Commission on Congregational Development

The Commission on Congregational Development is a ministry that is part of the Moravian Church, Southern Province.

Resource Center Hours: Monday-Thursday 9am-4pm

Contact us: 336-722-8126

About the CCD

CCD Staff

Consult with the CCD

  • Faith Formation
  • Leadership, Congregation Development, and Accompaniment
  • Social Media and Web Design
  • Youth Ministry

About the CCD

The Commission on Congregational Development evolved from the work of the Board of Cooperative Ministries in 2021. As part of an earlier restructuring process the Board of Cooperative Ministries (BCM) was create in response to a desire to bring together various provincial ministries and groups that support congregational life. The BCM staff and board members contributed so much to the Southern Province through their leadership and creativity.

The process of discernment of the Provincial Synods and Provincial leadership continued to actively reflect on how our structure can best support our mission. Our current mission statement is: Supporting congregations in their capacity to respond to God’s Grace through Faith, Love, and Hope in our homes and communities.  Through that process the Provincial Elders’ Conference chose to create the Commission on Congregational Development (CCD) and called the Rev. Rebecca Craver to serve as the Director of Congregational Development and convener of the CCD.

The CCD will focus on supporting congregations with resources for faith formation, leadership, spiritual growth, curriculums, Moravian history, and much more. While also accompanying boards and churches through processes of change and development. We invite others to join in with working groups, collaborative opportunities for ministry and consultation processes as we continue in the legacy of shared provincial ministry that began as a Provincial Sunday School Committee in 1884.

CCD Staff

Meet the dedicated staff of the Commission on Congregational Development!

Rev. Rebecca Craver, Director of Congregational Development (she/her)

As Director of Congregational Development, Rebecca works with congregations and provincial leadership to provide resources and support their ongoing work towards greater health and vitality. She works to cultivate collaborative relationships between and among pastors, congregations, provincial and interprovincial agencies and other partners. Working with communities of faith, her passion for capacity building and innovation have shaped her 15 year career in ordained ministry. She has led communities in reimagining their structures, practices, and traditions as they embrace Jesus’ call, supporting them through organizational change, worship creation, and adult learning curriculum. Rebecca’s evenings and weekends are often spent investing in good conversation over a mocha, making new connections in the community, or delighting in the laughter of her children and spouse. Email Rebecca. Rebecca is in office Tuesday-Wednesday 8-4.

Christy Clore, Faith Formation Specialist (she/her)

As Faith Formation Specialist, Christy will be engaging with congregations to support and build upon current discipleship practices in local contexts. She will help strengthen the outreach and witness of congregations through education and spiritual formation for all ages. She will also serve as the denominational representative to the Association of Partners in Christian Education organization that brings together resources for discipleship and faith formation through ecumenical partnership. She will be available to help with curriculum suggestions and resource sharing with congregations. As a vital part of the Commission on Congregational Development staff she will contribute to the planning and implementation of training events and connecting us with outside courses and resources to enhance the local ministry of congregations and communities. Email Christy. Christy has office hours Wednesday 9-12 and Thursday 1-4.

SamLevi Sizemore, Communications Coordinator (they/them)

SamLevi is putting an artistic and linguistic spin on this “tech guy” role at the CCD office. They manage various newsletters, social media, and other digital content from the Southern Province and CCD office. They graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Bachelor’s Degree in English Creative Non-Fiction and Studio Art. SamLevi grew up in Winston-Salem and has recently returned to town to work in this roll. Growing up, they attended church with their grandmother at Mt. Pleasant United Methodist Church and The Summit Church’s youth programming. In their free time, they enjoy reading comics and memoirs, making spreadsheets, making their own clothes, letterpress printmaking, and practicing German. Email Samlevi. SamLevi is in office Tuesday-Thursday 8-4.

 

 

 

 

At the 2022 Synod of the Moravian Church in the Southern Province, we resolved to create a staff position focused on youth and young adult ministry to “to provide new, innovative, relevant leadership, training, resources, programming, and assistance to Southern Province congregations as well as the youth in their surrounding communities…” (Resolution #31) The CCD was tasked with developing a job description and gathering information from congregations throughout the province about the opportunities for youth ministry they see and what the province can do to support them in answering God’s call to youth and young adult ministry. Synod committed funding for the position so that we can invest and support the development of ministry focused on the particular ministry to youth and young adults in the province.

Based on the information we have gathered from listening sessions, congregational consultations and the work of youth ministry throughout the province in the FL/GA district and in NC we decided to create two part time positions to work with congregations in regional areas and to accompany congregations and youth in building up groups for discipleship, service and ministry. In the next two years the Youth Ministry Specialists will work to consult with local congregations, collaborate with local teams to put on provincial events, and share resources for youth and young adult ministry throughout the province. They will prepare a report to 2026 Synod with their findings and recommendations.

Monique Richards, Youth Ministry Director (GA and FL)

Monique is also currently serving in the South Florida Pastorate as a Provincial Acolyte and as a teacher in a local Christian school in Miami. She most recently served as the Lay Minister of Christian Education in the VI Conference specifically assigned to the St. Thomas/St. John/Tortola District and Lay Pastor of the Memorial Moravian Church. She is grateful to God for yet another opportunity to serve God’s people through her new role as Youth Ministry Director for the Southern Province, Florida/Georgia District. Monique works remotely, so to schedule time with her, send him an email at [email protected].

 

 

 

 

 

Ethan Smith, Youth Ministry Director (NC and VA)

Ethan is currently a seminary student at Moravian Theological Seminary, and is living in Oak Island, North Carolina. He grew up at King Moravian and has spent time working with different youth groups and churches throughout the province. He is greatly looking forward to this opportunity to connect with churches and youth groups and offer support from the CCD whenever possible. Ethan works remotely, so to schedule time with him, send him an email at [email protected].

 

 

 

 

The CCD Team also include the following members: Michael Terry, Rev. Scott Rainey, Andi Williams, Rev. Eulencine Christopher, and Rt. Rev. Sam Gray.

To find out more about the full CCD team and what we do, click here.

Consult with the CCD

Faith Formation
with Rev. Christy Clore | Book Time with Christy

  • teacher or leader training for all ages in faith formation (Sunday School & beyond) or other small group ministry
  • curriculum or program choices suited to context or group need for all ages (nursery to older adults)
  • faith formation program development or redevelopment customized to your context – from discerning an idea and/or area of focus to implementation
  • creative and interactive worship development for all ages
  • building community connections through faith-based programming (VBS, midweek study, Logos, Messy Church, special needs ministry)

Leadership, Congregation Development, and Accompaniment
with Rev. Rebecca Craver | Book Time with Rebecca

  • Leadership development
  • Board Retreats and training
  • Review of Moravian Church structure/polity
  • Goal setting: short term/long term
  • Asset Mapping
  • Community Engagement

Communications, Social Media, and Web Design
with SamLevi Sizemore | Book Time with SamLevi

Youth Ministry

with Monique Richards for Georgia and Florida| Book Time with Monique

with Ethan Smith for North Carolina and Virginia | Book Time with Ethan

  • Youth Ministry Consultations with congregations and communities to determine how the CCD can be of assistance in growing the youth presence in a congregation or community.
  • Individual meetings with leaders, youth groups, etc. to offer prayer and assistance for anything youth ministry related. This also can include providing youth learning materials, lesson plans, etc.