EAST MINDANAO PHILIPPINES ANNUAL CONFERENCE APPOINTMENTS

EAST MINDANAO PHILIPPINES ANNUAL CONFERENCE- 2013-2014
South East District Conference

Church Worker                 Appointment                                        Remarks
A. Clergy
Israel Painit       District Superintendent, EMPAC, Davao South East District /   Elder
Esteban Manzano    UMC, rang-ay, Banaybanay, Davao Oriental        /  Local Pastor
Nerio Tubong           Belen UMC, Malungon, Magsaysay, Davao Sur     / Local Pastor
Reuel Miguel             UMC, Gatmaitan St., Bansalan, Davao del Sur       / Elder
Artemio Ubat            UMC Bacungan, Magsaysay, Davao del Sur            / Elder
Marivie S. Bigaran    UMC, Carmen, Davao del Norte                                / Elder
Camilo Balgona jr.      UMC Camoning, Asuncion Davao del Norte
Circuit- UMC, Kapalong, Davao del Norte              / Elder
Ronnie Inis                  Cathedral: UMC, 104-1 C M. Recto St. Davao City / Elder
Gedion Maquiling       Associate Pastor Cogon, Babak IGACOS Mission    / Elder
Robert Salmon            UMC, Gen. Lim St., Digos, Davaodel Sur                   / Elder
Circuit- Culagsing Methodist Mission, Sta. Maria, Davao del Sur
Pabling Agmit              UMC, Dapoc, Daig, Tulunan, Cot.                               /Local Pastor
Gomez Tamba             UMC, Laya, Tulunan, N. Cotabato                             /Local Pastor
Valentin Delos Reyes  UMC, Limbahan, Lupon, Davao Oriental                  /Local Pastor
Rosela Laman              UMC, Magsaysay, Davao Sur                                      / Local Pastor
Roberto Alud               UMC, Maibo, Magsaysay, Davao Sur                        / Local Pastor
Circuit-Daig Mission, Daig, Tulunan, Cot.
Maricel Camingawan   UMC, Manikling, San Isisdro, Davao Oriental       /  Local Pastor
Jiovanie Ramojal          UMC, New Agno, Kapalong, Davao del Norte         / Elder
Jimmy Bigaran              UMC New Santiago, Asuncion, Davao del Norte   / Elder
Circuit- Townsite UMC,Camoning Rd. Kapalong, Davao Norte
Melvin Serrano              FUMC, Vinzons St., Bo. Obrero, Davao City         / Elder
Jonnabel Alferez            Associate for Babak, Igacos Mission Church         /P. Deacon
Herminia Pablo              UMC, Pag-asa Kapalong, Davao del Norte             / Local Pastor
Richard Romero             UMC, Panabo City                                                      / Local Pastor
Rudy Bazar                     UMC, Tacul, Magsaysay, Davao Sur                        / Local Pastor
Bernardo Cardinez        UMC, Dumoy, Toril,Davao City                                  / Elder
Mendie Inis                     UMC, Sto. Tomas Davao del Norte                           / Elder
Jedida Nacario                Shalom Methodist Mission, Block 39, Lot 26,Genesis  St.                            Emily Homes, Davao City (Circuit of Dumoy UMC, Davao City)    /Local Pastor
Jimar Lumangyao         Lupon Methodist Missio, Lupon, Davao Oriental    / Local Pastor

