Igniting Ministry: Building a Ministry Takes the Right Tools by Steve Horswill-Johnston A church's faithful lifetime ministry includes welcoming, inviting, and discipling — plus maintaining a strong community identity. Focusing music, Scripture, sermon, and liturgy on a single weekly theme helps a local church build upon those ministry principles. Similarly, a thematic approach to total church life responds to the needs of members of the community who are invited —particularly "unchurched" people who lack a permanent relationship with a congregation. Accustomed to being bombarded with media messages, such people might find a single sermon insufficient to make a point. The welcoming, nonjudgmental atmosphere of thematic church life opens up discipling opportunities and helps prepare worshipers for their everyday challenges. Sounds like a good idea, but where can thematic elements to integrate into church life be found? What elements beyond sermons are available and appropriate? How can time-tested principles integrate into a modern-day venue, offering consistency along with innovation? ToolKit 1-2-3, a new joint venture between the General Board of Discipleship and United Methodist Communications (UMCom), can help. This subscription service, with three issues per year, keeps churches up to date on the latest resources, interpreting, reflecting, packaging, and projecting weekly themes in many ways. ToolKit 1-2-3 supplements resources of The United Methodist Church's Igniting Ministry effort, the centerpiece of which is a series of national cable TV advertisements, and integrates into that effort. Designed specifically for the local church, ToolKit 1-2-3 provides three easy steps toward a worshiping, welcoming media presence: Worship Tools include seven steps for building thematic worship services with weekly sermon outlines, calls to worship, litanies, hymn/song suggestions, worship graphics, and bulletin covers. Welcoming, Inviting, and Discipling Tools share practical tips and ideas from experts to help a church develop and sustain a welcoming, inviting, and discipling ministry. Media Tools provide advertising resources and practical tips on implementing a media presence in the local community. Each ToolKit also includes the latest Igniting Ministry TV ads; current radio spots; newspaper, outdoor, direct-mail door hangers and advertising slicks (all on CD); worship and web graphics; bulletin covers and a mini-viewbook displaying all the latest non-broadcast advertising. SpiritFilms (short stories for spiritual growth) in VHS format and information on printing services are also included. Igniting Ministry was launched in 2000 by United Methodist Communications to use modern technology and the common language of television to spread the good news of Christ to people seeking meaning and purpose in their lives. For more information on ToolKit 1-2-3 or on Igniting Ministry, contact the Igniting Ministry offices, 1-877-281-6535, or order online: www.ignitingministry.org. • • • Steve Horswill-Johnston, Senior Executive, UMCom Productions, is Executive Director of the Igniting Ministry Media Campaign.

| Walking the Way Jesus Walked | A Gift of Hope to the Church Down Under | Team Building God's Way: Hand Picked |Not in Our Church! | Igniting Ministry | Upcoming Events |New Resources for Small-Group Ministries | A Journey of Faith Home | Evangelism Home | Discipleship Ministries Home |