Recorded Webinar: Nurturing What God Is Growing Among Us
- Steve Welch
- 6 hours ago
- 3 min read
A Reflection on the Invite Welcome Connect Assessment Tool Webinar
Listening for What God Is Already Doing
In this recent Invite Welcome Connect webinar, Nurturing What God Is Growing Among Us, Steve Welch was joined by Canon Jenni Faires and Mary MacGregor for a thoughtful, practical, and prayerful conversation about how congregations can better understand their life together and respond faithfully to what God is already cultivating in their midst.
Rather than beginning with anxiety about decline or pressure to “fix” the church, this conversation began somewhere much more hopeful: with curiosity, gratitude, and trust in the Holy Spirit’s ongoing work among God’s people.
Why Assessment Matters in Faithful Ministry
Steve opened the webinar by naming a reality many church leaders recognize: we often sense that something is happening in our congregations, but we struggle to describe it clearly, share it with others, or respond to it intentionally.
Assessment, in this framework, is not about judgment or comparison. It is about:
Paying attention to patterns of belonging and participation
Naming strengths as well as challenges
Creating shared language for ministry conversations
Supporting discernment and prayerful decision-making
Good assessment helps us move from vague impressions to faithful action.
Introducing the Invite Welcome Connect Assessment Tool
The heart of the webinar focused on the Invite Welcome Connect Assessment Tool, a free resource designed to help congregations reflect on their practices of hospitality, belonging, and engagement.
The tool invites churches to explore three interconnected ministry areas:
Invite: How do we extend authentic invitations into Christian community?
Welcome: How do newcomers experience hospitality and connection?
Connect: How do people find meaningful relationships and pathways into ministry?
Rather than offering a checklist of “right answers,” the tool encourages honest reflection and conversation.
Participants were reminded that the goal is not perfection, but awareness and growth.
A Pastoral Approach to Data and Discernment
Canon Jenni Faires reflected on how assessment can support diocesan and congregational leadership when it is grounded in trust and relationship.
She noted that numbers and surveys only become meaningful when they are held within a pastoral context. Used well, they can:
Open space for deeper listening
Reduce defensiveness
Support shared ownership of ministry
Strengthen collaboration between clergy and lay leaders
When assessment is framed as a spiritual practice rather than a management tool, it becomes a way of honoring people’s lived experience in the church.
Learning from Congregational Experience
Jenni Faires shared insights from her work with congregations that have used the assessment tool in real-life settings.
She highlighted several common themes:
Churches often discover strengths they had overlooked
Honest conversations build trust
Small changes can have significant impact
Follow-through matters more than perfection
Mary emphasized that the most fruitful assessments are those that are followed by prayer, conversation, and concrete next steps.
The tool works best when it becomes part of an ongoing rhythm of reflection rather than a one-time event.
Using the Tool in Your Congregation
Throughout the webinar, practical guidance was offered for congregations considering the assessment tool.
Suggestions included:
Forming a small, representative leadership team
Communicating clearly about purpose and process
Inviting broad participation
Creating space to reflect on results together
Identifying one or two initial priorities
Steve reminded participants that even modest efforts can bear fruit when they are grounded in prayer and shared commitment.
Themes from the Chat: Shared Hopes and Questions
The live chat during the webinar revealed how deeply these questions resonate across contexts.
Participants asked about:
Engaging longtime members and newcomers together
Adapting tools for small congregations
Encouraging participation without pressure
Integrating assessment into vestry and council work
Supporting volunteers and lay leaders
Many also shared gratitude for having language and resources that feel hopeful rather than discouraging.
Assessment as Spiritual Practice
One of the most powerful threads running through the webinar was the understanding of assessment as a form of spiritual attentiveness.
By slowing down, listening carefully, and reflecting together, congregations practice:
Gratitude for God’s gifts
Humility about limitations
Courage for change
Hope for the future
In this way, the Invite Welcome Connect Assessment Tool becomes not just a resource, but an invitation into deeper faithfulness.
Moving Forward Together
As the webinar concluded, Steve, Jenni, and Mary returned to the central image of nurturing what God is already growing.
Church leaders are not called to manufacture vitality, but to tend it: to notice where life is emerging, remove obstacles, and create space for flourishing.
The assessment tool offers one practical way to participate in that holy work.