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"UNITED METHODIST DAILY NEWS" by SUSAN PEEK on Aug. 11, 1991 at 13:58 Eastern,
about FULL TEXT RELEASES FROM UNITED METHODIST NEWS SERVICE (3451 notes).

Note 3450 by UMNS on Feb. 24, 1997 at 16:21 Eastern (4000 characters).

SEARCH: Pathways, Upper Room, initiative, network, leadership
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CONTACT: Linda Green                              96(10-71B){3450}
         Nashville, Tenn. (615) 742-5470             Feb. 24, 1997

Upper Room launches initiative 
to connect church leaders

by Heather Peck*

     A new Christian initiative to help lay and clergy church
leaders become better connected with one another and become more
effective guides for the spiritual life of their congregations has
been developed by The Upper Room.
     The Pathways Network, launched Feb. 10, is an
interdenominational and international ministry created to support,
supply and strengthen church leaders. It provides connections for
church leaders as well as special events, conferences and
resources designed to nurture spiritual leaders for local church
ministries. 
     The Upper Room, a unit of the United Methodist Board of
Discipleship, is an interdenominational and international
publisher of Christian books and magazines.
     According to the Rev. J. Steven Harper, director of the
Pathways Network, the initiative is not just another program, but
is "a means of supporting spiritual leaders who want to pray,
dialogue and work toward renewal in the church." He said because
the "local congregation is the primary context in which faith
formation occurs," leaders "naturally" move from their own
personal spirituality into a vocation of guidance and disciple-
making that builds up the body of Christ. "Pathways focuses on the
development of this kind of spiritual leadership," Harper said.
     The "heart and soul" of the Pathways Network is a quarterly
mailing containing a leader-oriented newsletter, practical notes
for implementing the initiative in the local church and materials
designed specifically for the spiritual development of leaders.
Additional mailings will provide complimentary "Pathways in
Spiritual Growth" resources to network members.
     The Pathways Network also provides access to a special
members-only area within the Upper Room Web site on the Internet.
     The web site, available to the public, contains daily
meditations from the Upper room magazine and information for
leaders, including reviews of other ministries and resources.
     The Pathways member area on the Internet includes a regular
column for leaders, selections from classical Christian writings,
a bulletin-board section where network members can be in dialogue
with each other, live forums with spiritual leaders and additional
leader-oriented materials from various sources.
     Beyond the network, the larger Pathways initiative includes
learning events and resources.
     An annual conference gathers spiritual leaders from around
the world and focuses on topics of need and interest to them.
Other Pathways conferences, workshops and retreats are held
throughout the year.
     The "Pathways in Spiritual Growth" resources are targeted to
two areas: the personal spiritual life of the leader and small-
group resources that can be used in congregational ministry. The
Rev. Marjorie Thompson, a co-director in the Pathways initiative,
is developing a foundational spiritual formation resource for
small groups in the church.
     "Pathways is a deep answer to prayer," said the Rev. Flora
Slosson Wuellner, author of several Christian books and a charter
member of Pathways. "So many of us in Christian leadership
remember decades of widespread indifference to spiritual renewal 
.. Pathways unfolds a depth of guidance and renewal, centered in

the transforming love of God through Jesus Christ."
     For more information about Pathways, visit The Upper Room
home page at www.upperroom.org/pathways or contact Harper at (615)
340-7110.
                              #  #  #

     * Peck is the communications coordinator for the Upper Room.

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