Two important Announcements: First, the New Church Ministry Leadership Academy is being held in person in Kansas City from Oct. 24-27. An online hybrid is available, as well. So far, we have two people from the Kansas Region going and would love to involve more. The Kansas Region will cover expenses for those looking to attend.
Leadership Academy is an opportunity to explore what new churches and revitalization looks like with support from our larger denomination. And it’s not just for brand new churches. Those wanting to explore church planting, those who have ideas for potential new opportunities, and those looking to take the next steps with their existing congregations.
We would love to hear from the people you know who would be excited by this opportunity. Please reach out to Rev. Travis Smith McKee to start talking about opportunities. Registration can be found here.
Secondly, while you’re at the CCDOC’s New Church Ministry website, check out the new vision of this important ministry. The DisciplesNEXT vision is an innovative way to see the church of the future and start living it out today.
From New Church Ministry: “DisciplesNEXT — which draws upon our core identity as a “movement for wholeness in a fragmented world” — strives to counter the church’s historic tendency to colonize as a means of growth. Instead, DisciplesNEXT offers a methodology to train leaders as movement initiators that foster faithful communities; communities that exhibit the marks of the faithful church: true community, deep Christian spirituality, and a passion for justice.
While this movement will, naturally, take many forms, New Church Ministry aims to approach today’s challenges by equipping leaders to live into the Disciples Mission: “To be and to share the good news of Jesus Christ, witnessing, loving, and serving from our doorsteps ‘to the ends of the Earth’.”