Emerging Spirit @ The United Church of Canada Emerging Spirit @ The United Church of Canada

Emerging Spirit, The United Church of Canada's initiative to reach out to people who don't go to church, has launched a new website designed to support congregational leaders in their work of welcoming newcomers.

The new Emerging Spirit website, www.emergingspirit.ca, offers all the basic information about the campaign, including registration and other specifics for the campaign's congregational popular training events, Living the Welcome.

An expanding "tool kit" of video, audio, and print resources offers downloadable, "hands on," resources to help congregations become more welcoming and relevant, connect with those in their communities, understand the attitudes that 30-45 year olds hold about faith and the United Church, and more.

But the new Emerging Spirit site offers more than just a place to consume information. Users are actively invited to contribute their own thoughts and "best practices" to the content on the site.

"One of the things I'm most excited about on the new website is the ability for leaders to share models of ideas that actually work in congregations," says Emerging Spirit executive director, Keith Howard.

"Congregational leaders are thirsty for practical, proven methods that increase their ability to become even more welcoming congregations," says Howard. "The new Emerging Spirit site is based on a ‘Web 2.0' philosophy, similar to what we used on WonderCafe.ca, where it's the users that actually shape the site through their participation."

Another exciting feature on www.emergingspirit.ca is the Wiki guide on welcoming ministries and related issues such as leadership. This developing resource is guided by the same principle as Wikipedia, the well-known on-line encyclopedia that users can contribute to and edit themselves.

"The Wiki guide turns the tables on the way resources have been produced by the church in the past," Howard explains.

"Instead of asking one or two experts to write a resource and then distribute it to congregations, the Wiki welcoming guide will be written by the people in the congregations themselves and be available on the Emerging Spirit website. The nature of Wiki technology also means the guide will always be a work in progress. It will grow as the church grows."

The site also features an Emerging Spirit Blog where contributors from across the country post insights and reflections on topics they encounter in their ministry.

A beta-version of the site will launch in August, with the site ramping up to full steam by September. 

The new website from Emerging Spirit is built using open source technology that can be easily modified to fit the changing needs of the campaign. However, the technology can only offer the potential of a great new vehicle to empower the ministry of the church. Succees depends upon those who use it.