Practical Resources for Churches
Free materials and benefits for you!

Presbytery of the Miami Valley has partnered with Practical Resources for Churches (PRC) to provide a variety of materials and services to our churches. Many of you are probably already familiar with the free training webinars that have been offered.

Because of our presbytery’s membership, your church has access to all the products in the PRC online store at no cost. The free products in the store include materials for use with children, teens, and adults. There are resources for curriculum, faith formation, worship, liturgical seasons, leadership, and more.

Beyond the free resources in the store and free webinars, PMV’s membership also gives your church access to additional support and services designed to equip and empower your ministry.

How to get free materials and benefits

What people are saying about Practical Resources for Churches

The Rev. Amy Duiker
Pastor of Sugar Creek Presbyterian Church

I find the website very easy to navigate to find what I’m looking for and I’m always looking through their creative worship and education ideas for inspiration.  PRC is prolific – there is always something new.  I love being able to tell our leaders that this is our connectional ministry dollars at work in the presbytery.

I’ve watched several of the tech webinars on offer and had our session watch some of them as well.  I can speed up the prerecorded ones to maximize a lot of information inside an hour.  As with most webinars, I know some of the stuff, but there’s always new stuff in there that’s usable now or later.

We have started using a resource from one of those videos to quickly distill our full worship service videos into short clips for Facebook and YouTube and that has resulted in a ~500% increase in our Facebook reach and about 12 new subscribers to our YouTube last month

With Publisher disappearing and Sugar Creek looking to reimagine our newsletter options and patterns, our Administrative Assistant is registered for webinars on Affinity and Canva and I’ve watched one on thinking through newsletters that meet needs that has shaped my current vision

We connected to a consultant couple who work with PRC and have done some of their webinars and session voted to engage them; they’ll be here for a weekend assessment at the end of June; they specialize in small and medium sized churches and identifying highly contextualized, individualized, workable plans for macro and micro outreach to stimulate health, vitality and purpose.

The Rev. Cynthia Holder Rich
Pastor of Corinth Presbyterian Church

I’m really grateful for the PMV subscription to PRC, making these resources available at no cost to congregations. We ordered and are receiving digital resources from their Summer Strategy Pack.

Here are three ways Corinth is using the resources:

1. The On-the-Go blessings are being sent out to all members via text each Monday. There is one for each week June-August, so today, I sent out the second of these. Response and engagement are strong–and some members have started copying and sharing with their friends as well.
2. From the “RCL (revised common lectionary) Snapshots” resource, which gives direction for deeper reflection on sermon texts, Corinth is printing reflection questions based on the Gospel text for the day in the bulletin, and worshippers are discussing these in small groups after the sermon.
3. There is a resource called “RCL–Into the Prayground”, which offers lectionary based lessons for children. A committee of the church decided to use these for children’s lessons six Sundays this summer during an adult Bible study, with children and teachers gathering in an adjoining room to discuss the text.

The Rev. Diane Ziegler
Pastor of The Bellbrook Presbyterian Church

I have appreciated PRC as a way to engage in an hour or so of learning as I have time. PRC is an abundant source of ideas and assistance. PRC also has folks who can assist with particular problems or needs, which can be a tremendous time saver. If your congregation has not yet checked out PRC’s resources, I would encourage you to do so. It is one portion of our connectional support as congregations, and it is a wonderful investment!

The Bellbrook Presbyterian Church Session began using the PRC Boundary Training resources in 2026 to meet our training requirement. We have found the videos and materials to be excellent in helping us to think broadly and strategically about key areas of the church’s operations, and how we can increase safety and welcoming for everyone. The PRC training is designed for leaders, understanding that they are thinking about the congregation, as well as regarding Sunday School and particular parts of the church’s life and ministry. The training content provides immediate steps, as well as challenges congregational culture and provides pathways for making cultural changes that improve safety and welcome. We have appreciated the training and the conversations and actions that have risen out of them.

Additionally, staff and committees have used PRC resources for particular needs or to seek out ideas. For example, we have been working for several years on discipleship. There are a number of helpful videos on PRC that support thinking about and developing discipleship programs in participatory and sustainable ways.

Kylie Hettinger
Director of Discipleship
Westminster Presbyterian Church, Dayton 

I really appreciate the resources provided to you because they are very easy to use and adaptable to your needs. It only took me a few minutes to get my access set up and I was off!

Practical Resources for Churches is a deep well of knowledge and, as it says in the name, resources. Here are a few of the things that you have access to: free live webinars, an online resource center, as well as groups you can be a part of via Zoom. The website also provides past recorded webinars. All of this is free to you, through the presbytery!