B. Deaconess
Nora G. Miguel             Cathedral UMC, 104 CM Recto. St. Davao City    /Full Time

Faith D. Sison        Cathedral UMC, 104-1 C.M. Recto St., Davao City   / Less Full Time
Elsa Cardines        UMC, Dumoy, Torial, Davao City                            / Full Time/ KE-CE
Cherrydel Romero      UMC, Salvacion, Panabo City                  /Less than full time-CE
Ivy Duroon           FUMC, Vinzons St. Bo. Obrero, Davao City        /Full time C.E.
Jolivie Tapic     Babak Mission, Brgy. Causwagan, Babak, Samal, IGACOS  /Full time
Emelyn Castillo        SPMC Faculty, Kidapawan City             /Full Time
Analee F. Gaspar       SPMC Faculty, Kidapawan City           / Full Time

c. Special Appointments
Israel Painit       Director, Davao Methodist Development Center, 104 CM Recto St.                                                            Davao City                                                   / Elder
Jasper Del Rosario       Chaplain, Sailor’s Society, Subic Bay, Olongapo City / Elder
Delfin Andres        Chaplain, Verdes Paradise Home, California USA        /Deacon
Eduardo Fernandez    DepEd National High School, Digos, Davao Sur      /Deacon
Kevin Nebran            Faculty, Bishop Han Theological Seminary, laguitas, Malaybalay                                                   City, Bukidnon,                             /Elder
Rodolfo Sandig       Appointed to Study, Senior, BHTS, Malaybalay City   /Local Pastor
Hernani Pasigados   Appointed to Study, Middler, BHTS,  Malaybalay   /Local Pastor
Leonora Luis      Appointed to Study, Middler, BHTS, Malaybalay City   /Local Pastor

UMC Reports 3,175 New Places for New People Worldwide

NEWS RELEASE
GBOD Communications Office
Steve Horswill-Johnston, Executive Director
(615) 340-1726 (O) (615) 429-3431 (C)
stevehj@gbod.org

UMC Reports 3,175 New Places for New People Worldwide

NASHVILLE, Tenn. May 20, 2013 /GBOD/ – The United Methodist Church established 3,175 new places for new people to worship God around the world during the past quadrennium, according to a new report detailing for first time the work of church planting throughout the entire United Methodist connection.

The Worldwide Church Plant Update, which was presented last week to the Council of Bishop’s Congregational Vitality Team, includes 684 new churches started by annual conferences in the United States, 574 new churches and cell groups initiated by Global Mission Initiatives and 1,917 new missions, churches, circuits and preaching points in the Central Conferences.

“The report suggests that we are making huge strides in reaching new people with the gospel of Jesus Christ, and that is a marvelous thing,” said Karen Greenwaldt, General Secretary of the General Board of Discipleship (GBOD), which helps annual conferences plant churches within the United States through its New Church Starts (Path 1) division.

“I think the report provides a positive word in the midst of ongoing concern about decline in the U.S. part of the church,” Greenwaldt said.

Thomas Kemper, General Secretary of the General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM) which leads the Global Missions Initiative for the church, echoed the encouraging aspects of the report.

“I think the major significance of this is that there are places where the church is growing and where the church is making disciples for the transformation of the world, and that should be an encouragement for all of us,” Kemper said. “So we focus on bright spots of our church, which creates the energy to move forward. I think that’s a key element which we should see in this report.”

Bishop Mike Lowry of the Central Texas Conference, who chairs the Vital Congregations Team in the Council of Bishops, said bishops on the team were “delighted with a sense of accomplishment this report represents.”

“We ought to be dancing on rooftops, celebrating and giving effusive praise to the God who moves among us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit,” Lowry said. “Secondly, I think we ought to celebrate it by way of taking great encouragement in evangelistic outreach”.

“One of the primary ways we engage in evangelism is through new church development. This means a huge number of new people who have come into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ and engaged in transformation of this world through faith in Christ in deepening discipleship,” he said.

The church plant update was compiled with data from GBOD’s Path 1, which surpassed the General Conference’s new church start development goal of 650 in the United States during the 2008-2012 quadrennium by 34 churches, GBGM’s Global Initiatives, which topped its four-year goal of 400 new churches by 174, and a survey of bishops in the Central Conference’s seven episcopal areas.

Under the Global Initiatives, 346 churches or cell groups/sections were started in Southeast Asia, 157 in Africa, 60 in Latin America and 11 in Eurasia Central Asia and Baltics.

