Making Disciples in an Emerging Culture

Musician Search

Pastor Chaney — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 02:14:01 +0000

Epworth United Methodist Church is seeking committed individual(s) desiring to serve Christ through: Organ/Piano accompaniment, Chancel Choir Direction, Gospel Choir Direction, Hand Bell Choir Direction. Candidates may apply for some or all of these tasks.

Congregation is multi-ethnic and bi-lingual. New worship services to launch Jan 2012.These multiple sunday morning services include: traditional and a blend of praise/worship, traditional, gospel music.

Bilingual (spanish/English) Director of Praise and Worship already on staff.
Chancel and Hand Bell choirs to be strengthened. Gospel choir to be formed.

Candidates should be commited to their role as worship leaders, desiring to work as part of worship planning team under Sr Pastor, flexible, passionate about using all kinds of music to bring individuals into relationship with Christ, and commited to being a part of a diverse, growing and changing church.
Positions open as of January 1, 2012.
Submit resumes to Rev. Jennifer Fenner: jennifer.fenner@eumc-md.org
www.epworthsteeple.org

It’s Time to Move from Worship to Service

Pastor Chaney — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 15:51:39 +0000

BY KATE THOMAS

Sundays have typically been the day of rest. Truthfully, most Christians today no longer take the day to give back to God. It’s about time we reclaimed this sacred day, not just for God, but in the spirit of Jesus’ teachings – to love unconditionally and spend time with those who are impoverished.

Sunday is the perfect day to do a churchwide mission day at least once or twice a year for a few reasons:

1. People who attend church are already available.
2. It sets the tone for “church” to take place outside the church walls.
3. It provides connectedness with the entire church community in a way that could never be as widespread as Sunday morning.

How do we make this transition, you ask? It’s really quite simple once you realize your church probably already has the infrastructure to pull off a mission Sunday. You can harness some of the already existing groups (UMM, UMW, youth, Sunday School, small groups, mission team, church council, etc.) to each find a local mission project that church members can attend. Make sure to be specific about how many people you think might participate in each project, timing, directions, and choosing a team leader. Or this might be a time for anyone passionate about mission to shine. Either way, it’s helpful to have a team of people, each coordinating the details for the different projects.

Some other things to keep in mind:

1. Have a signup sheet for each project; two or three Sundays prior will help you predict your numbers.
2. Make sure to accommodate additional church members who will show up without signing up. Have projects that can take additional people or come up with additional projects that can have unlimited numbers.
3. Have a variety of projects for different ages, physical capabilities and interests.
4. Consider a gathering time before going out to serve. This could include a few upbeat songs and a prayer as well as a time for offering. The “sermon” will be your service to God.
5. Following the mission activities, it could be a great time for a church potluck, with some sharing time about the projects.
6. Set up for easy traffic flow at church. Make sure to have a meeting space for each of the projects before touching base for instructions and to carpool, and make sure to have details for those who haven’t signed up. This could be a bunch of tables in the fellowship hall with signs and descriptions as well as a handout at the door with all the projects. The short worship time before serving could take place in the same space.
7. Consider how your church can uniquely serve and Change the World in a meaningful way. Make this project your own.

Kate Thomas is senior productions coordinator for ACDI-VOCA and former graphic designer for the Baltimore Washington Conference

This is your official invitation

Pastor Chaney — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 20:29:43 +0000

Guided by Grace

Rev. William T Chaney Jr

Discipleship Adventure Guide

The Baltimore Washington Conference of the United Methodist

11711 East Market Place

Fulton, MD 20759-2594

410 309 3480

www.facebook.com/pastorchaney

www.makingdisciples.org

Developing a Great Staff

Pastor Chaney — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 21:00:09 +0000

(The fifth in a series of posts by Dr. Merritt on pastoral leadership)

It is without question one of, if not the most, difficult and yet important job of any leader. You will make mistakes in hiring staff. Over the years, I’ve tried to remember three principles in bringing people on to serve with me.

1. Find people who can do what you cannot do and can do it better than anybody else can do it.

2. Let them do their job. Delegate with feedback and accountability, and then trust them to get the job done.

3. Don’t be afraid to let others shine and get credit for a job well done.

This is a great article by Dr. Merritt. You can read the entire blog at http://pastorsedge.myshopify.com/blogs/edgeblog/4087572-keys-to-building-staff-leadership

Let’s be clear: Christianity and the death penalty are not compatible

Pastor Chaney — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 01:31:54 +0000

BY REV. ROBBIE MORGANFIELD

ST. MARK’S UMC, LAUREL

I have to admit that I didn’t get much caught up in the debate that preceded the recent execution of Troy Davis in Georgia.

As a Christian I acknowledge that is not acceptable, especially since I see no way that one who takes seriously the teachings of Christ can find the death penalty tolerable.

