GULFPORT, Mississippi – The Seashore District in the Mississippi Conference is the recipient of a grant for $7,500 from The Foundation for Evangelism (FFE) for a 16-month cohort to assess and develop contextually appropriate evangelism practices and discipleship systems.
Beginning in September 2021, nine congregational leadership teams (8 served by local pastors) will participate in the Evangelism for Non-Evangelists Webinar Series led by Dr. Mark Teasdale (Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary) and Dr. Heather Lear (FFE Research and Teaching Fellow). The teams will develop and implement an action plan using the tools from the webinars. Follow-up sessions will be offered around particular areas of growth with recognized leaders in evangelism, and the cohort will gather regularly for check-ins and mentoring. Each congregation will submit a report to FFE of learnings, surprises, and successes during the final quarter of 2022.
Rev. Dr. Heather Lear states that, “The cohort beautifully ties together the three focus areas of The Foundation for Evangelism’s grants which include raising up gospel leaders, engaging the ministry of the laity, and equipping the local church.” The Seashore District Cohort will help address the scarcity of quality evangelism training available to local pastors and those taking a non-traditional path into ministry.
Neil Alexander, chair of the Foundation for Evangelism’s Grant Committee stated that, “I am pleased that our board of trustees recognizes the need for leadership in evangelism at various levels of the church. We hope this grant partnership can serve as a model for others in the future!”
The Foundation for Evangelism works globally to educate and invite people into the Christian faith. Grants to pan-Wesleyan/Methodist leaders, churches, seminaries, and denominations impact Christian leaders in Russia, Europe, several African countries, and the United States. To learn more about our ministry, visit www.FoundationForEvangelism.org.
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CONTACT:
The Foundation for Evangelism
Barby Bowser, Communications
828-454-6800 bbowser@foundationforevangelism.org
Seashore District, Mississippi Conference of The United Methodist Church https://www.seashoredistrictumc.org/
