Greetings in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ!
I am writing to you to introduce myself as the new Coordinator for Evangelism for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A). I have a strong sense of call for this new position, as I look forward to serving you and the church. I believe that the church is the hope of the world. Even though our ministry is filled with beautiful and difficult moments, the grace of God in Jesus Christ continues to change lives and the course of creation.
I have served the church as a local pastor for almost a quarter of a century. For the past 16 years, as founding pastor of Macland Presbyterian Church, I was in a church that experienced growth. We learned together how to share our faith and reach a community for Christ. My heart’s desire is to help others know the fullness of life that comes in a relationship with Christ. I believe churches are hungry for evangelism, but the misconceptions about the “e-word” continue to block any real movement into the realm of faith-sharing. Evangelism is never about forcing our beliefs on others; it’s about communicating the story that has changed our lives.
This story is communicated through our actions and our words. Our social witness is evangelism. When we are in our communities confronting racism, feeding the hungry, working for peace, and relieving suffering, we have the opportunity to share with others about the faith that has changed us and set us free, making us a little more alive, a little less afraid. I can think of nothing better to which to give our lives.
I hope to be able to serve you in ways that will help local churches aid their members in claiming and reclaiming their own stories of transformation. I believe that when we own these stories, we naturally begin to live in ways that release us to live into our stories of faith and share them with others. Therefore, evangelism is linked to every part of our faith experience.
Please let me know how I can help you in your ministry. I look forward to speaking with you in the near future.
Grace,
Ray G. Jones III
Ray can be reached via email at: ray.jones@pcusa.org or by telephone: 1-888-728-7228, ext. 5280
Many of you starting new churches or looking to update your church website might be interested in Neal Locke’s services. Neal has over 14 years experience designing websites for friends, churches, small business, and individuals.
Click here for more information.
I’ve been a fan of the website, Practicing Our Faith, for some time. This is good resource for those exploring different kinds of Spiritual Disciplines. I personally believe that congregational transformation will not occur without individuals engaging in intentional spiritual practices and the discipline of prayer.
(from the website)
“This web site is sponsored by the Valparaiso Project on the Education and Formation of People in Faith, a project whose purpose is to develop resources to help contemporary people live the Christian faith with vitality and integrity in changing times. The Project is ecumenical in orientation and appreciative of the legacies of a range of Christian traditions. We sponsor seminars, books, conferences and web sites for adults and youth.”
www.practicingourfaith.org
Adam Walker Cleaveland, member of the Presbymergent Coordinating Group, minister for youth and young adults, and blogger, recently began a series entitled “Plurality 2.0,” in which he invited guest bloggers to write essays about pluralism and ecumenism in the 21st century.
It’s an impressive and highly thought-provoking collections of essays, with even more to come. Pluralism and ecumenism are two issues that are changing the face of the instututional church and these essays would be great for reflection in small groups, Sunday school classes, and those who are re-thinking the church’s role in a post-modern world.
Click here to access the essays.
Those of you who are interested in fact-oids and statistics about religions will enjoy this website. According to their homepage, “Adherents.com is a growing collection of over 43,870 adherent statistics and religious geography citations: references to published membership/adherent statistics and congregation statistics for over 4,200 religions, churches, denominations, religious bodies, faith groups, tribes, cultures, movements, ultimate concerns, etc. The religions of the world are enumerated here.”
www.adherents.com
Cultivate Mission is the church consultating firm led by Stephanie Lutz Allen.
Their mission statement is:
“Our starting place is God’s mission, which helps us see opportunity instead of peril in the world outside our doorsteps. Action flows from a sense of mission (purpose). Consulting provides a framework and accountability to intentionally design purpose, and effectively live into it.”
www.cultivatemission.com
Servant Evangelism is a website and online magazine that uses so-called “random acts of kindness” as an evangelism and outreach tool. The website also features articles with tips and ideas for evangelism in your particular context. Intriguing ideas here–many of which would be appropriate for church youth groups.
www.servantevangelism.com
Is your congregation discerning whether nor not to become a House Church or Fellowship?
Albany Presbytery has assembled a task force and produced the following document which helps congregations in the Presbytery transition into house churches/fellowships when the congregation becomes too small to be financially solvent.
(from the document, “Is God Leading Your Congregation To Become a House Church or a Fellowship?“):
“What alternatives do congregations have when they find their building maintenance outstrips congregational finances and creates paralysis within the congregation? What alternatives do congregations have when they have little or no energy to do anything beyond the minimal effort to attend worship? What alternatives do congregations have when their leadership team is failing to work together in healthy ways due to burnout among the leaders?
These are among the issues many congregations are facing in Albany Presbytery and the paths for addressing these issues have been limited. The options have been to attempt to engage in a transformation of the congregation, continue as they had been doing, or close and disband the congregation. Often, for many congregations these choices have been undesirable or impractical.
Sensing something different was needed a Fellowship Task Force was created to create a new path, which might prove to lead to a healthier and more vital ministry. The Fellowship Task Force has created a discernment process for congregations to use in deciding whether or not to become a house church or a fellowship.”
To read the document in its entirety, click here (.pdf file)
Starting May 4th, Bruce Reyes-Chow, Moderator of the PCUSA, and Carol Howard Merritt, pastor and author of the book, Tribal Church, will be hosting a weekly internet radio show that will discuss the Church, culture, politics, and everything in between.
According to Bruce Reyes-Chow, “through our diverse church experiences and a deep common yearning to find the bridges between tradition and innovation, Carol and I will attempt to provide a place where we can discover the challenges and celebrations that God may have in store for us and the world. We hope you’ll find the time to join us.”
I [Meredith] am encouraging anyone involved with Congregational Transformation, or those particularly interested in issues surrounding the changing church and culture, to take the time to “tune in” to these conversations.
Click here for a more detailed description about “The God Complex Radio Show” from Bruce’s blog.
Click here to download the flyer.
The Office of Research Services of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) provides a wide variety of services including articles and reports, demographics information, statistics, program evaluations and Ten-Year Trends, all free to PCUSA congregations.
Some of their available services include:
- Free 10-year Trend Reports show what’s been happening in congregations
- Free demographics package:
- Congregational Surveys–The U.S. Congregational Life Survey helps congregations identify their strengths, learn more about their worshipers, and make decisions about change.
- Coming out of the U.S. Congregational Life Survey, we have resources to help congregations examine their location (including a study/leader guide written by Trey Hammond):
- Resources on evangelism and church growth, particularly:
- A free booklet with easy-to-do research techniques for congregations:
Other Recommended Resources:
- The Association of Religion Data Archives- Enter your zip code to receive information about congregational membership in all major denominations by county or state.
- ARDA also has an excellent free demographic package:
