Sparks (New Church Ministry Newsletter)
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Disciples have started 96 churches so far this year
News Release
October 22, 2007
Contact:
Tonya Ellis
713-2523
twellis@churchextension.org
Indianapolis, Oct. 22, 2007 - New Church Ministry announced today 96 new congregations have joined the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) since the beginning of 2007. According Rick Morse, vice president of Mission Initiatives and New Church Ministry, "we are excited about this announcement."
"This is significant news worth celebrating," said James L. Powell, president of Church Extension. Since the 2020 Vision was first envisioned in 2001, a total of 533 new Disciples churches have opened their doors.
During the General Assembly in July of this year, New Church Ministry celebrated opening 500 new churches. Since then, the number has continued to increase, with 33 additional churches being opened.
"God is doing great things," said Powell. "This is an excellent opportunity for Disciples. We celebrate because it represents 96 additional mission fields opening doors to serve communities around the nation."
"And as the nation represents a unique offering of diversity, so do the 96 Disciples churches that have started in 2007," said Morse. The new churches that have joined the Disciples this year include: Liberation Christian Church, St. Louis, Mo., Sojourner Christian Church, Ashville, N.C., and Primera Iglesia Cristiana, Laredo, Texas.
"Our congregations are representative of various racial and ethnic backgrounds," said Powell. "And as Disciples, we embrace our differences while celebrating our similarities...our belief in unity and love for Christ," he said.
"We are over half-way to meeting our challenge of starting 1000 churches by 2020 and if we continue with this momentum, I believe that we will exceed our goal," said Morse. Disciples have now shown a net gain in congregations for six of the past seven years.
For more information about New Church Ministry visit www.newchurchministry.org.
Lilly Endowment Grant to Help New Church Ministry Announced at General Assembly
News Release
August 8, 2007
Contact:
Pat Carrithers
713-2510
pcarrithers@churchextension.org
Church Extension of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) announced at the General Assembly in Fort Worth, Texas that it has received a generous grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. of more than $835,000.
This is a second grant from the Endowment, which awarded Church Extension’s New Church Ministry team $1.6 million in 2002 to initiate a coaching program for church planters in the first two years of their ministry. Based on the success of the previous program, the Endowment invited Church Extension to apply for additional funds to support the project until it can become self-sustaining. The Award states the grant is for “partial continued funding for the Sustaining Pastoral Excellence in New Church Planting project.”
Under the program, new church pastors are assigned an experienced pastor as a mentor and coach, a “Barnabas,” to provide encouragement, counsel, and guidance during the early years of the new congregation’s life. The grant from the Endowment will help fund this effort that has assisted new church planters achieve a 90 percent sustainability rate.
Rick Morse, Vice President for New Church Ministry and Mission Initiative, said, “We are very grateful for this grant, and the previous grant. Thanks in part to the Barnabas program, which this money makes possible, we have made tremendous progress in creating congregations that reach sustainability quickly. Its effectiveness is reflected in the vibrancy of the more than 500 new congregations we have started since 2001, and the more than 38,000 new Christians they represent.”
Jim Powell, Church Extension president, added, “It is nearly impossible to express our excitement about this grant, and our gratitude to Lilly Endowment for the support. We have known for a long time how important the support of church planters is to the success of new congregations. The first years of the Barnabas coaching program have confirmed what a difference this support makes. This assistance from the foundation established by the Lilly family ensures that we can continue to provide support to these passionate, dedicated people who serve as new church pastors, even as their number grows.
For more information about the Barnabas Program, call 1-800-274-1883, or Spanish toll free 1-866-534-1949.
New Church Ministry celebrates 500 new ministries nationwide
News Release
May 17, 2007
Contact:
Tonya Ellis
713-2523
twellis@churchextension.org
New Church Ministry, a ministry of Church Extension celebrates a major milestone with the announcement that 500 new Disciples churches have been started around the nation since 2001. “This translates to 500 new opportunities to provide mission work,” said Rick Morse, vice president of New Church Ministry and Mission Initiatives.
Mandated by the 2020 Vision, a goal was set for New Church Ministry to start 1000 new churches by 2020. “The good news is that we have reached the halfway mark in congregations long before the halfway mark in time, and the goal seems to be completely achievable,” said Morse.
