Guidelines for
Establishing a
New Community

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Often, the seeds for the new community come from a reunion group, a small number of pescadores meeting for prayer and spiritual support in a geographic location where no community exists. They form a vision for bringing Tres Dias to their area, notify the Tres Dias International Secretariat of their intentions, and establish a steering committee to guide activities until a local secretariat can be formed.

The activities that follow, leading to the chartering of the new community, cannot be described as “steps” in a sequence. Rather, each action, guided by the Holy Spirit, becomes part of a dynamic unfolding of God’s love. These guidelines focus on activities that are critical for success, starting with prayerful consideration of whether conditions are right for a new community. All the activities require devout prayer, and prayer and patience should go hand in hand. As one pescador who has helped to start a number of communities advises, “Remember to wait upon the Lord and allow Him to guide you.  Do not be overly anxious to start things moving your way.”

Considering the environment: Are the conditions “right” for the start of a new community?
The Tres Dias experience is not right for everyone, and a Tres Dias community may not be a good fit for every location. Determining whether conditions would support a community should be one of the first objects of prayer. Among the critical elements are:

·        The existence of a significant number of viable Christian churches,

·        A diversity of Christian denominations,

·        A significant number of strong church leaders committed to growing in their faith and service, and

·        Pastors of local congregations who would welcome and support an ecumenical Christian movement such as Tres Dias, and who would see the benefits of Tres Dias for developing leaders for their congregations.

Notifying the Tres Dias International Secretariat that a new community may be budding
As early as possible, the leadership team should notify the Tres Dias International Secretariat of their intentions and describe their situation. This sets into motion the process of building resources and support. The International Secretariat’s vice president of membership will be able to recommend potential sponsoring communities, provide names of individuals who would be willing to serve as speakers or consultants, and possibly help locate other pescadores in the area who could join the leadership team. The International Secretariat is compiling a list of pescadores with experience in helping guide new communities. Some of these pescadores have indicated a willingness to travel anywhere in the world to help out.

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Developing a leadership organization
Often a budding community uses a term such as “steering committee” to describe an interim leadership organization that operates until enough people come together to form a secretariat. Several concerns are important as the leadership group expands:

·        Local leadership is critical, and even though a sponsoring organization may help with some leadership tasks, the group should have as many local pescadores as possible.

·        Local leaders should become thoroughly familiar with the Tres Dias Essentials, and if possible, key members of the leadership organization should attend a Tres Dias Essentials Training as early as possible.

·        The leaders should be well informed on the history and purpose of Tres Dias, as this adds clarity to the task of explaining Tres Dias to others.

·        Members of the group should represent a diversity of churches and denominations. The ecumenical/interdenominational factor is a Tres Dias Essential.

·        The steering committee must include a spiritual director who is dedicated to open fellowship with other denominations. The spiritual director will guide the team into a close spiritual relationship with our Lord, Jesus, and also assist in getting other churches and clergy involved.

 The steering committee should become familiar with the various roles and positions for a secretariat and begin developing potential candidates for these positions. When the secretariat is formed, it will include, at minimum, a president, a secretary, a treasurer, an applications chairperson, a fourth day coordinator, a palanca coordinator, a supplies or purchasing officer, a spiritual director, and an “outreach” chairperson. The “outreach” chairperson has an especially critical role. His or her task is to organize a team for building support among local clergy and church leaders.

Working with a sponsoring community
Building a new community is partly a matter of “replication”—of a sponsoring community passing on traditions, planning tactics, supplies, and wisdom to the budding community—partly a matter of integrating elements of the local culture that will enrich the candidates’ experience. The replication and integration is held together by adherence to the Tres Dias Essentials, and one of the sponsoring community’s most important roles is to ensure that the budding community is established on the solid foundation the Essentials provide. Second, the sponsoring community often provides guidance, as needed, for helping the new community become chartered as an independent local Tres Dias.

To facilitate this arrangement, the International Secretariat will ask representatives from the sponsor and the new community to sign an Emerging Communities Agreement. By signing this document, both parties affirm that they will follow the Essentials and that they will take the steps needed for chartering the new organization. These steps include drafting a constitution and by-laws, establishing an elected secretariat with a rotating lay membership, and committing to a Tres Dias Essentials Training in the community within three years after the first weekend. A timetable for accomplishing these tasks is attached to the agreement.

The Emerging Community Agreement grants the emerging community permission to use the name “Tres Dias,” the logo of Tres Dias Cross, and the Tres Dias manuals until the community can obtain its charter.

 Establishing support from local clergy and church leaders
Although Tres Dias is a lay-led movement, clergy play essential roles—as spiritual directors, as counselors and teachers, and as ambassadors for the movement. Remember that one of the basic purposes of Tres Dias is to develop leaders for local churches. When members of the clergy see how Tres Dias can develop leadership in their congregations through personal spiritual renewal, they will become the movement’s most vocal champions.

Establishing some kind of “outreach program” to inform clergy and church leaders, and to enlist their support, is truly critical.

·        The most effective outreach, of course, is to sponsor local clergy for a weekend at a neighboring community or the sponsor’s community.

·        The Tres Dias Video (see resources section of this Web site) has been designed to educate clergy, and others, on the value of Tres Dias. Showing the video to pastors, church leaders, elders, deacons, etc. will stimulate interest.

·        Sponsoring one or more leaders from a congregation can have a ripple effect.

·        Requesting an opportunity to speak during a regular Sunday service gives members of the recruitment team opportunity to tell the Tres Dias story to the entire congregation. If the pastor has expressed support for Tres Dias from the pulpit, the presentation can spark considerable interest.

·        Pastors from the sponsoring community can be asked to call colleagues in the new-community area (individuals whom they know well) and share their experience with Tres Dias. 

The outreach team must remember to be completely open, honest, and loving when communicating the Tres Dias story, placing Christ central and the purposes of Tres Dias first and foremost in their presentations. Nothing should give the impression of an “exclusive club” or “closed door society” or that anything is secretive.

Becoming a chartered community
The secretariat is the governing body of each Tres Dias community, and the community must learn to live under the authority of a secretariat. The secretariat, in turn, lives under the authority of the charter that will be granted by Tres Dias. All who serve in the name of Tres Dias work under the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ.

To form a secretariat, the planning group/steering committee must draft a constitution and by-laws. (A sample constitution and by-laws is available on this Website.). Typically, by-laws include sections on the name, purpose, affiliation, membership, governing body, officers, officers’ duties, and terms of office, standing committees, meetings, elections, and amendments.

The by-laws should be drafted before the planning group/steering committee holds its first official meeting as a secretariat, with the first order of business (after prayer and scripture reading) being adoption of the bylaws and election of officers. The community may then apply for a charter by submitting a request to the International Secretariat along with a copy of the constitution and by-laws. The letter of request should affirm the local secretariat’s commitment to following the Essentials and holding a Tres Dias Essentials Training in the community.

At what point in its development should a budding community apply for a charter? Local conditions vary, and it is up to the sponsor and the budding community to work out a timetable. In many U.S. locations, the new community has applied for a charter before its first weekend. In some foreign locations, the community has needed support and guidance for several sets of weekends before it was able to stand alone.

Building resources for the weekend and fourth day activities
How does a budding community assemble enough pescadores to form a weekend team—and for supporting pescadores in their fourth day? The emerging community needs critical skills for the weekend, including music, as well as resources for the fourth day, such as administrators to arrange for Secuelas. Some team members for the first weekend (and even the rector) may come from the sponsoring community. Again, however, local leadership is important, and the most common team-building technique involves members of the leadership group encouraging fellow Christians to attend weekends in neighboring communities, and joining the local team. Even with this effort, it often happens that up to half of the team for a first weekend comes from the sponsoring community.

The emerging community can consider scheduling one or more retreats (or other extended meeting opportunities) with pescadores from the sponsoring secretariat. They can spend time together in prayer, study, and song, and celebrate the Lord’s Supper together. This is an opportunity to exchange information, discuss experiences, identify potential pitfalls, and preview the weekend. Yes, travel is involved. But members of the sponsoring community do so willingly and joyfully, knowing that they are doing the Lord’s work.

 Preparing a written plan for the first weekend
·        The written plan should be the combined work of all the leaders involved, local and sponsors.

·        The weekend should be built on the foundation of prayer, and all are requested to pray for the Holy Spirit to clearly influence all decisions.

·        The weekend must comply with all of the Tres Dias Essentials.

·        It is wise to keep the first weekends simple and to avoid adding adornments beyond the Essentials. Added activities will be chosen by the rector after much prayer and consideration, on the following basis:

1.      Does the activity glorify God?

2.      Will it enhance the candidates’ weekend?

3.      Does it follow Biblical and Tres Dias guidelines?

·        The team members’ past Tres Dias experiences will influence the weekend and its preparation. At the same time, an effort should be made to include appropriate local cultural elements that will enhance candidates’ experience.

·        Weekend schedules should allow reasonable breaks for exercise, free time, and adequate sleep time.

·        The rector should ensure that financial records of the weekend are maintained and that, following the weekend, an accounting is issued to show funds received and expended. The accounting should be made available to the sponsoring community, the new community, and to individuals who contributed funds to support the weekend.  

·        The rector should prepare a critique of the weekend, based on written and oral reports from team members at the final team meeting following the weekend..

Arranging for a Tres Dias Essentials Training
All chartered communities are required to hold Tres Dias Essentials Training for members at least once every three years. The Essentials Training is a two and a half hour training  course that covers the history and purpose of Tres Dias, the Tres Dias Essentials, the administrative structure of Tres Dias and the International Secretariat, and the resources available from the International Secretariat.

Again, local conditions influence the timing for a new community. There is great benefit in holding Essentials Training before the first weekend. In most cases, however, the Essentials Training can be scheduled within a reasonable time after the initial weekend. In still other situations, foreign communities in particular, the sponsor and the new community have felt it best to hold the Essentials Training after a second set of weekends.

The International Secretariat will supply qualified trainers and materials to the new community on request.

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