Thriving Congregations Cohort 2
(2025-2026)
Cohort 2 Participating Churches
Abundant Life Faith Center
Rochester, NY
First United Church
Bloomington, IN
Greece Baptist Church
Rochester, NY
Second Baptist Church
Mumford, NY
Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church
Rochester, NY
Brockport First Baptist
Brockport, NY
Genesee Baptist Church
Rochester, NY
Judson Memorial Baptist Church
Minneapolis, MN
United Church of Granville
Granville, Ohio
First Baptist Church
Moorestown, NJ
Greater Harvest Church
Rochester, NY
Lake Avenue Baptist Church
Rochester, NY
Watts Street Baptist Church
Durham, North Carolina
Cohort 2 Projects
Building Bridges
Abundant Life Faith Center
Relaunching men's and women's ministries and intergenerational bridging
Congregational Identity
First United Church of Bloomington
Exploring the change in congregational identity through church assessment.
Community Assessment and Outreach
Greece Baptist Church
Outreach to the surrounding community, particularly the elderly living in the neighborhood, using community assessment.
Attracting and Retaining Members in the 21st Century
Second Baptist Church of Mumford
Attracting new members and being accessible through becoming ADA compliant and establishing a social media presence.
Legacy Project
Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church
Generational legacy project bridging the gap between the younger and older members through the two teaching skills to each other, like social media and life skills.
Building an Intergerational Community
Brockport First Baptist
Congregational unity seeking to bridge the gap between long-term and newer members, through improving church systems.
Working on the Building
Genesee Baptist Church
Upgrading the building to become ADA-compliant and exploring ministry sustainability.
Bridging Gaps and Updating Systems
Judson Memorial Baptist Church
Congregational unity seeking to bridge the gap between long-term and newer members and preserving institutional knowledge in part by upgrading their database system
Congregational Identity Retreats
United Church of Granville
Exploring congregational identity via retreats and consulting.
Barn Dance
First Baptist Church of Moorestown
Community outreach and welcoming new members using the theme of “Barn Dancing.”
Community Transformation
Greater Harvest Church
Becoming a community resource center through upgrading the building to become ADA-compliant.
Outreach to LGBTQIA+ and Documentary
Lake Ave. Baptist Church
Outreach to the LGBTQIA+ community, along with a documentary of their process.
Improving Messaging
Watts Street Baptist Church
Strengthening congregational identity and attracting new members through improving marketing.
Thriving Congregations Program Team
Rev. Alicia Dixon-Garrard
Project Coordinator, ABCRGR
Tarra Hartmann
Region Administrator (Logistics)
Sean Williams
Lead Consultant, Ministry Architects
Rev. Dr. Clifford Matthews, Jr.
Program Team Member
Candi Cylar
Consultant and Coach, Ministry Architects
DJ Boyd
Worship Leader
Lesleigh Carmichael
Lead Project Manager, Ministry Architects
Rev. Dr. Sandra Hasenauer
Executive Minister, ABCRGR