Bishops from the Central Conferences reported 553 churches/missions planted in Africa Conference, 571 in Congo Conference, 131 in West Africa Conference, 620 in Philippines Conference, 16 in Central and Southern Europe Conference, nine in Germany Conference and 17 in Northern Europe Conference.

“The significance of the report is that this is the first time we’ve ever collected new church start data from all around the whole United Methodist connection,” Greenwaldt said. “We have beginning numbers now that can tell us something about how we’re doing, and we should celebrate that good news.

“We have set goals for ourselves that we are going to start a number of new churches around the world, and we need to know whether we’re making progress on the promises that we have made,” she said.

The specific types of new places for new people to worship vary from location to location – from traditional church buildings to cell groups meeting in homes. The initial worldwide update demonstrated the need to more clearly understand the definitions being used for new churches.

“Next we need to develop more adequate definitions for what ‘new churches’ are in order to understand the strategies behind formation of preaching points, sections, house churches, community groups, etc.,” Greenwaldt said.

“We need to sync and broaden our definitions and learn how the language that we are using around new church starts is the same, or not the same, across the regions of the world, which will make our reporting in the future even more reliable. We want to know how many of these are preaching points, how many are sections, how many are small groups or house churches and how many actually have church buildings,” she said.

For example in the Philippines Conference, 601 new missions and 19 new churches were reported, including 192 by Bishop Rodolfo Alfonso Juan in the Manila Episcopal Area.

“A typical new mission or worshipping congregation meets in either a house church, public building or a modest sanctuary,” Juan said. “With about 40-50 members, the mission church is shepherded by the pastor of the mother church or a mission worker sent from the district or the mother church. “They have a typical Sunday worship but with less equipment, and members attend home Bible studies and fellowships on weekdays for nurture.”

Seeing data on the new places where new people worship helps United Methodists focus on “where we are successful and where we have bright spots,” Kemper said. He cited the 192 new church plants and 79 cell groups or sections formed through Mission Initiatives during the past quadrennium in Vietnam.

“The church in Vietnam is growing at a tremendous rate, but it is based on the experience of Vietnamese boat people who came here to the United States, found Christ and found the United Methodist Church, and then went back as missionaries to spread the gospel and to start United Methodist Churches in that country,” Kemper said.

Kemper said United Methodist congregants in “a church, perhaps in California or somewhere else” received the boat people many years ago.

“They may have thought that this is a very small thing that we are doing, receiving these people, giving them shelter after they had been fleeing from Vietnam at that time,” he said. “And suddenly out of this, years and years later something new is coming and new churches are being born.

“I think it is revalidating the little things we do, the acts of service we do and how they can change the future of the church in some place we may not even know of and may never have thought of,” Kemper said.

The full report can be viewed and downloaded here:

http://www.gbod.org/content/uploads/legacy/New_Church_Starts/Global_Stats_Update_revised_final.pdf
GBOD’s mission is to support annual conference and local church leaders for their task of equipping world-changing disciples. An agency of The United Methodist Church, GBOD is located at 1908 Grand Ave. in Nashville, Tenn. Visit http://www.gbod.org for more information or call the Communications Office at (877) 899-2780, Ext. 1726.
# # #

DAVAO EPISCOPAL AREA JOINT CABINET MEETING

DEA District Superintendents:

Rev. Irinea Respuesto     Rev. Roy Tibalbag

Rev. Edwin Rey Exiomo   Rev. Dennis Laguardia

Rev. Wilfredo Vargas    Rev. Benjamin Dupitas

Rev. Manuel Rapisura    Rev. Primero Laforteza

Rev. Roberto ladia    Rev. Recto Baguio

Rev. Samuel Domingo   Reynaldo Sombilon

Rev. David Cosmiano

 

Greetings!

This is to inform you of the coming DEA joint cabinet meeting on June 24-26, 2013 at Spottwoods Methodist Center, Kidapawan City.

Your presence is a must. We expect your fruitful participation.

