Illinois Pilgrimage Opens Hearts and Minds
From June 25 to 28, members from the Northern Illinois, Illinois Great Rivers, and Wisconsin Conferences embarked on a spiritual pilgrimage organized by the NIC Committee on Religion…
Posted: November 4 2025 at 05:20 PM
Author: Prairie Central District Shepherding Team
Culture, not programs, budgets, or buildings, determines whether a church thrives or merely survives.
A healthy church culture looks outward: welcoming new people, serving the community, and trusting God’s abundance. An unhealthy one turns inward: guarding turf, resisting change, and prioritizing comfort over mission. That invisible climate of what people expect, value, and celebrate shapes everything a church does.
That’s why the Prairie Central District Shepherding Team is bringing Rev. Jim Ozier back to Northern Illinois for Culture Shift: Cultivating Healthy Congregations, a one-day experience focused on helping pastors and lay leaders assess, shift, and shape their church culture toward vitality and growth. The event is open to church leaders from any district.
Drawing from his widely used book Church Culture: How to Assess It, Shift It, and Shape It, Ozier will offer participants practical tools that can empower ministry and cultivate a Spirit-led, outward-focused culture where people love to serve, grow, and belong.
This is an event all the leaders of your church will benefit from attending. When culture shifts, everything shifts: worship, generosity, mission, and morale. Join us at Grace UMC, Naperville, on Jan. 31, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Registration is currently open. Space is limited.
Healthy congregations start with a culture that looks outward in love.