printer-friendly email a friend

Equipping Event to Help TAC Churches
Continue Journey of Transformation

By Eleanor L. Colvin, Director of Communications

“Transformation has not stopped,” says Dr. Don Waddleton, director of the Center for Congregational Excellence.

Although the 3-year contract with transformation coach Don Nations comes to an end this year, the transformation that was started in 225 Texas Conference churches is not ending.

“We are continuing in transformation,” Waddleton said, “We will provide training and consultation – with focus on the individual local church needs.”

One of the primary needs that many churches express is “more members.” With that in mind, the Center for Congregational Excellence has planned an equipping event entitled “How to Get More Members,” featuring Jim Griffith, nationally-renowned trainer, assessor and coach for new and turnaround churches.

The 2-day seminar will be held in the southern part of the conference at Clear Lake UMC on January 23-24, 2010, and in the northern part of the conference at Marvin UMC Tyler on January 30-31, 2010.

Because lay involvement is vital – the event is scheduled for a Saturday (10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.) and Sunday (8 a.m. to 6 p.m.). All churches are invited to participate. To do so, the pastor must attend with a minimum of three lay members who are not on the church staff.

“We realize that we’re asking the pastor and key laity to be absent on one Sunday as a part of this training,” Waddleton said. “But we also realize – that in order to be effective – both pastor and laity must participate. Whatever happens in the local church, calls for both the minister and laity to be in cooperation with each other.”

Pastors are encouraged to coordinate pulpit supply by utilizing Lay Speakers in their congregation or by contacting their district office. “This also allows for more laity of the church to assume leadership roles on that Sunday,” Waddleton added.

Seminar topics will include: Aligning Your Ministry to Reach Your Mission Field; Networking With and Gathering Un-churched People; and Paying Attention to First Impressions.

“Jim Griffith will take the new church start principles and show people how to apply them to existing congregations to revitalize, to motivate, to show how to best serve the mission field and bring new members to your congregation,” Waddleton said. “It’s been done in other annual conferences, which have reported excellent results, such as gains in membership and worship attendance.”

The event cost is $40 person. Scholarships are available, so that no church is excluded because of financial limitations. For scholarship information, contact Don Waddleton at dwaddleton@txcumc.org or 713-521-9383.

Register now, as the seminar is limited to 200 participants in each location, because of facility size. To download the registration brochure, visit http://www.txcumc.org/missionfieldworkshop. For additional details, contact Debbie Sutton at dsutton@txcumc.org or 713-521-9383.

Comments

There are no comments
be the first to post one...

view discussions throughout the site