Please Bring the following to the DEA Joint Cabinet Meeting. You may email these reports before you come to the Cabinet Meeting:
1. List of workers appointment
2. List of local churches in their district with corresponding Apportionment
3. Schedule of salaries of pastors and deaconesses
4. District Superintendent’s Service Record with 2X2 picture
5. List of Mission points in the district
6. Other relevant information about their respective districts

Davao Episcopal Area Strategic Planning will follow on June 27-30 at the same place. Your presence during these two meetings is crucial to the success of the meetings.

Shalom!

FRANCISCO BILOG

DEA BISHOP’S SCHEDULE- May-July 2013

DEA BISHOP’S SCHEDULE MAY TO JULY 2013

Date                        Event and Place
MAY
01-10        Council of Bishop Meeting, San Diego California
12               Speaker: Sta. Ana UMC, L.A.
13-20         Los Angeles, CA
21-11          Meeting with GBGM Staff, New York, USA
22-26         New Jersey, USA
26                Speaker, Trinity UMC, New Jersey, USA
27                 Travel back to the Philippines
30                 Speaker, OCUIR Closing Service, WUP, Cabanatuan City
31                  Travel to Davao City
JUNE
01                  Travel to Zamboanga City
02                  Preacher, Zamboanga City UMC, San Jose Road, Zamboanga City
03-04            Zamboanga City
08                  Episcopal Residence House Warming, Spottswood Methodist Center,       Kidapawan City
09                  Sunday
12                   Jesus Mateo’s 60th Birthday (Sta. Maria, Bulacan).
16                   Sunday
21-22             Episcopal Fun, Batangas
23                   Sunday
24-26             Joint Cabinet Training, SMC, Kidapawan City
27-29             DEA Strategic Planning, SMC, Kidapawan City
30                   Sunday
JULY
03-06            PCC Treasurers Workshop Seminar, Cagayan de Oro City
06                   SPMCI Corporation Meeting, Kidapawan City
07                   Sunday
09                   Mitchas’s 4th Birthday
12-13              Board of Pension’s Organizational Meeting, UMC Headquarters, UN   Avenue, Manila
14                   Sunday
19                   Bishop Cerries 61st Birthday
21                   Sunday
23-26            NAFAUM Assembly, Rivera UMC, LA, CA, USA
28                  Sunday

BICOL PROVISIONAL ANNUAL CONFERENCE APPOINTMENTS

THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
BICOL PHILIPPINES PROVISIONAL ANNUALCONFERENCE
CENTRAL BICOL DISTRICT
c/o 157 bagumbayan Norte, Naga City
Tel. No. (054) 472-4217

LIST OF APPOINTMENTS
(C/Y 2013-2014)

District Superintendent: Denis Laguardia

LOCAL CHURCH
PASTORS DEACONES
Lubigan UMC
Lubigan, Sipocot, Camarines Sur Dolor Alvarez

Manangle UMC
Manangle, Sipocot, Camarines Sur Jose Alegria

Grace UMC
Fundado, Libmanan, Camarines Sur Jerome Alvarez

Carolina UMC
Upper Carolina, Naga City James Paul Boayes

Camaligan UMC
San Mateo, Camaligan, Camarines Sur Nerissa Talisic

Pili Dae UMC-Buhi Mission
San Agustin, Pili, Camarines Sur Nonelio Talisic – Adm. Pastor
Lorie Talisic – Associate Pastor

First United Methodist Church
157 Bagumbayan Norte, Naga City Denis Laguardia

Louisa Laguardia –K.E.
Shiella Villareal –C.E.
Sabang UMC
Sabang, Calabanga, Camarines Sur (To be Supplied)

