2022 Fall Congregational Development Grant Interest Form

GNJ exists to recruit and develop transformational leaders so that people and communities experience healing, renewal and wholeness from God. Transformational leaders grow vital congregations who nurture passionate disciples of Jesus Christ and share faith, hope and justice in the community.

GNJ is committed to resource and support congregations and clergy and lay leadership to assess and improve their pathways for disciples to know, grow in, live, and share the life of Jesus every day, so that we increase the number of new disciples and vital congregations making a difference in the world.

A vital congregation is a Holy Spirit-led community of passionate disciples who are working together to grow new disciples, inspiring worship, active small groups, risk taking community mission, and generous giving to mission, and are actively working to end the sin of racism.

GNJ Annual Conference approved A Journey of Hope Plan. The plan identifies that GNJ and its congregations will work to end the sin of racism. Part of that legislation included that any congregations seeking a grant for ministry, equitable salary, building repairs or any other ministry from GNJ must include a plan for how the congregation is and will work to end the sin of racism. Presently facilitators are being trained to work with congregations to develop A Journey of Hope Plan. The facilitators will complete their training by the end of 2022 and will begin to work with congregations in 2023.

Until that time, any congregations requesting funding from GNJ must respond to the following questions. If your congregation needs assistance in responding to these questions, ask your superintendent for support and the DS will assign a Resource Director, Circuit Leader or them self to work with you to respond to the following questions.

1. What is your congregation’s understanding of racism, its roots, its causes and steps to ending the sin of racism?
2. When and how has your congregation experienced or witnessed racism in your community?
3. When and how has your congregation experienced or witnessed racism in your congregation?
4. What steps or initiatives has your congregation taken in the past to end the sin of racism?
5. Over the next year, how will your congregation work to end the sin of racism, and/or implicit bias, and/or internalized oppression in your congregation?
6. How will you know if your congregation is making progress toward ending the sin of racism?
7. Over the next year, how will your congregation address racism in your community?
8. How can GNJ support your congregation’s leadership in addressing the sin of racism?

1. Encourage innovative ministry that connects with people in the community.
2. Develop lay and clergy leadership for making disciples and transforming the world.
3. Maximize vital congregations.
4. Seek to honor the humanity, cultural identity, uniqueness and sacred worth of everyone as we live out our baptismal vow.

This is a one-year grant program. Consideration for funding in subsequent years will be dependent on implementation of programs, achieving goals for the grant year, timely reporting, alignment with GNJ Journey of Hope Plan, and availability of funds. This grant process does not cover requests for capital.

A church or group of churches should only submit one grant application to cover all their grant requests.

Thank you for completing this Interest Form!  Please be sure to click the Submit button below.  Once reviewed, an email notification that includes a link to fill out the 2022 Fall Congregational Development Application Form will be sent to you shortly thereafter. Thank you.