“Have you seen the movie Luca?” Rev. Pedro Ramos Goycolea Rev. Pedro Ramos Goycolea, the pastor of Comunidad Limen Christian Church, was trying to find the right words that would describe the ministry of his emerging community of faith. As the organizer of the first official Latinx, Spanish-speaking, open and affirming congregation in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), … Continue reading Finding faith and community in the margins with Comunidad Limen
Your Pentecost Offering Gifts Boost Ministry to Folks in Springfield, MO
The Connecting Grounds (TCG) has always been a Disciples congregation, it just didn’t know it. That’s what Christie Love’s good friend, a Disciples of Christ pastor, told her when she called in the middle of June 2020. TCG’s landlord had just informed the new Springfield, MO, congregation that it must move or end its ministry doing … Continue reading Your Pentecost Offering Gifts Boost Ministry to Folks in Springfield, MO
How the church can respond to sexual assault
A condensed version of this post appeared in the April issue of the New Church Know-It-All. “Every 68 seconds an American is Sexually Assaulted,” according to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN). The Canadian Women’s Foundation reports that sexual assault occurs at a rate of 22 incidents per 1,000 people aged 15 and … Continue reading How the church can respond to sexual assault
Understanding God and the church at the Water the Plants Prayer Summit
In her teaching on the spiritual discipline of prayer at the recent Water the Plants Prayer Summit, Rev. Dr. Martha Brown, a member of the Board of Directors for Disciples Church Extension Fund (DCEF), recounted the story of Jacob to both returning and first-time attendees of the Water the Plants initiative’s prayer-focused virtual event. As Rev. Dr. Martha told it, … Continue reading Understanding God and the church at the Water the Plants Prayer Summit
“We’ve got some work to do.” Increasing accessibility through ASL
For the past few years, New Church Ministry has worked hard to make its services accessible to Disciples across the United States and Canada. It has provided Pentecost Offering resources in different languages, including Korean, Spanish, and French. The ministry has recorded all of its New Church Hacks episodes so that people who can’t be present at the time can view … Continue reading “We’ve got some work to do.” Increasing accessibility through ASL
Finding a path to God with Ekklesia Global
Michelle Beech lives and works in Spartanburg, South Carolina. In her words, that’s not where she’s from, but that’s where God has her now. Due to her father’s career as a minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), she’s lived all over the United States. So it’s fitting that her new community of faith, Ekklesia Global, … Continue reading Finding a path to God with Ekklesia Global
What a congregation for those impacted by incarceration can teach the church about welcoming all
Rev. Dr. Louis Threatt never thought he’d be a pastor. But that changed when he became a prison chaplain in North Carolina, where he noticed a disconnect between church and prison. In a recent video call with New Church Ministry, Rev. Dr. Louis tells us that there’s both a lack of prison ministries and congregations doing … Continue reading What a congregation for those impacted by incarceration can teach the church about welcoming all
Navigating death, intimacy, and the palpable nature of online church with Rev. Orlando Scott
New Church Ministry’s interview with Rev. Orlando Scott started later than expected. As a chaplain at Northside Hospital in Lawrenceville and Duluth, Ga., he had just spent time in comfort care with a dying patient and her boyfriend, who had been brought down from another floor. Rev. Orlando is busy turning on lamps in his … Continue reading Navigating death, intimacy, and the palpable nature of online church with Rev. Orlando Scott
Water the Plants hears from new church movement supporters at inaugural Prayer Summit
The Water the Plants initiative was born out of New Church Ministry’s vision to support new church plants within the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Because our ministry seeks to train, equip, assist, and multiply emerging and affiliating congregations and leaders, we understand that supporting them is essential. So, in July of last year, our team started Water the Plants. … Continue reading Water the Plants hears from new church movement supporters at inaugural Prayer Summit
You never know what’s going to happen with Kesh ‘Oved Faith Ministries
What makes a new church unique? How can Disciples do church the new way? The answers are as diverse as the congregations in formation across the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada. But one thing is common: launching a new place of worship is difficult. It's especially difficult in the middle … Continue reading You never know what’s going to happen with Kesh ‘Oved Faith Ministries