Divina Penero

SPECIAL APPOINTMENT

Missionary to Korea

DepEd

Together in Hope-Bicol Mission

Vrynel Camazo
Lovella Alvarez

Rose Austria

Rebecca Redondo

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

NORTH BICOL DISTRICT APPOINTMENT

Pastor Samson Magdaraog- Gumaos UMC

Rev. Juliet Exiomo- Good Shepherd UMC

Pastor Cherrypie Castillo- Allanao UMC

Rev. Edwin Exiomo- St. Lukes UMC

Miss Hazel Mae Abayon- St. Lukes Learning Center

To Be Supplied– Living Word UMC

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

BICOL PHILIPPINES PROVINCIAL ANNUAL CONFERENCE

SOUTH BICOL DISTRICT

 

LIST OF APPOINTMENT

2013-2014

CHURCH	NAME	ADDRESS
CLAVERIA UMC	REV. ARLENE SODARIO	CLAVERIA, MASBATE
BAGONG SILANG UMC	REV. ARLENE SODARIO	TAMBAC, LIGAO CITY
BREAD OF LIFE UMC	PASTOR SANDY     KHEMLANI	PIODURAN, ALBAY
MT. ZION UMC	PASTOR JOEY GALAO	MALAPAY, PIODURAN, ALBAY
LEGASPI UMC	ADM. REV, WILFREDO VARGAS	LEGASPI CITY
	ASST. PASTOR ABE OBSEQUIAS-PREACHING POINT

 

 

REV. WILFREDO D. VARGAS

SBD DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT

BISHOP CIRIACO Q. FRANCISCO

BISHOP, DAVAO EPISCOPAL AREA

GBOD Search for New General Secretary

• NEWS RELEASE

GBOD Communications Office
Steve Horswill-Johnston, Executive Director
(615) 340-1726 (O) (615) 429-3431 (C)
stevehj@gbod.org

GBOD Board Authorizes Search Committee for New General Secretary

 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. March. 21, 2013 /GBOD/ – The board of directors of the General Board of Discipleship (GBOD) has authorized a committee to search for a new General Secretary to replace Karen Greenwaldt, who will retire after 13 years on Dec. 31.

Bishop Elaine Stanovsky of the Denver episcopal area, who chairs the board, will head the search committee, which will bring a candidate for election to GBOD’s October board meeting. The new General Secretary will assume the position on Jan. 1, 2014.

Greenwaldt, who is serving as the agency’s chief executive an additional year at the request of the board, announced her retirement in September. A clergy member of the Central Texas Conference, she joined GBOD in 1981 and served as associate general secretary, administrator and team leader of the Discipleship Ministries division before becoming General Secretary on Jan. 1, 2001.

In other business, the board approved nine Curriculum Resources Committee proposals.

The Curriculum Resources Committee, a joint committee of GBOD and United Methodist Publishing House (UMPH), reviews curriculum resource proposals. Approved projects are then completed by UMPH. The approved proposals are:

• For children: Cokesbury VBS 2014
• For youth: The Book of Fidgets
• For adults: Covenant Bible Study, Incarnation (first book in Belief Matters series), Thematic Studies for Advent and Lent (the first book in He Set His Face to Jerusalem series) and The Wesleyan Way
• For multi-age: Abingdon VBS 2014, Dare to Dream and Finding Bethlehem in the Midst of Bedlam

The new curriculum additions will be available for local congregations from Cokesbury, and more information can be found at http://www.Cokesbury.com.

The board also agreed to complete the quadrennium’s grant process for the Racial Ethnic Local Church Concerns (RELCC) for 2009-2012. The grants are for projects that involve racial ethnic church members in the planning, leadership and decision-making in the areas of accountable discipleship, Christian education, curriculum resources, evangelism, family and life-span ministries, lay ministries, leadership development, spiritual formation, stewardship and worship. For more information, go to http://bit.ly/XZfhDJ.

Action by the board also created a Committee on Evaluation, which will evaluate the effectiveness of GBOD as an agency. The committee will be chaired by the Rev. Robin Wilson, pastor in the Alabama-West Florida Conference and a board member.

The panel will bring its suggested evaluation plan for GBOD to the August board meeting.

