ECO has relationships with several outside organizations to provide training and support. Please see below for the organizations that we are recommend to our churches.
Benefits and Church Administration
- Church Mutual
Church Health
Many congregations are looking for outside groups to do church health assessments, provide coaching on change, and/or help them discern vision. The 3 groups that are most popularly used are:
- Auxano
The foundation of Auxano is a vision-framing process based on the principles outlined in the celebrated book, Church Unique, by our founder Will Mancini. Through this process, church teams have discovered unprecedented clarity around the unique identity of their church which promotes greater health as a congregation.
- Church Health Initiative
Church Health Initiative is a leading organization that guides congregations and denominations in implementing transformative systems that effectively produce health and growth. It is co-founded by Dr. Paul Borden and Rev. Paul James. For more information, visit http://churchhealthinitiative.com.
- PeaceMaking: Institute for Christian Conciliation
The Institute for Christian Conciliation (ICC) has a broad, global outreach in the following ways: to promote biblical conflict resolution principles, training, and certification, to mediate relational conflict with the discipleship of God’s Word, to provide civil dispute resolution using godly principles in a court-approved Alternate Despute Resolution (ADR) process, to follow the mandate of 1 Corinthians 6 within the church community, to provide a financially-preferable option of faith-based mediation, not litigation, and to encourage a stronger commitment to Christian Conciliation in the heart of each church, business, and organization. For more information, you can visit their website here or contact info@iccpeace.com.
Disaster Assistance
- World Renew
World Renew provides disaster assistance through the Christian Reformed Church. It is not only a wonderful organization to which an individual or church can donate to aid in a natural disaster, but individuals or groups can also serve through World Renew in short and long-term disaster assistance. Visit http://worldrenew.net for more information.
Missional Engagement
- Saturate
Jeff Vanderstelt’s organization offers an opportunity for monthly cohort coaching on the development of missional communities. Visit https://saturatetheworld.com for more information.
- Dandelion
Alex Absalom’s organization has offered ECO-specific cohorts to learn and be coached in missional engagement. Alex can also be hired as an independent consultant for your congregation. Visit http://dandelionresourcing.com for more information.
- Forge
Alan Hirsch’s organization offers a broad-based range of training and coaching related to missional engagement. Visit http://www.forgeamerica.com for more information.
Multiethnic/Multicultural Ministries
- Mosaix Global Network
Mark DeYmaz leads this group, which seeks to plant and/or transform 1,000 churches into multiethnic/multicultural congregations. Mosaix has many learning and coaching opportunities. Visit http://www.mosaix.info for more information.
Pastoral Search Firms
While ECO has some resources to assist with the process of calling pastors or other ministry staff, some congregations have found it advantageous to have an outside search firm. The following are 4 firms that have been used by multiple ECO congregations.
- AGORA Executive Search Firm
AGORA is an executive search firm that specializes in recruiting high-level pastors, leaders, and executives for challenging positions in a variety of sectors. Visit www.agorasearchgroup.com for more information.
- System for Identifying Motivated Abilities (SIMA)
SIMA International is a worldwide group of consultants who use our proprietary assessment technology, SIMA®, to help our clients make the best possible “people decisions.” Visit www.simainternational.com for more information.
- Slingshot
We partner with the local church to find and build the best leaders possible.
We take the time to invest in relationships, we never give up, and we create innovative solutions that will take your church to the next level. Visit www.slingshotgroup.org for more information.
Student Ministry and Intergenerational Ministry
- Fuller Youth Institute
Many ECO congregations have taken advantage of the numerous offerings that have been created by FYI. Visit http://www.fulleryouthinstitute.org for more information.
- AXIS
Axis is ECO’s resource on youth and culture as we seek to equip pastors, parents, and
teens to navigate culture and create meaningful conversations. Together we are
seeking to close the gap between the generations by fostering deeper connections and offering resources such as on-line parenting seminars for parents and pastors, weekly Culture Translator emails, parenting guides, and much more. Visit https://axis.org/. Many of the resource tools offered are free.
World Mission
In lieu of creating an internal world mission department, ECO has partnered with the 3 organizations that have historically served evangelically-minded presbyterian churches. These organizations are listed below. Our Director of Global Engagement, Jen Haddox, helps ECO in its commitment to the local church as the primary agent for discerning and carrying out God’s passion for the nations. Jen can be reached at jen@eco-pres.org.
- Frontier Fellowship
Frontier Fellowship works with congregations to help establish indigenous churches among unreached people groups, and to find new places to be involved in frontier mission. Frontier Fellowship exists as a resource to help churches create or enhance their vision for taking the gospel to all people groups in the world. They are driven by a 2-fold vision — For Every People: An Indigenous Church; and For Every Church: A Mission Vision. Visit www.frontierfellowship.com for more information.
- The Outreach Foundation
The mission of The Outreach Foundation is to engage Presbyterians and global partners in proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ. They seek to be a resource to congregations to help them catch a vision for the amazing things that God is doing around the world and to partner in it. Their priorities are to build the capacity of global church partners, send and support missionaries, care for vulnerable children, expand support for mission, and transform lives through mission involvement. Visit http://www.theoutreachfoundation.org for more information.
- Antioch Partners
The Antioch Partners (TAP) is a missionary sending agency that partners with local Presbyterian churches in the U.S. to send out followers of Jesus to participate in God’s mission in the world. Those serving through TAP have been called by God to long-term, cross-cultural ministry and are engaged in many aspects of kingdom work, including evangelism, social justice, discipleship, supporting church-planting movements, leadership development, and business as mission. Visit http://www.theantiochpartners.org for more information.