Forward Church Program

Lead your hybrid church and ministries with certainty to reinvigorate and release long-term fruitfulness

How much has changed in our world and church life over the last couple of years?!

In 2020, we got the hang of using Zoom and live streaming Sunday services, but now as we emerge into ‘the new normal’, there are new challenges as we learn to craft hybrid ministries.

We have realised that the transition work has not finished. If anything, moving into hybrid services and a combination of online and offline ministries are bringing new challenges around how we engage people, how we disciple and the systems needed to support these ministries in this new era .

The world continues to change; many people are not returning to church, we are struggling to find willing volunteers to support our usual ministries. People are weary and their priorities are shifting.

But the life of church goes well beyond one or two hours on a Sunday… We have incredible opportunities to build relationships and further the Gospel right at our fingertips. 

What does sustainable Kingdom ministry look like in our local context in the months and years ahead?

How do we increase our reach and have meaningful engagement in the wider community every day of the week?

How do we equip our teams and church members to serve and grow in an ever-increasingly hybrid society?

How do we grow our churches and draw people to Jesus through digital and hybrid ministries?

What is the Forward Church Program?

 

The Forward Church Program is a year long program supporting church leaders to form important ministries strategies and implement them in a realistic and sustainable way. The program focuses on digital and hybrid strategies for discipleship pathways, digital communication and the online systems required to support the mission and vision of your church. 

This program helps bring dynamic transformation for the whole church community as leaders navigate this critical shift and balance between online and face-to-face ministry.

The strategies, skills and tools that are shared in the program are designed for church staff and leaders who have some technical understanding so they can effectively learn and implement for dynamic church growth. 

Church leaders who have successfully completed the program have indicated:

  • Increased understanding and confidence for decision making
  • Stronger unity and morale amongst church leadership
  • Solid onboarding and upskilling of staff and volunteers
  • Effective communications and systems
  • Sustainable strategies that will serve their church for the decade to come

Who is the program designed for?

 

The program is designed for churches that:

  1. Care deeply about their community and the future of their church
  2. Have started making some progress with online church
  3. Realise that deep work is needed to transform ministries in the new hybrid era
  4. Struggle with their digital systems and ministries and recognise their need for support
  5. Are friendly and coachable

The program is typically utilised by Australian churches with at least 100 church members and two staff members.

Two to three people from each church access the program, for example:

  1. senior minister
  2. executive minister
  3. office administrator or ministry worker

There are greater benefits for team members who undertake the program together so they can be on the same page to complement and consolidate their knowledge to bring more effective change.

“I commend you on your impeccable organisation – your website of resources and your knowledge of digital technologies – you speak with and from experience. 

Your presentation style is very engaging and casual – you make us feel valued and you respect and encourage our contributions. Online teaching/learning is not as “natural” as face to face but your style rises above the disconnect online communities can sometimes feel.

Your style is inclusive – you acknowledge all members of the forum and you seek to commit yourself to all in the group – there is no sense of favouritism which I have observed with other groups in the past.

I am really touched with your enthusiasm and warmth for what you are doing. It gives you integrity. Keep up the good work!”

Fr. Andrew Forder

Priest, Southern Suburbs Anglican, Diocese of the Murray

The Forward Church Program helped us to utilise a range of digital platforms to not only reach the world online with the good news of Jesus but also to help us move our organization and internal communication processes into the 21st century.

We’ll be drawing on the tools, tips and techniques learned in this program in the coming years as we seek to make disciples of Jesus and bless our community.

Rev. Chris Bowditch

Vicar, Lindisfarne Anglican Church

How does the program work?

 

The program primarily consists of 90 minute group coaching sessions, meeting online each fortnight during school term.

Each session involves expert training, tailored and contextualised discussion, action time to design and implement new strategies and accompanying worksheets to supplement learning.

The deeper value gained from attending live sessions is the interaction and engagement between participants. We understand that there are times when participants cannot attend live. Each session is recorded and made available immediately following.

