Engagement: In partnership with the North Carolina Rural Center’s Faith in Rural Communities program, Liminal Collaboration supported the national expansion of the Connect Church initiative, which helps congregations see themselves as anchor institutions driving community change. Working closely with program leaders, Liminal is co designing a national curriculum and train-the-trainer model that can be adapted by faith leaders in different regions and denominations. The collaboration includes developing facilitator and participant guides, identifying core program components, and designing an evaluation framework to support consistent learning and implementation as the initiative scales.

Results: The work is creating a scalable model that enables local facilitators to guide congregations through the Connect Church process while maintaining the initiative’s core principles. In addition to producing training materials and evaluation tools, the collaboration is strengthening the Rural Center’s capacity to expand the program beyond North Carolina and support faith leaders across multiple states. As the initiative grows, more congregations are gaining the tools and confidence to lead community focused initiatives that strengthen both their churches and the communities they serve.