic beliefs and practices of Islam and learn why loving Muslims is biblical. Included are real life examples from an ongoing North American ministry to Muslims.

This webinar will provide an overview of CRC Safe Church Ministry and discuss the reasons why abuse prevention and response is critical to the life of our churches. In addition, we'll briefly look at how Safe Church Ministry is changing and discover the ways it can help provide opportunities for powerful, transforming ministry to individuals and churches. If you're a church leader, pastor, or someone interested in Safe Church Ministry, please join us.

"I wonder how other churches do this?"

How many times have you heard that question, or asked it yourself? Now there's a way volunteer and staff ministry leaders can connect with each other to compare notes, encourage each other, and talk about the nuts and bolts of various church ministries. The Network is built on the idea that often the best help comes from people who are doing similar work and have struggled with similar questions.

In this webinar we'll take a tour of the site and look at examples of the connections being made. Plus we'll uncover tricks to getting the most out of the site, and ways to quickly tap into the collective knowledge and experience of fellow church members across the CRC.

NOTE: This webinar was recorded on January 25, 2012 and then a repeat session was held on February 1. Although the presentation itself is repeated, the Q&A sessions at the end of each webinar are different. To hear the audio from the video clip that was shared click here. The length of this clip is 83 seconds.

When people are looking for a church to attend, most will check out their options online before ever walking through the physical door of a church. On average, they’ll check out up to a dozen sites before visiting a church in person. What does your church website say about you? Learn about web strategies: from planning and designing to content creation and updating. We'll talk about making your website visitor friendly as well as useful for members.