Collective Energy

Bringing our passion, experience, and expertise to you in a free webinar series that reaches into the heart of what matters today.

 
  • Revisit this conversation in which we radically reimagined ownership and use of church buildings, with a focus on learning lessons from Dave and Graham's work in Canada.

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  • This one-hour webinar dives into the process of distilling core values, the difference between strategic planning and strategic filters, and stories from our culturally and geographically diverse clients.

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  • This webinar will explore how the Collective Foundation is collaborating with Christians of color to address this research deficit. Larissa and Erin will be joined by the Rev. Kymberley Clemons-Jones, a participant in one of the research gatherings, who will share her reflections on the impact of this work as a faith leader.

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  • Over the course of one hour, powerhouse female pastors—the Rev. Thia Reggio and the Rev. Larissa Kwong Abazia—bring their perspectives and experiences to the webinar table on navigating the power of the feminine in their ministry, both as pastors and consultants. How do we talk about feminine aspects of the divine? What about all those oppressive images and relentless pronouns? Are there still gender issues in ministry? (pro tip: Yes!) Join us to face the feminine without fear.

    Watch now

  • Two vibrant voices for justice and reconciliation—the Reverend Dr. Derrick McQueen and Erin Weber-Johnson—bring their perspectives on grounded, effective social justice campaigns to a one hour webinar. Claiming both the wounds and the triumphs of their own faith journey, these two leaders share their insights about what allows social justice work to be authentic and resonant across a range of congregational settings from Harlem to the Midwest.

    Watch now

 

Radical Reimagining:
To whom does church property belong?

  • Dave Harder
  • The Rev. Graham Singh
 

Here at Vandersall Collective we know it is very easy to outline problems. It can even be healing to name them. It is much harder, though, to ask different questions than the ones we have been beating again and again – and transform our thinking into a space that allows for holy imagination and action. It is this transformative thinking work that we engage in as we do work in the areas of both strategic thinking and planning, communication, and fundraising.

In November 2023, Mieke Vandersall was joined by Dave Harder and Graham Singh of Montréal-based Trinity Centres Foundation, whose work is in preserving, restoring, and repurposing underutilized churches into community hubs and affordable housing. We had a conversation in which we radically reimagined ownership and use of church buildings, with a focus on learning lessons from Dave and Graham's work in Canada.

Reflective Capital Campaigns: Your Community, Your Culture, Your Needs

  • The Rev. Mieke Vandersall
  • Erin Weber-Johnson
  • The Rev. Katherine Bush
  • The Rev. Jessie Light-Wells
 

At Vandersall Collective, we believe there is no one-size-fits-all capital campaign. Capital campaigns should reflect you: your community, your culture, your context. This includes asking hard questions of the moment like: is it ethical to run a capital campaign now?

How does Vandersall Collective do this?

We recently hosted a seminar to discuss how Vandersall Collective distinctly shapes our work with our clients. Here you will learn what a capital campaign process with us looks like and what to expect in our work together.

Your work is important in this moment. Come learn how we could together engage in a capital campaign.

Community Decision-making: Core Values to Strategic Filter

  • The Rev. Mieke Vandersall
  • Erin Weber-Johnson
  • The Rev. Ashley Goff
 

As communities, we need to both respond to the needs of the changing world and stay grounded in our core identities. Without a deep understanding of our community identity, and without a filter for decision-making, it can be hard to faithfully and clearly organize our collective lives.

As the pandemic continues to radically shift the landscapes of our lives and work, we’ve doubled down in our belief that long-term strategic planning cannot provide the flexibility the communities we serve need. There are alternatives, and we know them intimately.

We walk alongside organizations to define and distill their current and aspirational identities. When we reflect back the core of who they are, we then create a filter that provides an objective, interactive and engaging tool for decision-making: from money spending, to program evaluation and building development.

This one-hour webinar dives into the process of distilling core values, the difference between strategic planning and strategic filters, and stories from our culturally and geographically diverse clients.

Disrupting Institutional Racism in Fundraising

  • The Rev. Larissa Kwong Abazia
  • Erin Weber-Johnson
  • The Rev. Kymberley Clemons-Jones
 

This May, the Collective Energy webinar series will present a free webinar on Disrupting Institutional Racism in Fundraising. The conversation will be led by the Rev. Larissa Kwong Abazia and Erin Weber-Johnson, board members of the Collective Foundation. These powerhouse leaders will reflect on the Collective Foundation’s current project of collecting research on fundraising practices in Christian communities of color. Best fundraising practices in the church have been created by qualitative and quantitative work with, by, and for white dominant North American culture. This has put communities of color at an immediate disadvantage.

This webinar will explore how the Collective Foundation is collaborating with Christians of color to address this research deficit. Larissa and Erin will be joined by the Rev. Kymberley Clemons-Jones, a participant in one of the research gatherings, who will share her reflections on the impact of this work as a faith leader. 

Fear of the Feminine

  • The Rev. Thia Reggio
  • The Rev. Larissa Kwong Abazia
 

Over the course of one hour, powerhouse female pastors—the Rev. Thia Reggio and the Rev. Larissa Kwong Abazia—bring their perspectives and experiences to the webinar table on navigating the power of the feminine in their ministry, both as pastors and consultants. How do we talk about feminine aspects of the divine? What about all those oppressive images and relentless pronouns? Are there still gender issues in ministry? (pro tip: Yes!) Join us to face the feminine without fear.

Claiming Justice in the Congregation

  • Erin Weber-Johnson
  • The Rev. Dr. Derrick McQueen
 

Two vibrant voices for justice and reconciliation—the Reverend Dr. Derrick McQueen and Erin Weber-Johnson—bring their perspectives on grounded, effective social justice campaigns to a one hour webinar. Claiming both the wounds and the triumphs of their own faith journey, these two leaders share their insights about what allows social justice work to be authentic and resonant across a range of congregational settings from Harlem to the Midwest.