“As we celebrate starting 500 new churches in six years, we also celebrate adding 37,000 new members to Disciples congregations throughout the United States and Canada”, said Charlie Wallace, Minister for Congregational Relations with New Church Ministry.
Each year at this time, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) takes a special offering in support of new church ministries. The Pentecost Offering serves as one of the primary vehicles to support the movement to fund new congregations. Half of the money raised from this offering goes to the New Church Ministry office, and the other half remains in the region where it is collected to assist with the growth and development of congregations that are less than five years of age.
“Pastors who start new churches have made tremendous sacrifices,” said Wallace. “Many have to work two jobs to maintain their ministry. The Pentecost Offering is one way that we can salute their sacrifices, and join in their vision.”
According to Wallace, New Church Ministry helps alleviate some of the feelings of isolation that new church pastors may experience, by providing training, networking, and the support of a Barnabas (a coach assigned to help new planters). These tools, and others, like demographic statistics, continuing education, and goal-setting workshops, help to create viable congregations. Disciples currently have an 89 percent new congregation sustainability level by providing this support system.
On May 20 and 27, Disciples churches around the nation will hold a special collection for the Pentecost Offering. However, donations will be accepted and greatly appreciated at any time.
In the near future, New Church Ministry will announce special plans to celebrate the 500 milestone during the General Assembly.
Disciples new congregations approaching half-way point of 2020 goal
30 new congregations were added in January
News Release
February 28, 2007
Contact:
Tonya Ellis
713-2523
twellis@churchextension.org
The passion has been ignited and many are joining the New Church Ministry movement to “Risk the Ride.” To date, a record 468
new congregations have been added to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) since 2001. Disciples new church starts have set an all time record for this decade, with 89 percent of the congregations reaching sustainability. Twelve percent of all Disciples
congregations have started since 2001.
The excitement continues. In January of this year, New Church Ministry added an unprecedented 30 new congregations to the denomination. According to Rick Morse, vice president of New Church Ministry and Mission Initiatives, the goal is to have a total
of 500 new congregations by General Assembly, which is scheduled for July 2007. “With the New Church Ministry staff’s current efforts and the excitement about church growth that we are experiencing within our denomination, I believe this goal is definitely attainable,” said Morse. “During 1998-99, the Disciples General Board adopted a vision of planting many new congregations as we discerned our future at the coming of the millennium. This vision and rationale was the topic of Dick Hamm’s book The 2020 Vision. In November of 2000, a New Church Summit of key leaders in the church, along with multiplication consultant George Bullard, adopted a goal of 1000 new churches.”
“As we tell pastors, the challenge is great and it takes an act of faith to start a new congregation,” said Morse. “However, we are excited that so many congregations are catching the vision and joining the New Church Ministry movement,” he said. Morse joined the New Church Ministry staff in 2001.
Gilberto Collazo named new Anti-Racism Director
News Release
January 4, 2007
Contact:
Tonya Ellis
713-2523
twellis@churchextension.org
Church Extension announces that Gilberto Collazo, assistant vice president of New Church Ministry, will now add to his title Director of Anti-Racism Initiatives for Church Extension.
Collazo’s promotion as director of anti-racism follows the December retirement of Luis Ferrer. As director, Collazo will be responsible for leading Church Extension’s Anti-Racism team in creating, overseeing and implementing all anti-racism policies and procedures as they pertain to the mission, vision and core values for Church Extension.
“It is a great privilege to name Gilberto to this position,” said James L. Powell, president of Church Extension. “Luis Ferrer did an outstanding job in helping to establish Church Extension as an anti-racism/pro-reconciliation ministry. It is now time to pass the mantle and continue our efforts in this area. I have great confidence that Gilberto will provide the leadership needed to continue our efforts
in being an anti-racism, pro-reconciliation ministry that takes very seriously the anti-racism initiatives.”
Collazo is an ordained minister from San Juan, Puerto Rico. He has a bachelor of arts and a master of business administration from University of Florida. He has a master of divinity from the Evangelical Seminary in Puerto Rico. He resides in Indianapolis with his wife, Ruth, and their four children. Collazo will assume the responsibilities for this position immediately.
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