Welcome! I’m glad you’re here.
I’ve recently come from a small Mennonite congregation, with less than 30 voting members. Until recently they had 1.75 pastors plus admin staff. They needed to cut back to save money because they lost members – death, people moving away, and people leaving. However, finding a new pastor proved to be very difficult.
I don’t think their situation was unique. I believe there are other small Anabaptist congregations who would love to attract a talented people, but any number of things make that difficult – such as rural location, or a good school system for the pastor’s kids. But if we all have a similar challenge, is there something we can come together and do about it?
I’m Carmen Shenk. I’m a seminary student at Eastern Mennonite Seminary…
… and I have an idea.
If small groups and congregations came together, we could go much further together! Resources that are currently not affordable for a small congregation, would quickly become affordable for a collective.
Riverside Anabaptist Collective is a supportive resource for small groups and small congregations. We provide resources deeply rooted in the Anabaptist movement for use in community gatherings as needed.
We offer Sunday morning messages released via video Friday mornings so you can add whatever you’d like to create a unique worship service for your context.
Four times a month we offer a plug-and-play Small Group or Sunday School experience for your group with a message, songs, and questions for discussion.
We offer Sabbatical support of 12 weeks of uniquely Anabaptist messages to use to give your pastor a break without breaking the budget.
Coming soon: a Tuesday evening Shepherd’s Cohort creating supportive community for leaders.
Riverside offers these resources in a culture of generosity so that you may rest when needed, enjoy good resources, and all without blowing your budget – no matter how small your budget is.
When we come together, we can build strong communities that release each other into the world God so loves, to do justice, to love mercy, and walk humbly with God.
God is in the loaves and fishes business of making a little go a long way.
What is so hard to do for us to do alone becomes possible when we work together!
As the collective membership expands, we will offer more resources. We look forward to connecting and seeing how we may support the goals of your ministry as you follow in the path of Jesus.
Clicking the “See Examples” button takes you to the Riverside Anabaptist Collective Substack page where you can see what we’re posting four times a month and subscribe to get these resources in your inbox, easy-peasy!
Clicking the “Contact Carmen” button takes you to a contact form (so I don’t have to put my email address on the internet). Please write us a note including dates and times when it would work to connect with you via Zoom. We are excited to meet you, ask and answer questions, and test the waters about working together! There is an MLI on file with MC USA, feel free to ask your conference minister for that. And I welcome meetings with pastor search committees, and invitations to speak, so drop me a line and let’s connect!
Riverside Anabaptist Collective is a liquid church* concept named for the river metaphors in Psalm 1:3, Isaiah 58:11, and Revelation 22:2 that reference a church that serves the world God so loves in righteousness and justice. We are committed to using smart technology to strategically identify and build on our strengths. Furthermore, we support our member congregations in full autonomy as they facilitate belonging and formation. We are not here to replace the work or role of any denominational Conference. We are here to call together, connect and support the Shepherds of small Anabaptist congregations. We believe in supporting your ministry to each other and the community in which God has placed you.
*Liquid Church: Peter Ward describes what he calls “Liquid Church” as a response to the fluid nature of culture where the church no longer scrambles to keep afloat. Ward urges us to “move away from the traditional understanding of church as a gathering of people meeting in one place at one time to a dynamic notion of church as a series of relationships and communications.” In short, a liquid church is not building centric but is “continually on the move, flowing in response to the Spirit and the gospel of Jesus, the imagination and creativity of its leaders, and the choices and experiences of its worshipers.” (Pete Ward, Liquid Church, p2)
RIVERSIDE ANABAPTIST COLLECTIVE 