Ministry Tools and Resources

The CRG, or Congregation Resource Guide, features a variety of ministry tools and resources available to enhance the connections between members of any type of congregation. For example, if you are looking for resources that will encourage your congregation members to remain active, functional, and join in on the conversation, you can help address the needs of your congregation by consulting our curated library of resources useful for training and coaching congregational staff.

The CRG offers numerous resources to address their congregation's unique challenges and needs. We have done this by developing a host of ministry materials that can not only help organize the basic operations and activities of a congregation but provide a plan or suggestions for facilitating conversation around any topic. These materials are organized into Collections, which are curated by CRG experts and meant to make it easier to find specific, reliable resources related to your subject of interest. Any ministry type can utilize these resources, whether you are looking for information about current events, how to more effectively manage a congregation, and so on.

A few examples of our most recent featured Collections include "Responding to Mass Violence", "Who Are You? Marketing and Branding for Congregations", and "Worship as the Work of the People". These resources are curated either by the general CRG team or an individual. All of our resources and Collections are designed to be used as effective tools and can be adapted to fit the environment of your specific congregation. 

With a sound combination of outside resources, your congregation's unique assets, and a little bit of creativity, your congregation can possibly inspire new opportunities and solutions that haven't been considered before.  Simply search for a certain topic, browse our Featured Collections, or take a look at our Staff Picks to get started.

Tools for Ministry

One of the most popular searches on The CRG's website is for youth ministry tools and resources. It can be particularly difficult to find ways that successfully increase the youth's engagement in the congregation. Youth ministry comes with its own set of unique challenges; in response, The CRG has curated some Collections on this topic among our dozens of tools for ministry.

We have ideas and tools that you can use to try and get children excited about the ministry. Our children's ministry resources cover everything from how to help youth leaders connect with other youths to how you can support them as individuals. The CRG's youth-related Collections are inspired by the desire to promote growth as a member of a congregation. Youth ministry can help children and teens feel as though they are part of something larger, which in turn can forge a sense of belonging. While the adults of the congregation may already have that sense of belonging, it's important to give younger people guidance and get them acquainted with everyone. 

Check out some of our resources to figure out how to break the ice in your youth sessions.

Minister Training Manual Download

The CRG also offers a variety of leadership resources if you are in search of tools for staff members and other leaders. In a world that's becoming more and more diverse, it is important that the leaders of a congregation have the skills needed not only to connect with other members on an individual level, but also to help unite the congregation as a whole. Another category The CRG caters to is leadership, which is filled with free minister training material.

As you browse our resources, you can save the ones that matter to you and essentially come up with your own minister in the training manual. Whether you're looking for a pastoral training manual for yourself or your staff and other leaders, you can find all of the information on our website and make your own minister training manual download. These resources are updated as needed, so you won't need to worry about missing out on any up and coming leadership materials.

The CRG can help you develop young leaders and those that are more experienced. There's always more to learn, especially when it comes to leadership. You can grow these skills among your congregation staff so they can be well-equipped to help.

Church Ministry Resources

The CRG's website features an array of more general congregational and service resources. All of our collections combine to create a well-informed, comprehensive library of church ministry resources. From the day-to-day routine and congregational services to youth outreach, The CRG has free church resources that can help.

It is possible that you may find what your congregation needs is a revamp. Every congregation faces the challenge of preventing stagnation and boredom among its members. Our website offers many creative church service ideas to browse through for inspiration on how to spice up the routine. There will always be ways to improve how your congregation and staff operate. The CRG's experts have advice on how to better organize a congregation, how to foster new programs and initiatives, how to address current events, and more. Whether your needs are related to smaller organizational details or big picture goals and visions for your congregation, we likely have resources and Collections available to provide guidance.

Perhaps you don't have any specific idea in mind on how to improve or benefit your congregation. Our resources provide solutions and inspiration for all so that you can lead your ministry as you feel called to do so.

Church Resource Center Ideas

Do you find yourself realizing that something is missing from your congregation? Maybe there are programs you wish you could host, or you have ideas for serving the community but are unsure of how to implement these ideas. Perhaps you find it overwhelming to even decide who or where you should be reaching out to. The CRG has solutions for these challenges, too.

On The CRG website, we also offer resources that can help facilitate networking among those who provide a solution and those who are looking for it. If you don't know where to start and need church resource center ideas, you can navigate our suggestions to see what resonates with you. If you do know who you need to contact but don't know-how, The CRG also serves as a church resource center where you can find these connections.

Our ministry resource network is expansive. Many resource centers have the tendency to be specific to one type of faith or a certain style of the congregation, so it may take a little digging to find the best resource center that will be of most help to you. Nevertheless, we can offer guidance through the process and a large database of resources.

Church Ministry Activities

One of the most important factors to creating an engaged and lively congregation is the type of activities and gatherings held. Our website offers a wide collection of resources related to church ministry activities. If you're looking for a list of various church activities to help inspire congregation members, keep on reading.

No matter what type of congregation or its affiliations, the body of every congregation is diverse. The most ideal church activities for adults to participate in aren't the same as what church activities for youth are most helpful. You may be in search of fun church activities for families. We have resources that can help you navigate a diverse membership group and ensure that everyone feels included. Not everyone in a congregation is going to have the same needs or reasons for being a member. However, this doesn't mean there aren't ways to bring these types of people together to have fulfilling experiences.

Now more than ever, hosting church activities online is an important aspect to consider. There are likely some members of your congregation that cannot physically attend. You can avoid having these members of the community feel disconnected from the congregation and experience with proper resources, which you can find on the CRG.

Serving in Ministry

Perhaps, you're an aspiring congregational leader and need resources related to congregational leadership and areas of service in the church in general. We also feature a number of helpful resources that can provide you with the advice you need to start this journey and be a successful leader. Serving in ministry is a great thing, but it may also seem intimidating or overwhelming.

If you specifically want to be involved in ministry in the church, we have some Collections that may be helpful like Leadership, Public Ministry, and more. The resources we offer can also be applied to any kind of congregation. Most, if not every organization, has a leader or collection of leaders and they play a very important role. The CRG has many resources that can help you learn about the skills that are essential to managing staff members and a large collective of congregation members. 

As a leader, you have an opportunity to foster connections between members of the congregation, as well as to the topics or reasons behind your congregation's existence. Taking on any role in an organization means you will have more responsibilities, but we can help navigate them.