Romans 12 Newsletter Issue #127 May 10, 2012 The Love Feast Fairmount Avenue United Methodist Church is a medium sized congregation in St. Paul, Minnesota. Covenant Discipleship groups have been part of their ministry of accountable discipleship since 2007. Currently approximately 45 people participate in several Covenant Discipleship groups. Each group develops a covenant that [...]

          The message at the congregation I attend in Chicago was somewhat of a salve from the events at General Conference.  The senior minister said, “The image of God’s ability to turn the boxing ring into the welcome table is the embodiment of Christ at the Lord’s Supper.”  What a perfect [...]

“Creativity is dangerous….It’s pleasure is not the comfort of the safe harbor, but rather the thrill of the reaching sail!” – Robert Grudin Last night’s worship service was “EMBARK.”  It was the culmination of the “Goal-Setting Challenge” issued by the Vital Congregations Project through the Council of Bishops and the Connectional Table for every congregation [...]

        My friend Carmen, led the call to worship at a COSROW’s 40th Birthday Worship service yesterday and in the call, she screamed out in her native tongue, calling upon the Holy Spirit.  Soon after she began, another Filipina woman started calling upon the Holy Spirit and another one stood up boldly [...]

          Here is a story that was submitted via the Vital Congregations website of a church moving towards health and vitality.  Read about this congregation from Atlanta, GA. Another story of a vital congregation: Saint Mark was founded in 1875. Situated in midtown Atlanta they had been a vital congregation for [...]

“Among the questions posed by this memory is whether the institutionalization of the vast and global UMC can be a movement in any sense of the word, or whether it is inevitably an institution with out any movement qualities remaining.” -Mary Elizabeth Mulino Moore (The United Methodist Church at 40: What Can We Hope For? [...]

I have been sitting in the General Administration Legislation thinking about what it means for a system to support congregational vitality.  I wonder about the congregations who benefit from the work of the connection.  I wonder about the congregations who benefit from the organizational system and I wonder about those who do not.  And I [...]

“We fish for those that look like us!” – Bishop Larry Goodpastor (Opening Worship at General Conference 2012) They told me it would be an incredible experience to participate in the opening worship of General Conference.  I don’t think I understood the fullness of what they were talking about.  I had the honor and privilege [...]

8 Essentials for Conferences Last December, at the launch of the Route 122 Network, these transformation keys were presented. All 8 need to be in place for an annual conference to lead the transformation of congregations. * Focus on the Transforming Grace of Jesus Christ * Apostolic Leadership * Conference Alignment on Missional Focus * [...]

“Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of [...]