Between sessions, leaders are continually supported with resources in a structured hub available 24/7 and ongoing access to the coach.

What topics are covered in the program?

 

The topics covered are tailored for the context facing each of the participating churches including:

  • The big picture and planning
  • Discipleship strategy
  • Audience profiling (avatars)
  • Hybrid touchpoints
  • Communication analysis
  • Communication resource
  • Social content
  • Production workflow
  • Social opportunity
  • Creative production
  • Website audit
  • Digital strategy
  • Online service
  • Online Events
  • Digital innovation
  • Remote collaboration
  • Church management system
  • Project management tools

Many churches do not have the time and in-house resources to help sustain the change we are experiencing and we do not want to throw away the important work and learnt experiences from the last two years.

Let me encourage you:

  1. You do not have to do it alone.
  2. A comprehensive digital strategy can support your church’s mission and provides clarity to you and your team on how you can be effective online and offline.
  3. Thoughtful systems and processes can help with the heavy lifting of producing effective communication, collaboration and online resources.

We want to see the Christian church in Australia and worldwide thriving for decades to come. 

“Evan, your program was very informative and you provided some great resources for me to think about and apply now and later. Great skills to have in the tool box. I will also be indebted to you for your advice in regards to meeting our technical needs for the recording of our service. This was one of my main goals in attending these sessions.”

Matthew Connolly

Vicar, St John's Lilydale

“Evan’s insight into digital church environments and strategies is invaluable. The thought out content and delivery is engaging and thoughtful. Wonderful course work also!”

Andrew Moore

AV Production, All Saints Greensborough

“Evan ran the course and presented a well thought out and structured approach to bringing aspects of the church into the digital age. He presented his material at a level that was understandable and engageable for people who had not taken any steps into the digital realm yet, while also presenting content useful to tech savvy people (like myself).”

Luke Alabaster

Band, Tech & Youth Minister, All Souls Sandringham

“Digital Team Coach provided expertise and value-adding questions to enable me to be more productive and creative in my work. This has encouraged and progressed our team for our administration, communication and digital systems into the future.”

Jeremy Watson

Senior Minister, All Souls Sandringham

Digital Team Coach exceeded our expectations in the role of helping churches transition to online. Evan ran a variety of training sessions helping those who had little-to-no experience be confident in running church online. Not only did he do what was needed in a crisis, getting church services online, he then helped people look forward to what they could do in the future to grow beyond the basic need to survive, into a desire to thrive using digital systems.

Brian Holden

Youth Ministry Consultant, Anglican Diocese of Melbourne

“Evan’s help arrived just in time for the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne. As our 200 parishes faced the challenge of adapting to virtual church in the COVID19 lockdown, Evan designed and delivered a series of webinars that gave our clergy skills and confidence to switch to digital with minimum anxiety.

His patience and expertise in personal consultations helped even the most technically-challenged to find their way forward.”

Ken Morgan

Head of Parish Mission & Resourcing, Anglican Diocese of Melbourne

REGISTER YOUR INTEREST

 

If you need expert support with your hybrid ministries and digital engagement in 2022/23, please register below.

We will contact you to discuss if this is the right program for your church.

About the coach

Evan has actively participated in church life since the age of 18, starting as a music director and worship leader.

In 2014, Evan began paid ministry for 6 years at St Hilary’s Anglican Church, leading in Music, Communications and Online Systems.

With a Multimedia degree and 20 years experience as Digital Developer & Coach, Evan has developed, implemented and supported strategies and tools to serve in all functions of church life.

Evan cares deeply about the future of the church and he partners with Australian churches of all sizes to provide valuable support and affordable digital resources; systems strategy, training, website and implementation.

Since the start of Covid-19 lockdowns, Evan has supported over 200 Australian churches with practical training and support as they rapidly shift to livestreamed services, remote collaboration and further reliance on online communication and systems.

Evan Englezos

Director and Digital Transformation Coach, Digital Team Coach