Loans and Grants

We sing of God's good news lived out, a church with purpose: faith nurtured and hearts comforted, gifts shared for the good of all, resistance to the forces that exploit and marginalize, fierce love in the face of violence, human dignity defended, members of a community held and inspired by God, corrected and comforted, instrument of the loving Spirit of Christ, creation's mending. We sing of God's mission.

A Song of Faith (2006)

Purpose

The New Ministries Formation Fund provides financial and coaching assistance for

• the formation and development of new intentional faith communities and non-traditional approaches to Christian ministry
• exploratory research for new ministry initiatives
• ministry redevelopment in a pastoral charge/congregation/presbytery/district with the aim of responding to new communities

New ministry initiatives are ministry opportunities that respond to the changing cultures, established for the benefit of people who are not yet members of any church or intentional faith community. They respond to the urban, rural, and suburban realities; they are sensitive to the intercultural commitments of the church; they reflect a commitment to the environment and peace and justice. New ministry initiatives are intended to be discerned in a particular context, and demonstrate creative responses to that particular local vision and opportunity.

The New Ministries Formation Fund will

• seek to increase the capacity of ministers to launch new ministry initiatives through specialized education opportunities funded by grants
• support new methods of reaching out to people not currently involved in any faith communities

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Deadlines

There are no application deadlines per se. Potential applicants are invited to initiate consultation with the EDGE network to gauge the readiness of their proposal. Inquiries can be directed to New Ministries Formation Fund or to Michael Blair.

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Eligibility

We invite individuals, ministries, and courts of The United Church of Canada seeking to develop a vision and ministry to initiate the requisite consultations.

All applicants will be required to participate in the New Ministry Fund Application webinar hosted by the EDGE: A Network for Ministry Development and further consultation before applying to the fund.

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Criteria

This fund supports, and will give priority to, initiatives that build either new faith communities and/or relationships with communities that not currently a part of the church.

Criteria for an initiative under the New Ministries Formation Fund are as follows:

• Be contextual to a particular opportunity in a particular local area and supported by thorough research.
• Support intentional faith community formation.
• Have identified partnership(s)—e.g., another congregation, presbytery, or Conference, or another faith community.
• Be innovative in its approach and a clear articulated vision.
• Explore new ways of engaging in ministry in a post-denominational and post-Christian society.

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Expectation

Successful applicants will be required to participate in a learning community facilitated by EDGE: A Network for Ministry Development and to share their learning with others.

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Reference Group

Applications will be reviewed by a reference group staffed by the Program Coordinator, Mission through Finance, and made up of the following members:

• representative of a presbytery/district
• one member of the General Council Executive
• Executive Minister, Communities in Ministry/Communautés et ministères
• General Council Officer for Programs
• one Conference Executive Secretary

The review committee will make recommendations to the Joint Grants Committee.