The Foundation for Evangelism Advisory Trustees were recognized Thursday evening, October 28, during the Foundation’s annual board meeting. Lane Rees, board chair, emceed during the evening’s dinner and shared the history of the Advisory Trustees. Many know that The Foundation for Evangelism was established as a lay organization, but its board quickly realized that they needed the wisdom and knowledge of clergy to help guide their work. At first, this group of clergy was called Staff Ministers, then Regional Directors, and most recently Advisory Trustees. Twelve Advisory Trustees have served The Foundation for Evangelism in recent years.
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Tags: Large, Missouri
Jesus said to the world, “Come to me,” but to the Church he said, “Go…” For the last 50 years it seems that many of us have become confused over the distinction.
Sometime in the 1960’s, it was almost as if the United Methodist Church determined that everyone who wanted to know Christ would simply come to the church. So most churches sat and awaited the influx, tending to the tasks of institutional maintenance and congregational care rather than going out into the world. In the past 50 years the population of our country has increased by 58%, while our beloved denomination has shrunk by more than 40%. If you love this great denomination you can’t help but ask, Why? Simply stated, even though Jesus said GO, we’ve simply waited for people to come. And they haven’t.
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Tags: Large, Southwest Texas
Sixteen years ago, Kerrville First United Methodist Church in Kerrville, Texas had 1,398 members. Now there are 2,682 members, in a town of 20,000 that has a growth rate under 2%. Although located in a non-growth area, this congregation is doing very traditional things well, with dramatic results. “We try to be Christ-centered and biblically oriented. We are Wesleyan and tend to be rather conservative as a congregation. We receive five times as many persons from other denominations as we send to other denominations, partly because of our strong emphasis on the Bible.”
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The Foundation for Evangelism has become more and more aware that the local church is the front line for evangelism today. It is at this level that the junction of personal holiness and social holiness plays out. In combination, the spiritual and action components of our doctrine can revitalize The United Methodist Church through teams led by exceptional clergy in partnership with empowered laity.
In response to this awareness, The Foundation for Evangelism hosted a Regional Clergy Visioning Summit on September 9-11, 2010, to bring together exceptional local church leaders in The United Methodist Church for discussion and sharing around Wesleyan Evangelism in the 21st Century. The group shared the challenges the Church faces in promoting Wesleyan Evangelism and ways The Foundation for Evangelism can help the local United Methodist Church practice Wesleyan Evangelism in a more powerful way.
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Tags: Large, North Georgia
A Church for people who didn’t do church
Sugarloaf United Methodist Church was launched in 1997 as a “church for people who didn’t do church.” From its early days of meeting in a local middle school, it has become a vibrant, growing and innovative congregation. Today it is one of the “Top 100” United Methodist Churches in the country based on worship attendance, which currently averages 1500. Its stated purpose is to help persons “Worship God, Grow Their Lives, and Serve the World.” According to current Senior Pastor, Stuart Greene, Sugarloaf’s growth can be attributed to several specific ministries.
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For over five years, The Foundation for Evangelism has sponsored the annual gathering of United Methodist Campus Ministers known as “Refresh.” The event, scheduled for December 14-16, has undergone some welcome changes including a new Campus Ministry Boot Camp. Led by Jim Griffith, founder of Griffith Coaching Network, this “basic training” event is specifically geared [...]
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As part of the 60 year celebration for the Foundation for Evangelism, you can now keep up with the happenings of the Foundation by either Twitter or Facebook. First up, become a fan of the new Facebook page for the Foundation. This page will be updated on a regular basis with events, stories, videos, photos [...]
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Tags: Large, North Carolina
“An Incarnation Church”
Hayes Barton United Methodist Church is a vibrant intergenerational church nestled in a thriving community of downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. Offering Christ, community and compassion the church eagerly lives into its vision: To live as disciples of Jesus Christ.
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Author Dan Kimball shares the misconceptions and grievances that non-Christian 20 and 30-somethings have with the Church. In this article from Outreach Magazine, he shares concepts and research from his book They Like Jesus but Not The Church. Read The Article at Churchleaders.com>
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A new study by LifeWay Research suggests that evangelism is most effective among the unchurched in the United States when it is done in the context of an established relationship. The study gives insight into the attitude among unchurched individuals toward the church and also shows a trend that most people visiting churches are “church [...]
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