 
GBOD’s mission is to support annual conference and local church leaders for their task of equipping world-changing disciples. An agency of The United Methodist Church, GBOD is located at 1908 Grand Ave. in Nashville, Tenn. Visit http://www.gbod.org for more information or call the Communications Office at (877) 899-2780, Ext. 1726.

# # #

 

MEANS OF GRACE IN OUR SPIRITUAL JOURNEY

MEANS OF GRACE IN OUR SPIRITUAL JOURNEY

Christian Methodist   are reminded by John Wesley to grow to maturity by living the means of grace in their spiritual journey.

Spiritual Disciplines: Works of Piety
John Wesley believed that the “means of grace” included both “works of piety” (instituted means of grace) and “works of mercy” (prudential means of grace). Works of piety included:

prayer, whether in secret or with the great congregation;

searching the Scriptures; (which implies reading, hearing, and meditating thereon;) and

receiving the Lord’s Supper, eating bread and drinking wine in remembrance of Him: And these we believe to be ordained of God, as the ordinary channels of conveying his grace to the souls of men.

John Wesley
• considered prayer an essential part of Christian living. He called it, in many of his writings, the most important means of grace.
• read the Bible every day, usually early in the day or late in the evening. A scholar, his Explanatory Notes on the New Testament and his sermons are a part of the Doctrinal Standards of The United Methodist Church.
• emphasized the importance of fasting and participating in Christian community. He fasted two days a week, Wednesdays and Fridays, in his younger days, and Fridays when he was older.

Mission: The Works of Mercy
Most simply defined, “works of mercy” are “doing good.” John Wesley believed that “means of grace,” included both “works of piety” (instituted means of grace) and “works of mercy” (prudential means of grace).

He preached that Christians must do both works of piety and works of mercy in order to move on toward Christian perfection.

Wesley taught that people must be Christians in both word and deed, which were to express the love of God. He believed that Christians must grow in God’s grace, which first prepares us for belief, then accepts us when we respond to God in faith, and sustains us as we do good works and participate in God’s mission. John Wesley not only preached about works of mercy, he “practiced” what he preached. He:
• lived modestly and gave all he could to help people who were poor
• visited people in prison and provided spiritual guidance, food, and clothing to them
• spoke out against slavery and forbade it in Methodism
• founded schools at the Foundery in London, Bristol, and Newcastle
• published books, pamphlets, and magazines for the education and spiritual edification of people
• taught and wrote about good health practices and even dispensed medicine from his chapels
Wesley believed that Christians could not have authentic personal holiness without social holiness.

FIVE WAYS YOU CAN BETTER EQUIP VITAL CONGREGATIONS

Every month we send you just 5 ways you can better equip Vital Congregations and make disciples of Jesus Christ.

 
Pray for someone who needs you. Join with 300-plus caring, trained volunteers who answer the prayer phone line or pray for the nearly 700 prayer requests received daily at The Upper Room Prayer Center. Wherever you are, you can participate in the prayer ministry through remote link-ups, as well as covenant prayer groups. Intercessory prayer volunteers are especially needed for 7-9 a.m. and 6-8 p.m. time slots. To learn more, go to http://bit.ly/13LzjTv.

 
Take your youth or young adult ministry to new places! The Field Guide Network is filled with experienced mentors waiting to connect and support you in ministry. Explore this new, no-cost way of building skills and gaining knowledge by visiting http://bit.ly/16eH0kh. Search Field Guides by areas of expertise, geography or church size, identify a Field Guide you’d like to connect with, and then send a contact request today.

 

Ever been asked to start a new church? Now you have! First, watch this video (http://bit.ly/Z6tSsw), which describes some of the most popular strategies currently being used to start new congregations around the United States. Next, consider what type of plant might work in your context, and then cast a vision for church planting among people in your area.

 
Spend a week this summer in youth mission work. Join United Methodist youth groups for youth mission weeks in Nashville, a partnership between Young People’s Ministries and YouthWorks. The week of June 23 has 14 open spots remaining, and the week of July 28 has 52 open spots. Only $269 per person includes housing, meals, supplies, programming and on-site staff for your mission experience. For more information and to register, go to http://bit.ly/Y1DfdK.

