 |
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
Our services are funded by your generous support of the World Service Fund, through the sale of products & services, and through individual gifts. Learn more about our stewardship. Content reproducible for church use with our permission. Learn How |
|||||||||
|
News
(San Diego, Calif., August 7, 2006) -- The primary role of pastoral leadership is to cast the vision, a generational studies expert told church leaders at the School of Congregational Development meeting in San Diego. "It doesn’t stop there. There is a feedback loop. You are going to listen to the community. Vision changes as it meets the context of the community," said Craig Miller, director of the center for evangelism through new congregational development and specialist in generational studies at The General Board of Discipleship in Nashville. Miller was a presenter for the School of Congregational Development, held August 3-8 at the Town and Country Resort and Convention Center in San Diego. Miller is an ordained elder in the California-Pacific Annual Conference and the author of four books about generational studies including, Next Church. Now: Creating New Faith Communities. During the session on key trends in congregational development, Miller suggested that church leaders "create a climate for innovation; identify and develop leaders; know their context; and create disciple-making faith communities." "A faith community is created when a worship experience is tied to a discipleship system," Miller said. The School of Congregational Development is designed to assist churches in creating and developing disciple-making faith communities. Leaders learned the importance of creating a healthy leadership core to deal with appointments and the importance of embracing shared leadership. They were told that the relationships in the leadership group shape the ministry of the whole congregation and that churches can develop leaders by using the Wesleyan Means of Grace. The General Board of Discipleship's mission is to support annual conference and local church leaders for their task of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. An agency of the United Methodist Church, The General Board of Discipleship is located at 1908 Grand Avenue in Nashville, Tennessee. For more information, call the Media Relations Office toll-free at 877- 899-2780, ext. 7017.
This article was written by Jeanette Pinkston, Media Relations Director for the General Board of Discipleship. Please also see these related articles:
|
