by Erik Hall planter of Barnegat Anew inBarnegat, New Jersey
One thing you cannot do in a new church-plant is sit on the sidelines. In existing churches with long histories, stable ministries, and solid financial foundations, some folks choose to be by-standers without any real time, energy, or financial commitment. Despite this, these churches are able to continue with some health and vitality because of the faithful ministry and stewardship of others. Continue reading
by Jim Ozier, Director of New Church Development and Congregational Transformation for the North Texas Conference (and Path 1 Associate)
As a little boy, it was the first time I heard my mother laugh. I mean a really hard barrel-roll laugh. Literally I sat at her knee and listened as she read from the Readers Digest:
A little boy was given 2 dimes from mom: “You’ve been a good boy. One dime is to buy an ice cream cone this afternoon; the other is to put in the offering plate at church tomorrow.” As he headed to the ice cream shop he dropped his dimes—one of them rolled through the drainage grate on the sidewalk. He cried out loud, “Sorry God; there goes your dime!” Continue reading
by Emily Jones Student Pastor for Discipleship at Urban Village Church
For those not from Chicagoland, the above is our mash-up of the city’s famous CTA maps, redrawn as a way to conceptualize the Discipleship journey, designed by the wonderful Anne Williamson, the previous Pastor of Discipleship at Urban Village. Continue reading
by Jim Ozier, Director of New Church Development and Congregational Transformation for the North Texas Conference (and Path 1 Associate)
“May the odds be ever in your favor.” Motto from The Hunger Games
This seems to be a popular saying at the moment. A process of discipleship does not guarantee making new and effective disciples for Jesus Christ, but it certainly improves the odds. Along with that is an insatiable hunger to reach new people and to bring them into a life-changing relationship with Jesus. But these aren’t hunger games. This is serious business and the stakes are eternal, so it needs to be the highest priority for a new church! Continue reading
by Rev. Gary Shockley, Executive Director of Path 1
While being interviewed recently I was asked by a reporter, “If Path 1 had been around when you planted your first church back in 1999, would it have made a difference for you?” Continue reading
by Philip Brooks Path 1 NCS Assistant
“The mission of the Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church—2008, p. 87
I wonder if the General Conference knew what they were doing when they decided to express the mission of the church in these terms. As anyone will tell you, we Methodists are known for being very “methodical”, which among other things means we like numbers. We love to set goals we can measure and strive for tangible results. We like things to be simple and easy to understand. We are only human, after all. But you’ll never see a chart titled, “Number of Disciples Created Over [insert number of years]”. Making disciples is the most important and central mission of the church. It is also impossible to measure in this way. Continue reading
By Barbara Sadler, Path 1 Associate
My husband Herb and I worshipped in one of our annual conference’s “restart” churches this past Sunday. The congregation had been a declining downtown church. They decided to sell the property and start over in a new location. After worshiping in a school gym for three years, they were able to purchase property and build a sanctuary. Their numbers have more than doubled and their average age has halved. This past Sunday was a celebration of one year in their new location. Continue reading