 
Address the issues of abuse and neglect of older adults. Learn how your congregation can have a safe ministry for older adults. Read the book, Safe Sanctuaries: The Church Responds to Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of Older Adults, by Joy Melton, with forward by Richard H. Gentzler Jr. It helps congregations explore types of abuse, best practices for ministry with and for older adults and policies to be implemented. To buy a copy, go to http://bit.ly/VQV8gQ.

That’s all this month. 5 more ideas coming your way in April!
P.S. Seen Chuck Knows Church? Check out our latest online video series at: ChuckKnowsChurch.org

Study Finds Common Themes in Congregations Reaching Toward Vitality

NEWS RELEASE
GBOD Communications Office
Steve Horswill-Johnston, Executive Director
(615) 340-1726 (O) (615) 429-3431 (C)
stevehj@gbod.org

Study Finds Common Themes in Congregations Reaching Toward Vitality
NASHVILLE, Tenn. March 11, 2013 /GBOD/ – A new study about how a group of United Methodist congregations successfully dealt with change says three key elements were almost always present: a pastor not afraid to lead, laity who will partner as a team with the pastor and a God-led purpose or vision.

Clergy and laity in leadership positions at 158 congregations, representing almost all of the denomination’s 63 annual conferences, were interviewed for the Toward Vitality Research Project, said Kim Shockley, the project’s team leader. The churches were identified by episcopal leaders and district superintendents as being among the U.S. congregations that are reaching toward vitality.

Successful change is most likely to occur if the vision or mission of the strong pastor and willing lay leaders partnership is developed from a “process of discernment and prayer that helps a congregation understand where God wants them to go,” Shockley said.

“If those three things are in place, then the outcomes seem to be a healthy, vital congregation that is growing, that is reaching new people because they have a sense of purpose about what they are,” she said.

Shockley likened the three elements of change to the three strands of cord described in Ecclesiastes 4:12: “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

The project was funded and supported by The General Board of Discipleship (GBOD), General Council on Finance and Administration (GCFA), United Methodist Communications (UMCom) and General Commission on Religion and Race (GCORR) of The United Methodist Church.

“This research project, which identifies several themes used by a group of United Methodist Churches in the United States when dealing with change, is very informative,” said Karen Greenwaldt, General Secretary of GBOD. “These congregations take their own context into consideration when deciding how to handle the changes necessary to work toward vitality.”

A. Moses Rathan Kumar, General Secretary at GCFA said the Toward Vitality project “gives us an important and useful insight into what is happening to churches in the process of transformation.”

“We believe collaborative research is a necessary part of any denomination-wide effort toward increasing the number of highly vital congregations in The United Methodist Church,” Kumar said.

The Rev. Larry Hollon, chief executive of UMCom, said a consistent theme throughout the research is communication.

“Congregations who experienced renewal, regardless of the difficulties involved, made considerable effort to encourage conversation within the church about the vision for renewal,” Hollon said. “This resulted in a broad base of support because the need for change and the support for changing were transparent and mutually shared.”

Erin M. Hawkins, General Secretary of GCORR, said an “essential piece of congregational vitality is the ability of a congregation to reflect the world around it. That cannot be done without reaching more people, younger people and more diverse people.”

Local congregational leaders who had experienced a wide variety of changes were interviewed for the study. Some dealt with facility relocation, such as congregations that lost their buildings due to fire or flood or were strategically relocated as a result of community demographic shifts. Still other changes involved church mergers or the addition of new services, ministries or worship sites. All of the changes dramatically altered the dynamics of the individual congregations. The complete report: http://www.gbod.org/lead-your-church/toward-vitality-research-project

In addition to Shockley of Castle Pines, Colo., the project team included the Rev. Tom Barlow of Denver; the Rev. Theresa Thames of Washington, D.C.; Liliana Peña Rangel of Garland, Texas; the Rev. Beth Estock of Portland, Ore., and Mark McCormack of Nashville.

