New, Free, Hands-on Workbook for Synagogues
I’ve generally heard agreement among synagogue and federation leaders that congregational collaboration is a valuable endeavor. Collaboration can lead to elimination of redundant services, cost savings, better programs, etc. So, who would argue against it? If you’ve actually planned, implemented and helped sustain collaborative synagogue efforts, you know how beneficial they are—and also how much effort you have to invest and maintain in them order to make them work!
That’s why I’m happy to introduce you to another resource that provides you with concrete, practical tools to support your efforts around collaboration, and strategies to increase communications, connections and meaning in your congregation. This free, download is titled, Tomorrow’s Synagogue Today: A Guide for Study and Action, and it’s a seven step implementation guide to some of the key ideas in my book, Tomorrow’s Synagogue Today. Creating Vibrant Centers of Jewish Life. In addition to collaboration, you’ll find six additional units, on topics ranging from becoming an entrepreneurial congregation to preparing for the future by better anticipating trends that may have an impact on your congregation.
Tools, resources, questions for reflections and Jewish texts are in every unit, and it’s designed for use with boards, committees and staff teams. I’ll also be offering some video commentary as well—no more than three minutes long per video—as another learning supplement. You can click here for the video segment on collaboration.
Sometime ago, the professionals at Synergy: UJA-Federation and Synagogues Together, along with my very good friends at the Alban Institute, challenged me to take some of my ideas and create this practical guide. I’m honored to have a longstanding relationship with both organizations because of their exceptional work and I’d like to thank them for this challenge.
And please stay tuned for ways in which those of you who are applying some of these ideas can share them with one another—these are not easy times for synagogues, but if we remain open to learning from one another, I know that we’ll navigate them successfully!
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