Introducing Good Futures Accelerator

What if you could use your church buildings and property to further your mission and ministry in your neighborhood and to generate new forms of income?

Good Futures Accelerator was designed by Rooted Good to help congregations address core questions relating to the use of property for mission and ministry in the changing context congregations face today. The project aims to help congregations understand their changing context – both in terms of ministry and finances.    

The Presbytery of the Miami Valley has joined in this program and is hoping to create a cohort of churches which are working through the Good Futures Accelerator.  PMV is also offering the possibility of a $5000 grant to churches that complete the program and come up with an idea to fulfill their mission and purpose in their communities that utilizes their buildings and creates possibly new revenue streams for the church.

Our hope and prayer are that this in-depth study will help churches fulfill their mission and purpose in our local communities, utilizing our buildings and land in new, creative ways, and generate new revenue streams.  As we know, our God has created everyone to do good work, and the role of faith communities in the world today is still significant. And more needed than ever.

We will provide more information about the formation of a PMV Good Futures Accelerator cohort group as it becomes available. In the meantime, please feel free to email questions and comments to the Rev.  Kazy Hinds, PMV’s Good Futures Facilitator, at kazybh@gmail.com .

Learn more about Good Futures

Free Webinars for March and April 2026

Here are the March and April 2026 Webinars from Practical Resources for Churches and Presbytery of the Miami Valley.

The schedule offers a diverse range of topics, and you’re sure to find something that interests you!

These webinars are free for all churches of Presbytery of the Miami Valley because of our membership in PRC.

Click on the title for more information and to register.

Let There be (Lower Cost) Light
Tuesday, March 10, 2:00 PM

 Most of our churches use fluorescent lighting and CFLs in abundance.  In this webinar we will discuss the different forms of mercury-based lighting, identifying the fixtures that use them, and give you some practical steps you can take to replace these lamps with LED equivalents.  We will discuss all of your options, from new fixtures to cost-effective upgrades you can do yourselves without spending a fortune.

Increase Giving Through Story-Listening
Tuesday, March 24, 2:00 PM (ET)

People give to places where they feel seen and heard and known.  But we seldom ask our congregants to share what our congregation means to them.  Creating opportunities for people to tell their own stories of transformation increases their sense of belonging, and contributions of time and money follow organically.  Participants will leave this highly interactive session with a dozen practical, no-cost suggestions for eliciting powerful stories in anticipation of pledge drives.

The Generosity Journey: From Financial Fatigue to Spiritual Momentum
Tuesday, April 14, 2:00 PM

This interactive webinar reframes generosity not as a budget solution, but as a pathway to Christlike formation. Rooted in Scripture and shaped by a theology of abundance. Steve from Horizons Stewardship guides participants through the three pillars of a generous church using storytelling, reflection, and practical tools. Participants will leave with concrete practices they can implement immediately to nurture a lasting culture of generosity.

The Role of the Legacy Church Pastor
Thursday, April 16, 2:00 PM

Becoming a Legacy Church – pursuing closure and dissolution – is a courageous act of faithful stewardship, following an intentional process to conclude the active ministry life of a congregation. Pastoring a church through that process calls upon a wide variety of skills ranging from grief counseling to project management — all while continuing your usual pastoral responsibilities.  It’s a specialized role with particular practical, ethical, vocational, and theological challenges.

When Your Church Experiences Deep Hurt: Practical Steps Toward Healing
Tuesday, April 21, 2:00 PM

 Sometimes congregations find themselves in soul-wrenching pain. Maybe it’s because a conflict has escalated to the point that there seems to be no way forward. It could be that a trusted leader has been accused of misconduct, and members feel both shock and a profound lack of safety. Or it might even be that the extreme political divisiveness of the past decade has become so entrenched that there are two distinct congregations sitting in the same sanctuary on Sunday mornings.

When Bylaws Become Barriers
Thursday, April 23, 2:00 PM

 Bylaws are designed to support healthy governance—but over time they can unintentionally hinder flexibility and mission. This webinar examines common ways bylaws create gridlock, confusion, or unnecessary conflict. Participants will learn how to evaluate their governing documents with clarity and make thoughtful adjustments that strengthen, rather than weaken, accountability and effectiveness. Includes live Q&A.

Christian Education Training Events

Here are two upcoming Christian Education training events in August 2025 from Practical Resources for Churches and Presbytery of the Miami Valley.:

Teacher Training Workshop

Join us for a 90-minute session that covers the nitty gritty of teaching children and youth.

Child Protection Policy Basics

Join us for a 45-minute session on the basics of a child protection policy.

These online workshops are free for all churches of Presbytery of the Miami Valley because of our membership in PRC.

Learn more and register