This is the first in a series (Living our Vision in Place) being hosted by the synod.
Who should attend?
Parish leaders who are curious about doing ministry differently in their neighbourhood.
Register here.
The Story
In 2015, the Anglican church in Greater St. Catharines (diocese of Niagara) was facing decline in many of its churches, but the diocesan Futures Committee and the Animation Team sought to drive discernment and decisions by hope.
The diocesan leadership understood that, if they were simply to downsize its Anglican presence, then church decline would be inevitable. One of the most significant outcomes of this work was to create the positions of faith formation director and social justice & community engagement director for the diocese in St Catharines.
Together, they took the bold step of reorienting resources toward discipleship and spiritual growth in their communities.
Martha Tatarnic will share their story, the lessons learned along the way, and the message of hope that has brought them to where they are today.
About Martha
Martha leads St George's Anglican Church, a thriving urban parish in St. Catharines, Ontario. Over the course of almost two decades of ordained ministry, she has developed a wide range of expertise in growing ministries across a variety of contexts. She is particularly interested in the “mixed economy” of our current church moment—how we both support and grow established congregations, as well as how we branch out into new expressions of what it means to be church.
She is a fierce advocate for orienting the resources of our church’s structures toward enabling people both inside and outside of our churches to grow in their relationship with Jesus.
Her experiences with both the Anglican and Lutheran denominations, and as a published writer, have positioned her as a leading voice in the ongoing question of how the church finds relevance in an increasingly secular world.
Email Brendon Neilson, diocesan vision animator for more information.