Welcome to the New Futures Web-site

Gift #1 This site is dedicated to making life easier for leaders of faith communities, social service agencies, and community groups seeking happy, heathy, and sustainable transitions in their not for profit areas of vocational interest and passion.

New Futures is a not for profit coaching and consultation practice to provide educational, consulting, and coaching services to help Not For Profit groups and agencies deal with changes impacting their particular mission in order to be more mission-effective. Communities of faith comprise a particular subset of our not for profit focus. Currently we are engaged in a number of initiatives in the United Church of Canada.

Paul has written a number of small books to help church leaders, Ordered and Lay, get started on renewing their congregation. To learn more about these books click here! The books elaborate a number of themes discussed in a variety of our workshops. To learn more about our workshops click here!

For more information, contact Reverend Doctor Paul Gilroy at: paul [at] revgilroy.ca
Workshops: New Futures offers various workshop to assist churches in their goal of a sustainable and fulfilling community. More information on these workshops can be found in the workshops section of our website. New Futures workshops include:

  • What in the World Happened to Our Church?: How our heritage shapes and limits ministry today.
  • The Emerging Church: An introduction to health and sustainability in our church today
  • Empowering the Emerging Church: Mission and ministry in Next Generation churches
  • The Three Colors of Ministry: Discovering the using Spiritual Gifts for leadership development
  • The Church on Purpose: Developing purpose-oriented mission and ministry
  • An Introduction to Natural Church Development: An integrated approach to church health
  • Crossing the Jordan: Making ready for transition to new ministry
  • People on the Way: Reorienting a traditional church to a new future
  • AWIR: Attracting, Welcoming, Integrating and Retaining new comers
  • MVP: Discerning and clarifying a congregation-defining sense of Mission, Vision and Purpose
  • Stages of Faith in Spiritual Direction: James Fowlers theory of evolving spiritual growth

    • If you have any questions about the workshops please contact paul [at] newfutures [dot] ca



    Paul Gilroy, D. Min. has a call to renewal ministry which is devoted to helping congregations transition to a new phase of life as a community of Christ in contemporary circumstances. His ministry is to nurture both congregational systems and individual spirits to health and harmony based on clear Christian purpose and context-relevant mission.His ministry has brought him to various churches in Ontario starting in 1992 at Mount Hamilton United Church and most recently to Harcourt United Church in Guelph. Rev Gilroy has extensive education and training to compliment his experience:

  • Bachelor of Arts (Sociology: of organizations), McMaster University; 1989.
  • Master of Divinity, Emmanuel College, Victoria University, University of Toronto; 1994.
  • Clinical Pastoral Education, 1.5 Units, Interfaith Counseling Centre, Kitchener; 1996.
  • Natural Church Development, Certified Level Two Coach; 2001.
  • Transition Ministry, Interim Ministry Network, Basic Training; 2004.
    • UCC consultant for the newly-launched Environics /UCC mission development initiative; 2009.

    Paul's current research is focused on developing lay-friendly resources to help congregations understand the interplay of diverse elements of the contemporary reality facing our church; many of which are foreign to the culture and ethos of the "traditional" church. And respond faithfully and effectively to those elements.

    Looking for some related reading material? Rev Dr Gilory recommends these titles:
  • Your Church Can Thrive: Making the connections that build healthy congregations by Harold Percy: There are four types of people who represent the congregation's best opportunity to lead people to become committed to the faith and Percy offers advice on how to reach them.
  • New Hope for Congregations by Loren B. Mead: Mead has come up with a challenging and provocative idea - putting group dynamics to work at the parish level and putting special facilitators to work wherever congregations show a willingness to change.
  • The Once and Future Church: Reinventing the congregation for a new mission frontier by Loren B. Mead: Sharp insights, quotes and provocative opinions with Mead's vision of congregational mission in the next century.
  • Christianity for the Rest of Us: How the neighborhood church is transforming the faith by Diana Butler Bass: This hopeful book reveals the practical steps to proclaim an alternative message about an emerging Christianity that strives for greater spiritual depth and proactively engages the needs of the world.
  • When Better Isn't Enough: Evaluation tools for the 21st century church by Jill Hudson: Hudson's tools can improve ministry, help members and staff grow effectiveness, deepen a sense of partnership, and add new richness to the dialogue about the congregation's future.
  • Can Our Church Live? Redeveloping congregations in decline by Alice Mann: This book could turn thousands of declining congregations from despair to hope.
    • Gift #5 Upcoming events: coming soon
    Gift #6 FAQ: coming soon
    Gift #6
  • Contact information: To talk to Rev. Paul, book a conference, order books or get more information send an e-mail to: paul [at] revgilroy [dot] com
  • For problems with the site, please e-mail: kaitikish [at] gmail [dot] com
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    Excepts From Paul’s New Books!

    Excerpts from the book I’m writing:

    “New Life as a Next Generation Church is a choice. Some churches will choose to do what is necessary to respond to God’s offer of new life. Others won’t. Others will feel they can’t…so won’t even try. This resource is written for those who do.”

    “My primary purpose is to share […]

    Happy Summer!

    Rev. Paul has been working diligently on his new books while preparing for the United Church of Canada conference, “More Franchises, A Second Cup” in Toronto from June 19 - 21. Rev. Paul will be presenting a workshop, here is the blurb:
    W68. A Next Generation Church
    This workshop describes the Exodus story of a typical stressed-out and confused United Church […]

    A Much Appreciated Letter From Ayr

    Rev Paul received a very complimentary and affirming letter today from a church he worked with doing congregational and leadership development:
    Dear Paul,
    On behalf of the Knox United Church Ayr, we as the current chairs of Council would like to express our sincere appreciation on behalf of our congregation for your dynamic leadership.
    Through your Christian values, […]

    An Update on New Futures

    Hello everyone! My name is Katie Kish - the new public and media relations director for New Futures. As you can see the site is going through a bit of an overhaul. We apologize if it’s any inconvenience, but when it is finished there will be more information and more places to interact.
    Paul has recently […]

    Empowering the Emerging Church

    The essence of the Emerging Church
    is that it grows out of a congregation’s apostolic root;
    which nurtures new life as a Next Generation church.
     
    Past Moderator Right Rev. Peter Short is joining our May 9 workshop to speak about that root and the importance of tradition to The Emerging Church in the Canadian Context. With his […]

    The 3 Colors of Ministry and The Spiritual Foundation of Transitions

    “A new understanding of the Trinity not only leads us toward a new view of God, it also guides us to new experiences of God… In an amazingly simple way it also explains the conflicts which so often paralyze Christianity and can become a creative key in directing energy hidden beneath such conflicts toward a […]