In Matthew 5, Jesus decries the notion of an “eye for an eye” and teaches those listening that they should “turn the other cheek.” Indeed, Jesus sets the bar high, calling for us to react in ways that clash with the prevailing culture. But too many Christians today seem too comfortable with hatred and unforgiveness when love and forgiveness were clear mandates in Jesus’ message.

The principles Jesus articulated call us to a higher standard than what our society has embraced, and it’s time for Christians to be clear about whose side we’re on.

I don’t know the religious convictions of the family of Georgia police officer Mark MacPhail, whom Davis had been convicted of killing more than 20 years ago. In comments to the media, MacPhail’s widow used language that suggested that she is person of faith, but her sentiments fell short of what one could argue Christ taught.

“I will grieve for the Davis family because now they’re going to understand our pain and our hurt,” Joan MacPhail-Harris told the Associated Press in a telephone interview. “My prayers go out to them. I have been praying for them all these years. And I pray there will be some peace along the way for them.”

MacPhail’s widow, who apparently has remarried, called the execution a “time of healing for all families.” Her comments suggest that healing could begin because Mark MacPhail’s accused murderer had been executed. She apparently concluded that Davis’ family members were not suffering as they and many others fought to preserve Davis’ life. Davis maintained that he was innocent down to the very end and growing numbers of observers cited growing evidence that cast reasonable doubt on his conviction.

After the execution, MacPhail’s mother, Anneliese MacPhail, said in a telephone interview from her home that she placed no stock in Davis’ claims of innocence.

“He’s been telling himself that for 22 years,” she said. “You know how it is; he can talk himself into anything.”

I wonder who’s really talking themselves into something.

Whether Davis was innocent or guilty, I have a fundamental problem with the death penalty because the nation’s criminal justice system is too often uneven. One’s race or economic status can often shape the outcome of criminal proceedings, and too many people are convicted based on circumstantial evidence.

Davis had been convicted of killing MacPhail in a Burger King parking lot in Savannah, Georgia. MacPhail was working off-duty as a security guard and reportedly rushed to help a homeless man, whom prosecutors maintained was being beaten by Davis with a handgun. The gun was never found, but the prosecution said shell casings from that shooting were linked to an earlier shooting for which Davis had been convicted.

That hardly seems an acceptable standard for condemning a person to death.

Despite changes in the testimonies of some witnesses and claims that another man had boasted of shooting officer MacPhail, court officials and others upheld the execution.

It is even more troubling to think that many of those individuals would claim Christian identity. Yet their Christian faith somehow failed to distinguish itself.

My family has dealt with the issues that confront Christians when a loved one is murdered. My brother was shot five times by a man who once had been his friend. In court, the man never showed any remorse and was eventually only given a sentence of 10 years.

I still remember my father, who served as a church deacon for more than 50 years before recently stepping down, saying after my brother’s death that his heart was broken not only because he had lost his son, but because another life had taken a very wrong turn. He mourned for my brother and the shooter and prayed for the shooter’s redemption. The rest of the family followed my father’s lead.

When the man was released from prison, he returned to our small hometown briefly and requested a meeting with my father. My father met him, blessed him and sent him on his way.

To this day, we remember my brother fondly. One of my sisters remains best of friends with the sister of the man who shot my brother. We know now what we knew then: nothing that occurred in that court room would bring back our loved one. As Christians, we hinge our greatest hopes on the life we believe is yet to come.

That does not mean a society does not need a justice system, but it does mean that to be Christian within a society calls one to live by different standards.

Jesus asked for forgiveness for those who killed him and discouraged those who followed him from seeking revenge for his wrongful death.

I don’t believe anyone who has taken seriously the teachings of Christ can be totally comfortable with the idea of the death penalty, if for no other reason that there might even be the slightest chance that the one being executed is, in fact, innocent. Beyond that, there is no promise in Scripture that I am aware of that God will give us peace once we avenge a wrong that has been perpetrated against us.

Interestingly, Anneliese MacPhail told reporters that she felt “kind of numb” after word came that Davis had been executed.

“All the feelings of relief and peace I’ve been waiting for all these years, they will come later,” she said. “I certainly do want some peace.”

I somehow doubt she will find it in the death of Troy Davis.

Call To Action Presentations for the Western Region

Pastor Chaney — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 23:53:32 +0000

Saturday August 27th the Western Region of the Baltimore Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church held their Call to Action training session in three locations. Here are the power points that we used.

Lay Leadership Presentation

Worship Presentation

Call to Action Overview

Small Groups Presentation

Vital Congregations Website

Pastor Chaney — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 23:46:03 +0000

Vital Congregations Web Site

The mission of The United Methodist Church is to “Make Disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” (Matt 28:18-20 & Matt 22:36-40) This mission is achieved through vital congregations that equip and empower people to be Disciples of Jesus Christ in their homes and communities around the world.

