The Northern Illinois Conference is pleased to welcome Rev. Lindsey Joyce as cooperative parish strategist in the conference’s Congregational Development office. She began this role on July 1.

"Lindsey and the leaders at the Northside Cooperative Parish have given our conference a very helpful model of how churches can keep their unique identities but also can intentionally share resources and be in team ministry together,” says Rev. Christian Coon, NIC director of congregational development. “Her enthusiasm and passion for helping other leaders make her an excellent fit for this new position. I'm excited to work with her and I know she's excited to work with churches interested in seeing their ministries in a new light."

A cooperative parish is a community of congregations working together to share pastoral resources, leadership, and ministry efforts to achieve a more sustainable, supportive, and innovative approach to church life.

Rev. Joyce is one of the founding members of the Northside Co-op, which formed in 2017 when she and Rev. Hope Chernich were appointed to serve United Church of Rogers Park and(then) Irving Park United Methodist Church. Today, the co-op comprises Grace United Methodist Church (Logan Square), Ravenswood Fellowship United Methodist Church, and United Church of Rogers Park, under the leadership Revs. Joyce, Seth Botts, Matt Temple, and Mori Siegel.

“My hope for this new initiative is not only that I can share some of the things we’ve learned over the past six years in collaborative ministry, but that my colleagues and their churches can be revived in the ways that cooperative ministry has revived us and made us brave,” Rev. Joyce said.

This is a part-time position as Rev. Joyce continues her pastoral appointment.

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Read Rev. Joyce's article "Consider Cooperative-Parish Partnerships"