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BUILDING FAITH TO MOVE
MOUNTAINS
BECAUSE YOUNG PEOPLE DON'T
NEED TO FALL AWAY FROM FAITH
Effective Christian Ministry

OVERVIEW

You want your parish to offer dynamic ministry that leads young people to Christ. You’ve worked hard at it over the years. Yet you’re seeing what countless other communities are seeing: an epidemic of young people who are falling away from the Church.  

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There’s got to be a way to help these kids find Christ, right? 

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This is the question that’s kept us up at night for years. We’ve spent 
decades involved in ministry, and we know how painful it is to watch young people fall away from faith. 

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But we also have a way forward. 

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Effective Christian Ministry (ECM) combines the timeless wisdom of the Church with current research on faith formation. In these pages, you’ll learn more about what this means, as well as hear from clergy and lay leaders who have begun to implement Effective Christian Ministry in their parishes.  

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You can start by enrolling in our ECM Online Course. That’s Level 1. 

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And, when you’re ready, you can assemble a parish team and join our ECM Cohort. That’s Level 2. 

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No matter what level you’re at right now, the practices and principles of Effective Christian Ministry will help you lead young people to Christ.

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ECM ONLINE COURSE

LEVEL 1

A self-paced series of video lessons (5+ hours) with reflection questions, accompanying workbooks, and bonus content.

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Whether you are a ministry leader, parent, clergy, paid youth worker, teacher—anyone who wants to help lead young people to Christ, this course is for you!

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LEVEL 2

ECM COHORT

An intensive nine-month process for parish Teams that involves written reflections, applied projects, team building, and ministry planning.

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Teams join a supportive learning community designed for parishes that have completed the online course and want even more guidance as they apply the practices and principles of Effective Christian Ministry.

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Going through the ECM online course and the ECM Cohort program has empowered us as a parish to think deeply about the way we connect with our young families and do it better. It has given us tools necessary to seek out and encounter Christ in our own lives and to walk with our young people and their families to this encounter as well. Even though we still have a lot of work to do, both internally and within our parish, ECM has set us on a path of transformation and resurrection. 

EMPOWERED TO DO BETTER

Father Dimitri Burikas

Saints Constantine and Helen Cathedral
Merrillville, Indiana
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MAKE YOUR PARISH PART OF THE SOLUTION

Effective Christian Ministry combines the timeless wisdom of the Church with current research on faith formation to equip you to:

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  • Identify the 5 needs in the lives of young people 

  • Address the 5 challenges they face today 

  • Implement the 5 practices that help to form faithful Orthodox Christians

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