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
From Ghana to Kentucky: How One Pastor Learned to Abide in Christ
On a Sunday afternoon in early December, Rev. Foster Frimpong, the founder of Co-Heirs with Christ Missions in Lexington, KY, was ordained while participants looked on over Zoom. This would be an unorthodox way of conducting such a process in any other year, but for 2020, it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary and still marked a milestone for … Continue reading From Ghana to Kentucky: How One Pastor Learned to Abide in Christ
New Church Summit convened
On August 19th through the 21st, 2020, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) convened a New Church Summit to strategize about the future of the Disciples’ New Church Movement over the coming decade in light of current realities and next normals. This three-day virtual event was hosted by Pastor Terrell L McTyer, Minister of New Church … Continue reading New Church Summit convened
Doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly together in Des Moines
The New Church Ministry team met Rev. Debbie Griffin, the Senior Minister of Downtown Disciples, last summer at General Assembly (GA). Since the pastor’s congregation is based in Des Moines, IA, it offered worship services, hosted pre-assembly activities for general ministries, prepared a meal for regional ministers, and chaired the local GA mission committee. All of that as a … Continue reading Doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly together in Des Moines