The researchers sought to learn about how the congregations dealt with obstacles to change.

“I think that one of the most valuable pieces of this process is understanding how to overcome obstacles from on-the-ground churches that have done it,” Shockley said. “There were some specifics to individual cases. But for the most part, the obstacles – no matter what they were – were overcome by very good communication practices: Good listening, opportunities for discussion and keeping a mature level of leadership that wasn’t distracted by other people’s fears. That is done by sharing leadership power between clergy and laity.”

The project’s final report says the role of the clergy in these transformational ministries focused on communication, empowering staff and laity, conflict resolution and helping to create and maintain a new understanding of “church.”

A key element in the revitalized ministries that were occurring in many of the congregations specifically involved “clergy sharing leadership power, with the intent of empowering laity to serve in new and authentic ways,” the study says. “This was a very real, fundamental change to the way these churches understood the purpose of church in relation to the world. The tasks of ministry done previously by the clergy (as proxies, perhaps, for the people of the church) became tasks that laity were invited to do themselves.”

During periods of change, successful laypeople “knew what was expected of their leadership and were willing to do their best in the situations,” according to the study.

“This often meant that they were capable of holding the tension of the change process by keeping other church members informed, consistently interpreting, communicating and casting the vision of the body for their peers,” the study says.

Shockley will present findings from the study in a free webinar, “Moving Your Church Toward Vitality,” at 6:30 p.m. CDT on Thursday, March 14. For more information and to register, go to http://bit.ly/15HRtUa.
GBOD’s mission is to support annual conference and local church leaders for their task of equipping world-changing disciples. An agency of The United Methodist Church, GBOD is located at 1908 Grand Ave. in Nashville, Tenn. Visit http://www.gbod.org for more information or call the Communications Office at (877) 899-2780, Ext. 1726.

 

FOUNDATION OF THE CALL TO ACTION TO THE CONSTITUENCY OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

FOUNDATION OF THE CALL TO ACTION TO THE CONSTITUENCY OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

The recent general conference of The United Methodist Church held at Tampa, Florida, USA, called on its constituency to:
1. GROW VITAL CONGREGATIONS that will make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world;
2. DEMONSTRATE COURAGEOUS TURNAROUND LEADERSHIP that leads the church toward deep Holy Spirit change;
3. TAKE RISKS; experiment in ministry as we go to the margins of society to minister with the poor, immigrants, prisoners, and homeless, as well as the non-religious and nominally religious people in our communities;
4. SET VISIONARY GOALS and support one another as we eagerly experiment, innovate, embrace change, and regularly account for our ministries.

The Council of Bishop of The United Methodist church also issued the Foundation of the Call To Action.
OUR MISSION
THE MISSION of The United Methodist Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world as described in:
Matthew 28:-18-20 – (The Great Commission)
Matthew 22:36-40- (The Great Commandments)

WE ARE CALLED TO ACTION
THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH is called to be a world leader in developing existing churches and starting new vital congregation so that we may make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

VITAL CONGREGATIONS
VITAL CONGREGATIONS ARE Spirit filled, forward-learning communities of believers that welcome all people. (Galatians 3:28)
a. Make disciples of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:18-20)
b. Serve like Christ through justice and mecry ministries (Micah 6:8; Luke 4:17-21).
c. Develop inviting and inspiring worship services.
d. Work with disciples in mission and outreach.
e. Empowers lay leadership.
f. Support inspired clergy leadership.
g. Create small groups and strong children’s programs and youth ministry.
h. Engage in world transformation through the creation of vital disciples.

VITAL DISCIPLES
A VITAL DISCIPLE is a changed follower of Jesus as described in Matthew 22:36-40 (The Great Commandment)
a. WORSHIP sincerely
b. GROW their faith
c. ENGAGE in mission
d. GIVE to mission
e. MAKE new disciples.