Council offers churches ideas to boost witness

The Council on Ministries is proposing four ways congregations can join in expanding evangelistic
outreach across Southwest Texas.
The council adopted four strategic initiative statements March 17 for transforming local congregations.
The proposals now go to the June 6-9 Southwest Texas Annual Conference session in Corpus Christi for consideration.
The initiatives are designed to help local congregations become directly involved in the conference emphasis on new church development and transformation adopted in 2006, said Carol Loeb, Council on Ministry chair.
“This is not a top-down program you’ve got to do,” said Loeb, a member of Asbury UMC, Corpus Christi. “We’re recommending four initiative statements. Churches are to write their own goals and strategies to carry them out according to what works best for them. But we will offer resources to equip them—if they choose to use them.”
The four initiatives call local congregations to:
> Become evangelistic in their faith sharing.
> Strengthen evangelistic presence in the community.
> Call forth younger people for ordained ministry.
> Develop disciples and leaders.
“These ideas came from the laity of the annual conference at a January meeting at Mount Wesley,” Loeb said. They are being endorsed by the Council on Ministries and offered to the conference.
“We have heard from the laity about what they think the priorities for our church are right now. The initiative statements are the result of our strategic listening. Local churches will have to decide if they will own them and put them into practice.”
The Rev. Larry Howard, McAllen District superintendent, observed, “Our laity are strongly encouraging our local churches to be part of this process—not by vote but by encouragement.”
Southwest Texas Conference boards and agencies are to work in partnership with local congregations to accomplish each initiative, Loeb said. For example, to help church members improve their faith sharing, the council plan calls for conference agencies to:
> Equip churches to teach members how to witness to their beliefs.
> Recognize congregations that report youth and adult professions of faith each year.
> Recognize congregations that report consistent gains in visitor and worship attendance each year.
> Show churches how to use one-to-one, small-group and online contacts to help new people deepen their faith.
To help congregations strengthen their evangelistic community presence, the conference is to provide resources to local leaders on how to raise the church’s public profile. Additional resources are to help local leaders identify ways to be a regular presence at community events throughout the year.
To help congregations identify potential clergy candidates, the conference is to show local leaders how to recognize gifts and graces for ministry in young people and to encourage people with such gifts to consider a life of ordained service.
To help congregations develop disciples and leaders, the conference plans to offer both leadership-development and faith-development resources.
“The key emphasis is on partnerships,” Loeb said. “The conference will offer tools and resources. But it’s up to local church leaders to decide if they have a calling from God to offer Christ to all.”