To learn more about the project, click here.

Congregational and Community Asset Mapping Tools

Pastor Chaney — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 16:07:55 +0000

At the Call to Action training on Saturday August 27^th we discussed resources to complete the Call to Action Ministry Plan (p.8) Attached you will find the Community Asset
Mapping and Congregation Asset Mapping resource.

Congregational Asset Mapping

Community Asset Mapping

Setting the Record Straight

Pastor Chaney — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 15:15:21 +0000

Setting the Record Straight

While the Call to Action does not define vitality, it assumes that a vital congregation is living out the mission of The United Methodist Church to “make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” Roberts pointed to The Book of Discipline par. 122 for “The Process for Carrying out our Mission”:

We make disciples as we:

proclaim the gospel, seek, welcome and gather persons into the body of Christ;
lead persons to commit their lives to God through baptism by water and the spirit and profession of faith in Jesus Christ;
nurture persons in Christian living through worship, the sacraments, spiritual disciplines, and other means of grace, such as Wesley’s Christian conferencing;
send persons into the world to live lovingly and justly as servants of Christ by healing the sick, feeding the hungry, caring for the stranger, freeing the oppressed, being and becoming a compassionate, caring presence, and working to develop social structures that are consistent with the gospel; and
continue the mission of seeking, welcoming and gathering persons into the community of the body of Christ.

Churches Respond to the Call to Action By Melissa Hinnen

http://gbgm-umc.org/global_news/full_article.cfm?articleid=6079

I have been coaching pastors this summer around visioning, the planning process, congregational mapping, community mapping and implementing ministries to achieve all 16 of the ministry drivers found in the Call to Action. Nothing can be achieved without a commitment to calling, equipping, nurturing and sending disciples. The pastor and congregation must be willing to develop new ministry systems and engage ministry to become more externally focused. The concept of being externally focused is a new and learned behavior for pastors who have spent many years honing their skills to focus on their congregation and keep everyone internally happy.

Death by Meeting – One Minute Coaching

Pastor Chaney — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 11:27:27 +0000

I work with a lot of churches that are in the process of intentional revitalization. This is often a strenuous exercise and commitment on the congregation that they have chosen to engage to become a vital congregation. One of the core success principles is “connect with your ministry community”.

There are some churches that are experiencing success in reconnecting to the community, energizing spiritual formation, developing new styles of worship and infusing a new sense of purpose within the congregation. This is exciting to see as pastors and congregations do a community asset map, congregational asset map, analyze Mission Insite demographics and engage in focus groups in the community.

I am also noticing another trend. There are congregations who are working on revitalization but experiencing little success, in fact many of these congregations are stagnant or still in decline. I have conducted and just completed a non scientific analysis and I have concluded that they have more administrative meetings than they have ministry gatherings.

The administrative tasks of committees are important to ordering the life of the church but ministry takes place in the small groups, community fellowships, serving the needs of those who live in our communities, worship, and sharing the Gospel with those who are far from God. I fear that too many UMC pastors are well equipped as administrative managers but not transformative congregational leaders. Administrative management is safe because we know what to expect but transformative ministry is sometimes messy and there are no road maps.

To accomplish the goals of the Call to Action and to revitalize congregations, pastors must shift from a task management style of leadership to a visionary, transformative style of leadership.

Identify and attend leadership training opportunities
Streamline your administrative tasks. Eliminate any unnecessary meetings
Reduce the number of people who are on the church council
Increase the number of leaders who participate in small groups
Ask the question, “how is this gathering going to move our congregation closer to achieving our mission and vision?” (Non life transforming meetings are not a good use of a disciple’s time)

These are just a few things that I am watching revitalizing congregations do that are working.

Making Disciples in an Emerging Culture

Musician Search

It’s Time to Move from Worship to Service

This is your official invitation

Developing a Great Staff

Let’s be clear: Christianity and the death penalty are not compatible

BY REV. ROBBIE MORGANFIELD

Call To Action Presentations for the Western Region

Vital Congregations Website

Vital Congregations Web Site

Congregational and Community Asset Mapping Tools

At the Call to Action training on Saturday August 27th we discussed resources to complete the Call to Action Ministry Plan (p.8) Attached you will find the Community Asset Mapping and Congregation Asset Mapping resource.

Congregational Asset Mapping

Community Asset Mapping

Setting the Record Straight

Death by Meeting – One Minute Coaching

At the Call to Action training on Saturday August 27^th we discussed resources to complete the Call to Action Ministry Plan (p.8) Attached you will find the Community Asset
Mapping and Congregation Asset Mapping resource.