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The Resurrecting Church Project
Charting the Path from Adaptive Change to Embodied Justice
Over the past several years, we’ve been navigating the wilderness of institutional change—through Canoeing the Mountains, Being Church in a Liminal Time, and the deep listening of the Community Perspective Project. The Resurrecting Church Project is our bold next step. Rooted in love and justice, we are reimagining what church can be: a living hub of spiritual depth, radical hospitality, and shared mission for the healing of our community and world.
Our Journey So Far
Canoeing the Mountain - The metaphor of the Corps of Discovery guided our exploration and learning. As a congregation, we explored what it means to leave behind familiar maps and navigate new terrain with courage, creativity, and faith. We discovered that old solutions often no longer apply, and that our ability to lead is deeply connected to our willingness to listen, learn, and adapt in community. We learned that adaptive leadership requires more than tweaking the past—it calls for transformational imagination. This process helped us name some of our inherited assumptions and begin dreaming new ways to be church that are grounded in purpose, not just tradition. We learned that adaptive leadership requires more than tweaking the past—it calls for transformational imagination. This process helped us name some of our inherited assumptions and begin dreaming new ways to be church that are grounded in purpose, not just tradition.
Being Church in Liminal Time - Building on our adaptive work, we turned to the challenge of liminality—the space between what was and what is not yet. We reflected on how to be faithful when the familiar structures of church life are shifting and when the path forward isn’t yet fully visible. In this threshold space, we discerned that we want to be a Resurrecting Church, which invited us to be open to change without certainty, and to trust the Spirit's movement among us. We are learning to prioritize spiritual presence over productivity, and relational depth over institutional certainty. We are learning to be patient, prayerful, and more open to the Spirit’s movement—especially through grief, hope, and courageous experimentation.
Community Perspective Project and SOAR Analysis - Over the last four months the Community Perspective Project invited us to engage voices beyond our walls—to ask what our neighborhood needs, what justice looks like in Salem, and how we might serve with humility and relevance. We interviewed community leaders, partner organizations, and members of our own congregation. The SOAR Analysis (Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations, Results) helped us gather insights and patterns from those conversations. We saw consistent themes: our location is a gift, our values are clear, and the call to deepen partnerships around housing, justice, and inclusion is strong. These findings have shaped the bold proposal now before us.
The Vision: A Justice-Centered Resilience Hub
At the heart of our evolving identity as a Resurrecting Church is the possibility of becoming a Justice-Centered Community Resilience Hub. This means creating a shared space where mission-aligned organizations—focused on LGBTQIA+ support, housing justice, climate resilience, and community organizing—can gather, collaborate, and thrive. It’s a reimagining of our building not simply as a sanctuary, but as a base of operations for everyday justice work. This model emphasizes hospitality, flexibility, and mutual support. It is an invitation for our church to live our faith through partnerships, presence, and purpose.
Our Partners - current and future
🌈 LGBTQIA+ Support – Welcoming and hosting groups like Rainbow Youth, PFLAG, and the Confluence LGBTQIA+ Chorus., and supporting a Trans Closet. 🏘️ Housing Justice – Partnering with Church at the Park and Family Promise. 🌿 Climate Justice – Supporting environmental coalitions and sustainable community action. 📣 Community Organizing – Hosting ACLU, Sacred Organizing Coalition, Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon, and ongoing 12-step recovery programs. 🤝 Emerging Partnerships – Space will remain open for future relationships not yet known but aligned with our values and mission.
Why a Resilience Hub?
Q: Why now? A: Rising needs in our community and shifts in faith institutions call us to adapt with courage. Q: What’s different about this model? A: It centers relationship, shared values, and justice—not just rentals. Q: Is this still church? A: Absolutely. This is church with its sleeves rolled up—embodied, faithful, and responsive. Q: Will we still worship? A: Yes! Our worshiping life remains central—it will now be animated by even deeper connections to justice and community.
Sacred Thread: Weaving story and symbol, the Sacred Thread reminds us that our relationships—past, present, and future—hold us together. It honors the invisible but powerful connections that give meaning to our mission and identity. This thread runs through generations of faith, community, and justice-making, guiding us as we create new patterns of care, purpose, and belonging.
The Place (Ilihee): Inspired by Indigenous understandings of land as relationship rather than ownership, The Place (Ilihee) grounds our vision in reciprocity. We are not owners of this space—we belong to it, and it to us. This metaphor calls us to honor place as sacred and shared, inviting us to deepen our hospitality, accountability, and spiritual stewardship of the land and building entrusted to us.
Rain Garden: Like a rain garden that captures stormwater and turns it into nourishment, we seek to cultivate a community that filters pain into healing and possibility. In a world of ecological and spiritual drought, we become a place of rooted care—where beauty, intention, and restoration meet. This metaphor invites us to tend the ecosystem of our relationships with love and resilience.
Organizing Metaphors
Organizing metaphors help us make meaning in seasons of change. They offer spiritual grounding, shared language, and imaginative clarity as we discern a path forward. Through months of reflection and prayer, we have arrived at three metaphors that reflect different aspects of our mission and identity. As a community, we are being asked to choose the one that resonates most deeply—to help anchor and guide us as we take the next faithful step together.
FAQs
What is a Resilience Hub?
Q: What is a Community Resilience Hub? A: It’s a trusted neighborhood space—like a church or community center—where people gather not only in times of crisis, but also for connection, support, and justice work. It blends spiritual, relational, and practical resilience. Q: What makes it different from a traditional church or nonprofit building? A: A Resilience Hub centers community needs and relationships. It supports daily collaboration between mission-aligned groups, emphasizes hospitality, and remains responsive to evolving challenges like climate, housing, and equity. Q: Is this a national model? A: Yes—cities, coalitions, and congregations across the country are exploring resilience hubs as creative ways to meet pressing needs and nurture local ecosystems of care. Q: Will we still be a church? A: Yes—and more. Worship and faith formation remain central. This vision expands our witness, making justice, healing, and hospitality daily spiritual practices.
What’s Next?
Q: What happens after the June 29 Discernment Gathering? A: We’ll reflect on the feedback shared and begin identifying what needs to be in place for us to move forward with clarity and confidence. Q: How can I stay involved? A: Visit the bulletin board across from the office or check the website for updates, events, and ways to share your voice. You can also talk with Council or staff. Q: Will there be a formal vote? A: Eventually, yes. But first we’re creating space for prayer, questions, and conversation. We’re committed to moving at the pace of trust and shared discernment. Q: What do we need to make this happen? A: Ongoing commitment to partnership, spiritual grounding, financial support, and open-hearted engagement. And most importantly: you.
Resources and Links
Below are links to the presentations shared on Sundays, June 15 and 29.
The first is a PDF from Amy Tobey, our ministry intern, outlining the full scope of the Community Perspective Project—capturing all we’ve been learning and discerning together since February, along with the key insights from our SOAR analysis and community interviews.
The second and third are Pastor Robin’s presentations, which offers a bold proposal: that we become a Justice-Centered Resilience Hub.
Click the buttons below to view each document.
To better put this proposal in context, here are some links to resources and communities that are doing or supporting the work of Resilience Hubs.