The Tend Fold Initiative
Caring for the local community, together
The Tend Fold Initiative has been funded through Lilly Endowment’s Thriving Congregations Initiative. The aim of the initiative to encourage the flourishing of congregations by helping them deepen their relationships with God, enhance their connections with each other, and contribute to the vitality of their communities and the world.
Kingdom Partners seeks to create meaningful relationships between pastors, church leaders, and community stakeholders who seek to improve the capacity and ability of their congregations to better serve the needs of their own members and the surrounding neighborhood.
We highlighted the tools and introduced the lead consultant teams who will direct us through course work.
- Frank Brock – The 10 Project – Personalized Executive/Business Coaching
- Thomas Castillo – Strategic Planning for each church
- Dr. David Docusen, The Neighborliness Center – Helping individuals discern their calling to serve
- Gabe LePage, Kingdom Partners – Meet the Need
The Lilly Endowment Inc. grant will enable Kingdom Partners to help church leaders understand the theological imperative of reaching out and caring for those in the local community. By offering extensive training and coaching to church leadership, Kingdom Partners expects to see participating churches flourish.
Churches interested in participating please complete the following application.
2025 Cohort Curriculum and Event Schedule
The Tend Fold Project is designed to equip Pastors and non-profit Administrators to professionally manage and lead their enterprises. In short, we help Pastors and Administrators become leaders of employees, teams, and entire organizations. Evolving from a calling of preaching, care-giving, and administrating for congregants and volunteers to also include managing and leading employees and organizations. The program is delivered over 8 City Engagement Sessions and 6 Leadership Development Sessions by experienced organizational leaders, supported by a dedicated management researcher and instructional design expert.
City Engagement Sessions
Speaker: Dave Hillis, D. Min.
LF Colangelo Carpenter Innovation Center Senior Fellow
In this primary session, participating congregations will be introduced to the fundamental ideas and key concepts of an “urban theology.” These will include an exploration of cities, and the urban context as demonstrated in scripture, along with historic and contemporary theological reflections on the urban environment
Date: January 30, 2025
Place: Greater Tucker Missionary Baptist Church
1115 N Moore Rd.
Chattanooga, TN 37411
Pastor Gary Hathaway
Time: 11:45am to 1:30pm
Speaker: Rev. Dr. Larry Lloyd
President Leadership Foundations/Founder Memphis Leadership Foundation
In this session, participating congregations will examine church ecclesiology and look at historic models of the church and how churches have related to their cities.
Date: February 27, 2025
Place: Avondale Community Center
1305 Dodson Ave
Chattanooga, TN 37406
Time: 11:45am to 1:30pm
Pastor Marcellus Barnes, Grace Pointe Church
Speaker: Dr. Scott Quatro
Celebrates the fundamental role that business plays in prospering God’s world through the pursuit of profit, while concurrently helping to ensure secure civil society.
Date: March 27, 2025
Place: Covenant College
14049 Scenic Hwy
Lookout Mountain, GA 30750
Time: 10:30am to 1:00pm
Speaker: Rodger Piersant
Delineates the heart orientation, mindset, and practices necessary to practice management and leadership focused on others and their success.
Date: April 24, 2025
Place: North Shore Fellowship
118 Woodland Ave
Chattanooga, TN 37405
Time: 11:45am to 1:30pm
Speaker: TBA
More info coming soon.
Date: May 29, 2025
Place: New City Fellowship
2424 E 3rd St
Chattanooga, TN 37404
Pastor Kevin Smith, Host
Time: 11:45am to 1:30pm
Speakers: Dr. Brian Fikkert and Tabitha Kapic
We will share how God’s Big Story applies to poverty and innovation. Learn about the Chalmers Innovate Process and specific tools to address roadblocks that you have experienced in your ministry to the material poor. Change is possible, we can show you how.
Date: June 26, 2025
Place: The Chalmers Center
1500 Chestnut St Suite 106
Chattanooga, TN 37408
Time: 11:45am to 1:30pm
Speaker: Robert Childers
St. Augustine Being Christ in the world; see Christ in our neighbor.
Date: July 31, 2025
Place: Warren Chapel AME Church
503 N Market St
Chattanooga, TN 37405
Pastor Jermaine Wilson
Time: 11:45am to 1:30pm
Speaker: Chris Martin
Participants will study various historic and contemporary case studies of churches and other ecclesial bodies in their engagement with their surrounding communities. Participants will then relate models with key concepts learned, along with implications related to their own context.
Date: August 28, 2025
Place: First-Centenary United Methodist Church
The Vine
433 Oak St
Chattanooga, TN 37403
Pastor Jason Gattis, Host
Time: 11:45am to 1:30pm
Leadership Development Sessions
Speaker: Dan Wykoff
Empowers the transition from “doing” to “leading,” focusing on the nuanced practices of effective leaders, and highlighting the central gratification that comes from getting the best out of others.
Place: Branch Technology
1530 Riverside Drive Suite B
Chattanooga, TN 37406
Time: 11:45am to 1:45pm
Speaker: Shannon Weber
Unpacks diversity from a multi-faceted perspective, emphasizing the individual and organizational benefits of embracing individual uniqueness.
Place: Kenco
2001 Riverside Drive
Chattanooga, TN 37406
Time: 11:45am to 1:45pm
Speaker: Lesley Scearce
Covers the complexities and distortions that make even “simple” organizational communications and “minor” conflicts very difficult, and the processes and tools that make both more optimal.
Place: United Way
630 Market Street
Chattanooga, TN 37402
Time: 11:45am to 1:45pm
Speaker: Scott Quatro
Reinforces the strategic drivers and legal constraints related to attracting, developing, and retaining the best employees.
Place: Common House Chattanooga
1517 Mitchell Street
Chattanooga, TN 37408
Time: 11:45am to 1:45pm
Speaker: Melissa Blevins
Delves into the benefits, and perils, of teams and teamwork, and the characteristics of winning teams.
Place: Chattanooga Area Food Bank
2009 Curtain Pole Rd.
Chattanooga, TN 37406
Time: 11:45am to 1:45pm
Speaker: Greg Pawson
Emphasizes the essentials of strategic planning and execution that lead to individual, team, and organizational success.
Place: Card-Monroe Corporation
4841 Adams Road
Hixson, TN 37343
Time: 11:45am to 1:45pm