ABOUT MINISTRY CO-OP
God has blessed the church with many creative and talented leaders, but we don’t all have the time or talents to do everything. Ministry Co-op is a collaborative space where we can draw on each others’ gifts and share the work that someone has already done.
What you'll find in the different sections...
Featured
This is where you’ll see a cultivated list of resources you might be interested in for the coming season, what is new to the resource library, and any hot or timely topics.
On this page, you can also sign up for our twice-a-month newsletter to get a summary of what’s new and timely on Ministry Co-op.
Conversations
This is the place to connect with other ministry leaders. Are you looking for a particular resource? Have something you want to share? Looking for a collaborative partner? Or just a random question about ministry? This is the place to speak up. You never know how others will respond.
Resource Library
This is the core of our cooperative. This is the place where you can view and download resources from other ministry leaders. It’s also where you can upload your own creations to share.
Resources can be searched by area of ministry, season of the church year, occasion, topic, and other tags.
Online Learning
We share a lot of collective wisdom. In this space, ministry leaders share expertise, insights, and how-to information in video format. We actively seek out leaders to create videos just for this website. They may not all be professional, but they are informational.
Is this really free?
Yes. It’s really free. We’re interested in sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ and supporting ministry leaders, not making money.
The resources are here from colleagues who are interested in sharing. We depend on leaders like you to contribute to the community.
While you are free to download and utilize any resource shared on this website, you are responsible for making sure you have any appropriate copyright permissions to use it in your context. For example, if a Blue Christmas Service you download includes a copyrighted hymn, you are responsible for making sure you have the necessary permission to reprint it and/or use it in worship. Likewise, someone might recommend a particular curriculum to go along with a particular seasonal theme. If you’d like to follow their plan, you will need to purchase the curriculum yourself from a 3rd party.
Feel like you’re getting a LOT for nothing? If you’d like to support our work, we suggest one (or both) of the following options:
- Join the community and share what you know and what resources you’ve developed.
- If you want to pay for the resources, donate to the mission and ministry of the Central States Synod of the ELCA.
Why do I have to create an account?
You don’t need an account to access the resource library or the learning center, but you do need one to view conversations and contribute your own content.
We require contributors and conversationalists to create an account so that we can be accountable to one another. God loves everyone, but sometimes people make bad choices. Our goal is to build up the Body of Christ, so having accounts means that people can’t harass, post anonymously, or share inappropriate, illegal, or dangerous content. We reserve the right to terminate access to anyone who breaches our community guidelines.
Who created and administrates the Ministry Co-op?
Ministry Co-op is a project of the Central States Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Many of us are pastors, ministers, and other leaders who are working hard in our individual congregations, but who believe we are better together. None of us has every talent or all the time in the world, so we simply wanted a place to connect and easily share resources. Ministry Co-op is the result. It’s a resource for the church, by the church. You don’t have to be Lutheran to utilize the resources, though we’re not ashamed to say you can expect them to be filled with the belief in God’s grace and love revealed and given through Jesus, which is at the core of our theology.