The Foundation for Evangelism board of trustees has appointed Jane Boatwright Wood as interim executive director, succeeding Executive Director Dr. John “Jack” Ewing. Dr. Ewing is leaving the Foundation after accepting the position of executive director for Lake Junaluska Assembly, Inc. Wood will assume the interim position beginning January 1, 2011. Wood currently serves as [...]
Your Gift Makes a Difference! As a non-profit serving The United Methodist Church, The Foundation for Evangelism receives no funds from the general church. All of our work relies on the generosity of our donors. Your faithful prayers give us encouragement, sharing our message helps to keep the passion alive, and your gifts allow us to fulfill our vision to raise up generations of leaders with [...]
Tags: Children, Large, Technology, Tennessee, Traditional Worship, Visitors, Youth
Pastor Michael O’Bannon lists some of the key elements attributing to the growth in membership of First United Methodist Church in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, along with a little narrative. Visitors receive very special attention.
We have learned from what people tell us that they are initially attracted in one of two ways. The first is through the internet. Almost everyone who responds tells us that they looked at us first on the internet. We have reduced our exposure in the Yellow Pages and newspaper and have put most of our resources in a webmaster. We have hired someone to work on the website each week, adding links as necessary. We regularly test the website to see if it is clear and up to date. The second way we attract people is that they drive by and are intrigued by the beauty of the building. People continually tell us that they are looking for a church that looks like a church. The facility is relatively new, and there is something of the “new look” that must factor in the decision to visit.
Tags: Large, Leadership, W Michigan
Experiencing growth almost every year for 20 years
Cornerstone UMC was founded in 1990 as a result of an intentional parachute drop church plant in the West Michigan Conference. The phrase “parachute drop” is not entirely accurate in this case. While there was not a “sponsoring” church officially recognized by the conference, I was serving as an associate pastor about 10 miles from the launch area. Approximately 25 friends and committed Christ followers decided to engage in this adventure with me and my wife Colleen.
We launched a first worship experience within 6 months of the appointment. By the end of year one, we were able to charter as a UM church with 129 charter members. Cornerstone met in a high school auditorium that had seating for over 700.
Tags: Contemporary Worship, Medium, Texas, Traditional Worship, Visitors
Why Great Things Happen @ Faith
In Gabe Lyon’s The Next Christians, he writes “In contrast to countercultures that separate, antagonize, or copy culture, the next Christians are a counterculture for the common good that is centered and immoveable. They don’t concern themselves with popularity, what they can achieve for themselves, or whether the masses are following. Instead, they boldly lead.”
I would like to think that those words describe what God is doing @ Faith United Methodist Church!
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The Foundation for Evangelism, a United Methodist non-profit organization, awards grants for the development and training of leaders in The United Methodist Church. Recipients of such grants include 13 seminaries throughout the world including Claremont School of Theology. The Foundation for Evangelism’s Board of Trustees is made up of United Methodist leaders from throughout the United States who help [...]
Tags: Arkansas, Children, Contemporary Worship, Medium, Traditional Worship, Youth
Add, Don’t Take Away: Transforming Traditional Churches
One of the key principles I have learned in turning around older, traditional churches is “Add, Don’t Take Away.” In loving and valuing the people in the churches I have led, I had to find out what was precious to them and honor that. For most older churches, that means traditional worship and Sunday School. When I came to Heritage UMC, the congregation had two traditional worship services and a traditional Sunday School. The leaders had been discussing for a year over starting a contemporary service. The worship team wanted to take away one of the existing traditional services and replace it with a contemporary. That had a lot of people upset. We re-looked at the situation and suggested that we start the contemporary service during the Sunday School hour and leave the other services intact.
For the third year in a row The Foundation for Evangelism will provide a grant to The 2011 Congress on Evangelism at Myrtle Beach, S.C., for a Hispanic-Latino Leadership track. A portion of the grant allows leaders to attend the event on scholarship. In the last two years, 50 faith community leaders received training through [...]
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