Tags: Children, Medium, Music, Technology, Volunteer, W North Carolina
To capture what has occurred in the life of Denver United Methodist Church is a task. I became the Senior Minister in 2002. At that time, the church was in her 118th year in the Denver community. The average in worship for the last two years prior was listed at 259. Denver UMC had 11 acres of land and 6 acres of the land consisted of two cemeteries. The church membership was 452. The musical flavor was high church. I saw a huge potential then as well as in 2010.
Just prior to my arrival to Denver UMC, I had read two books that struck a chord within me. In Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven Church he states that church must learn how to surf. Surfing waves in the ocean sounded thrilling and adventuresome. Rick equated riding the wave to riding the Holy Spirit. Equally upon my heart was another book called The Church God Blesses written by Jim Cymbala. Positioning a church that was 118 years old to grow with the thoughts of riding the Holy Spirit and being a Church God blesses was resonating with me.
A common thing pastors moving to a new church often hear is to not change anything in the first year. That is bologna! Believe that advice and you will not ride the wave or become a church God blesses. Adam Hamilton has said, “A church must answer three questions each Sunday. They are “Why Come?”, “Why Give?” and “Why Serve?”” To grow a healthy and thriving church these questions are nonnegotiable in riding the wave. To tell a snapshot of the Denver UMC story, I will do so in light of these poignant questions raised by Adam.
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Tags: Contemporary Worship, Kentucky, Medium, Off Campus Ministry
“One Dynamic Church, Two Diverse Locations”
When Winchester First United Methodist Church formed a prayer group in 2005 to discern God’s direction for how to reach the 15,000 unchurched people in their county, little did they know it would lead to a new era of ministry for the congregation located 20 minutes from downtown Lexington, KY. After much planning and seeking God, the church embarked on a journey like none they ever had in the history of the church.
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Have you ever experienced being so blessed by the life and witness of a person from your past that you just wish you could have that person present? I mean present, not only for your own benefit, but also for the benefit of your family and friends. This is the way I feel about E. Stanley Jones.
It makes me feel awkward to be saying this, because I never knew E. Stanley Jones as a personal friend. However, I have been greatly influenced by his life and ministry. Back in the 1960’s I heard him preach at Asbury Theological Seminary where I studied for my first year of theology in preparing for the ordained Christian ministry through the United Methodist Church. Several other times I had the privilege of being in his presence in local churches where he led groups of lay and clergy in Ashram faith growth experiences. His many books designed for daily devotionals have been very helpful to me. Therefore, I miss not being able to experience his presence, his prayer life, his theological mind, and his spirit. Therefore, recently I have been reading his book, “In Christ” which was published by Abingdon Press in 1961, the year after I heard him at Asbury Seminary. Spending time with his book has been refreshing for me. Reading this book as a guide for devotional life, not only has helped me to experience God more personally, but I also find that E. Stanley Jones’ practical Biblical theology just renews my excitement about living daily as a disciple of Jesus Christ.
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Tags: Contemporary Worship, Medium, Mississippi, Technology
The easy thing would be to attribute Safe Harbor’s worship attendance increases to my dynamic leadership and preaching. Unfortunately, I have a conscience. The increases are more likely due to our efforts to provide diversified, worshipful experiences each week.
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Rev. Neil Blair joined the Foundation on August 1 as the new president. In a recent interview, he shares how his experience prepared him for this new leadership position, and what role he sees The Foundation for Evangelism playing in growing and strengthening The United Methodist Church. Read more >>>
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The Reutlingen School of Theology in Reutlingen, Germany, recently received its institutional re-accreditation for an unprecedented 10 year period from Germany’s Federal Board of Science. In its press release, the board notes the positive development in research and teaching as well as the international relationships of the school as being crucial points for their decision. [...]
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Dr. Leonard Sweet, E. Stanley Jones Professor of Evangelism at Drew University, spoke at Lake Junaluska during the United Methodist Camp and Retreat Ministries Gathering Feb. 1. As he addressed listeners he told them that leaders in the church, do not get to pick their moment. Rather, God makes that choice for them. They are [...]
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