Move Ministry Leaders from knowledge to Action
We’re living out our calling to ministry in a time of rapid change. We know we need to be nimble, but how do we keep up with new realities and put the latest research into action? Bridging the gap between learning and action is what Vibrant Faith MasterClasses are all about.
Over the course of two 90-minute interactive online sessions, MasterClass Instructors distill new learnings into training experiences that make it easy for participants like you to learn, practice, and use new tools to fuel ministry reinvention.
A MasterClass Includes:
- Two 90-minute, interactive sessions led by an expert Instructor
- An office hour with the Instructor after the second session—to ask deeper questions and dialogue about the topic.
- Access to a community of collegial support- Coming Soon!
What You Gain from a MasterClass:
- New paradigm shifting insights into a topic.
- A clear path to implement what you’re learning, with a tool-kit of action steps
- Renewed energy and momentum for ministry reinvention
- New colleagues in ministry who share your same concerns and are driven by your same hopes.
ENJOY ALL 8 CLASSES FOR THE CURRENT SEASON
- Access for you and up to 14 team members to all classes in the season
- A private Course Page for each course
- Access to all recordings and resources from each course in the Spring/Fall 2023 season for a year.
Course Catalog - 2023
Helping Parents Maximize Their Faith Influence With Their Kids
Wednesdays, March 8 & 15, 2023
12:00 - 1:30 PM EST
According to multiple sociological studies, the most important factor in passing on faith to the next generation is surprisingly not a family’s regular worship attendance, their church’s programming, or even the parents’ own religious practices. The simple fact of parents talking with children about questions of faith—in ordinary ways throughout the week—has a bigger influence on young people’s future faith lives than any other factor. How can church leaders help parents to start and deepen conversations with kids about faith, God, and religion? What simple practices can families bring into their everyday lives to grow in faith together? We’ll explore practical, pastoral strategies for helping parents deepen their own awareness of God’s presence within family life to encourage these small yet transformative conversations with children and teens about what matters most.
Increasing Engagement In Congregations
Wednesdays, March 22 & 29, 2023
12:00 - 1:30 PM EST
- awareness of the church’s opportunities, strengths, and challenges,
- clarity about the need for change and how the transformation process will unfold, and
- agency among members.
- Listening deeply to God and others,
- Observing what is and isn’t working in ministry, and what’s present and what’s missing,
- Experimenting with new ways of being the church, and then
- Reflecting on recent results and refocusing efforts based on new learnings.
Leading Faithful Innovation
Thursdays, April 20 & 27, 2023
12:00 - 1:30 PM EST
“Innovation” is a term not typically associated with religious institutions, which tend to be oriented toward conserving and maintaining tradition. Yet at its heart, the Christian church is about innovation—embodying God’s new life, hope, and community for the world. It is time to claim this identity amidst powerful disruptive forces in today’s world. We live in a moment of profound social and cultural change fueled by digital technology, globalization, and the lingering impact of a worldwide pandemic. Organizations of all types are struggling to adapt to new patterns of belonging and participation. Many churches seem unsure what to do as established practices break down and people disengage. What does this mean for local churches that find their communal life eroding amid these seismic cultural shifts taking place? We look to Jesus, who relies upon the hospitality of the world as he embodies an alternative kingdom.
Post-Covid Shifts and the New Normal
Thursdays, May 25 & June 1, 2023
12:00 - 1:00 PM EST
One of the (few!) positives of COVID was discovering we and our churches could adapt faster than we thought or knew. We simply had to. Most of us had assumed that the changes would be here for a while and then we would go back to normal, to how things were. But we were wrong. Change is the new normal, and it seems to be here to stay. The training many of us had was designed for church in a much more settled and stable world. This workshop will explore ministry in this new-normal. We will explore theological resources as guides—this is not the first time God’s people have adapted to a world in turmoil. And then, alongside that, we will give you some tools, practices, and practical skills to help navigate, adapt, respond and even enjoy this new environment.
The Engine of a Thriving Congregation: Living the Way of Jesus Together
Wednesdays, September 13 & 20, 2023
12:00 - 1:30 PM EST
A Hybrid Approach to Transformational Leadership
Wednesdays, October 11 & 18, 2023
12:00 - 1:30 PM EST
Enriching Your Congregational ‘Soil’ for Deeper Faith Relationships
Wednesdays, November 8 & 15, 2023
12:00 - 1:30 PM EST
Emotionally Healthy Spiritual Formation
Wednesdays, November 29 & December 6, 2023
12:00 - 1:30 PM EST
Meet Our Instructors






Laura Kelly Fanucci is an author, speaker, and founder of Mothering Spirit, an online ecumenical project on parenting and spirituality featuring essays and prayers from mothers across diverse denominations and backgrounds. She earned her B.A. from the University of Notre Dame and her Master of Divinity from Saint John’s School of Theology, where she spent over a decade working on ecumenical projects on theologies of vocation at the Collegeville Institute. Laura has authored seven books, including Everyday Sacrament: The Messy Grace of Parenting and Grieving Together: A Couple’s Journey through Miscarriage. Laura’s work has been featured on the Hallow and Ritual apps, and in popular outlets including NPR’s Morning Edition, On Being, and the Kelly Clarkson Show. She writes frequently for online and print publications, including OSV News Service, Grotto Network, and Give Us This Day. Laura is a trained catechist in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and serves as a faith formation teacher in her local church. She and her husband live in Minnesota with their five children.


Rev. Erik Samuelson, PCC, is a Vibrant Faith Coach and Coaching School faculty member, who has served in a variety of contexts including as Director of Vocational and Spiritual Formation at Trinity Lutheran College in Everett, WA. He brings experience and stories from transitional ministry, young-adult ministry, vocational discernment, culture and system change, ministry renewal, formation, and leadership development.


The Rev. Dr. Dwight Zscheile is Vice President of Innovation and Associate Professor of Congregational Mission and Leadership at Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Dwight has authored multiple books and essays on innovation, leadership, and adaptive change, working extensively with congregations, judicatory systems, and institutions of higher education. He’s an explorer, pursuing how our faith-informed imagination can shape our vision for the future.
