Addendum
Designing and Organizing the Convening
The dramatic threat to sacred places generated conversations beginning in 2022 with concerned friends in philanthropy , religion , and academia . The idea of having a gathering , or convening , began to take shape . This is a peek into the process of how we got to the Convening .
In August , 2022 , a committee was formed from Partners staff 1 , a consultant was hired 2 , and planning began in earnest . For over a year and a half , the planning committee worked diligently to crystallize what was , at first , an amorphous vision . It became clear that we wanted to bring together leaders from the different sectors that are key players in enabling sacred places not only to be preserved , but to be “ activated as hidden assets ” for their communities . We identified our hopes in convening these diverse leaders to move forward into a different future of community building — one in which sacred places can be resources in strengthening civic life . To get there we set the clear goals , included earlier in the report .
Throughout the planning process , we were greatly helped by a task force from Partners ’ Board of Directors 3 , as well as continuing conversations with friends and colleagues outside of Partners who offered support , posed questions , and generously shared their wisdom . It took more than a committee , more than a village .
The emerging vision was that this be a stimulating , lively gathering that could certainly celebrate the work of Partners in its first thirty-five years , but would quickly move beyond that to widen the aperture to take in the larger picture . We also needed to expand the tent and enfranchise a wider network of diverse players , all of whom are critical in forming a new future for sacred places . We chose a short timeframe — a day and a half — during which we had high expectations for bringing everyone onto the same page and fostering creative thinking .
We identified seven key sectors that have a role in the preservation of historic sacred places and activating them for civic engagement . We then carefully constructed a list of invitees from each sector of influential individuals . Originally , we had hoped for 70 participants .
As we had conversations with potential invitees , we could sense the excitement about this unique gathering . We sent out invitations in January to those who had indicated they would likely attend . By early February 2024 , there were 78 registered . The numbers kept climbing as the word got out and people sought invitations . We had to turn away many , which was hard ! Eventually , 105 were registered to attend , representing all seven sectors 4 .
Then , to insure we would have informed dialogue , we curated a briefing packet of key readings from research and from the field . We sent this to those who had registered , first in digital form , and then in hard copy . This included three research projects we had funded , as well as a report from the National Congregations Project we commissioned . Further , we distilled some of the pertinent findings about sacred places from major research projects 5 into a one-page summary that is the first page in the briefing packet .
In the program , we wanted to maintain a balance between theoretical inputs and the reality of congregations at risk and the communities they serve . Therefore we included site visits and a case study in the program to ground discussions in these lived realities . We thought carefully about plenary speakers who could frame the
1 . President Bob Jaeger , Executive Vice President Gianfranco Grande , Director of Development Simon Kaufman , Senior Director of Programs Rochelle Stackhouse , Senior Director of Consulting Bridget Fidler , and Senior Communications Manager Emilie Haertsch .
2 . Katie Day , PhD Professor Emerita , United Lutheran Seminary
3 . Board President Robin Whitehurst ( FAIA , Principal , Baily Edward Architecture ), Mark Constantine ( Dogwood Health Trust ), Bishop Jenifer Baskerville-Burrows ( Episcopal Diocese of Indiana ), Katherine Glaze Lyle ( North Texas Annual Conference , United Methodist Church )
4 . Philanthropy ( 25 ), Religious Institutions ( 21 ), Academia ( 20 ), Architecture / Historic Preservation ( 14 ), Arts and Human Service Nonprofits ( 10 ), Government ( 9 ), and Media ( 6 ).
5 . FACT 2020 , National Congregations Study , The Economic Halo Effect of Sacred Places 17