South/Central Indiana District announces ‘Being the Body of Christ’ initiative

By Laura A. Stone, South/Central Indiana District executive minister

The South/Central Indiana District of the Church of the Brethren stands at a pivotal moment in its organizational journey. We serve 36 diverse congregations spanning the southern two-thirds of Indiana and encompass churches that vary dramatically in size and represent the full spectrum of congregational life stages, socio-economic backgrounds, and political perspectives. We are a microcosm of our larger society.

As I visit congregations, people often ask me what commonalities are present in thriving churches. The three markers I have learned to name are ancient wisdom rearticulated: orientation around spiritual practices (Love of God), healthy internal relationships (Love of one another), and taking the literal needs of actual neighbors seriously (Love of neighbor). The integration of these three markers is what we are calling Being the Body of Christ.

Within the church, we often concentrate on the two love commands in the synoptic Gospels (love of God and neighbor). In South/Central Indiana District, we have been rediscovering the third love command, spoken twice by Jesus in John: “Love one another as I have loved you.” This command comes to the disciples in the context of footwashing in John 13 (a sign of humility and mutual service), and in the context of Jesus’ image of God as the vine grower, himself as the vine, and his disciples as the branches in John 15 (a sign of community and relationality).

It is through these lenses that we hosted ten listening sessions across the district in 2025. Funded with a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc., through its Hoosier Churches Initiative, these listening sessions created space for more than 115 people from 30 congregations to share the challenges they are experiencing in their congregations. These listening sessions also provided participants with a laboratory to consider what learnings will be helpful to them in meeting these challenges.

Together we learned that our congregations struggle with aging membership, notice a lack of innovation and imagination, have difficulty having hard conversations, experience strained relationships, and have less relevance in and connection to their local communities than desired.

To meet these challenges, participants named a desire for deeper, more connected relationships with each other, and a willingness to learn practical tools that will help them foster authentic discipleship, community engagement, and radical belonging.

This engagement is very heartening because it is evidence that we are choosing to invest in our love of one another, in our relationships and people, with the conviction that “by this everyone will know that we are Christ’s disciples” (John 13:35) and our love for each other will become a light in darkness and a sign of the kingdom’s manifestation in this world.

We are excited to announce that we have received a second grant from Lilly Endowment to continue this work! Outlined below, Lilly Endowment has granted the district $200,000 to implement a transformational process that has three components. If we are able to raise an additional $200,000 in gifts from individuals, members, and churches within the district, Lilly Endowment will match those gifts dollar for dollar, up to an additional $200,000. As of this writing, we have already received gifts totaling $30,000 towards this match!

With your help, we will be able to create a $600,000 pool of resources to meet these important needs. We also desire your prayers and your participation. If you resonate with the longings and visions you hear here, if you desire to strengthen your own practice of love and leadership in your faith context, if you long to be interconnected, growing, and a thriving part of the Body of Christ, we invite you to join us.

The Being the Body of Christ initiative includes the following three prongs:

Leadership Formation:

This cornerstone initiative involves training 100 leaders through a high-quality, five-month program, followed by seven months of support and integration. This curriculum will address critical leadership competencies including practices in humble leadership, radical belonging, power dynamics, postures of listening, helping, and learning, and cultivation of whole-person relationships founded on trust and openness. Our curriculum will be framed in scripture, prayer, and spiritual practice. The course will be designed and facilitated by Lon L. Swartzentruber, a process consultant with Design Group, Intl. and Laura Stone, district executive minister.

District Strategic Planning and Transformation:

Simultaneously, the district will undergo its own organizational development through strategic planning centered on district-congregation relationships. This process will include evaluating our associational system, revising organizational documents to better serve congregational needs, transforming internal functioning to enact life-giving relational practices, and incorporating governance models and tools that help us be a healthy and connected part of the Body of Christ.

New Initiatives:

The third emphasis creates space for organic innovation as healthier relationships and systems naturally generate new ministry opportunities. This may include supporting congregations in graceful closure, facilitating new forms of church development, or enabling novel outreach initiatives that emerge from strengthened community bonds. This comprehensive approach recognizes that relational health is foundational to associational vitality. By addressing cultural health, power dynamics, and relational challenges through systematic leadership development and organizational transformation, the district anticipates creating conditions for innovation and renewal.

This initiative positions South/Central Indiana District to thrive as a model of how diverse congregations and their leaders can support members to authentically love one another and Be the Body of Christ in the world.

For more information, to donate, or to get involved, go to the district website at www.scindcob.org.

— Laura A. Stone is district executive minister for the Church of the Brethren’s South/Central Indiana District.

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