wfn.org | Partnerships strengthen African-American churches

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.ORG>]

Feb. 19, 2002  News media contact: Linda Green7(615)742-54707Nashville,
Tenn.     10-31-71B{061}

By Linda Green*

HOUSTON (UMNS) - African-American United Methodist churches across the
United States seeking spiritual vitality, evangelistic growth and
transformation are partnering with other congregations to find new direction
and commitments to ministry and mission.

Partner congregations are hallmarks of the Strengthening the Black Church
for the 21st Century Initiative. The United Methodist initiative offers an
opportunity for vibrant growing congregations to provide mentoring to other
churches seeking to become more effective in ministry. 

Through covenant relationships between partner congregations and
congregation resource centers, the "vision of SBC-21 is to leave a legacy of
churches thriving with heartfelt worship, vital preaching and teaching,
strong clergy-laity partnerships and vital ministries that impact the
communities of our nation," said Cheryl Stevenson, coordinator of the
initiative.

Approved by the 1996 General Conference and continued in 2000 for four more
years, the initiative is working to revitalize the more than 2,500
African-American congregations in the denomination. Its governing committee
develops programs and strategies to help predominantly black United
Methodist congregations become more effective in their communities.

Partner congregations have covenanted with other churches, designated as
congregation resource centers, to plan for future ministers, increase church
membership, become more effective in worship and outreach ministries, and
get lay leadership more involved in the total life of the congregation. By
the end of 2004, each of the 20 congregation resource centers is to have
held training events for teams of lay and clergy from local churches. The
partner congregations use the centers' expertise to help strengthen weak
areas of ministry. The centers are spread throughout the nation in urban,
suburban and rural communities, with church memberships ranging from 150 to
14,000. 

Partner churches were a focus of the initiative's coordinating committee
during its Feb. 15-17 meeting in Houston. The committee discussed ways to
help congregation resource centers more effectively meet the diverse needs
of partner congregations and support training, mentoring and nurturing
partner churches.  

The committee learned that Eastwick United Methodist Church, a new
congregation resource center in Philadelphia, had taken the initiative to a
new level. Lay people from Eastwick United Methodist Church and lay people
from predominantly white First United Methodist Church in Fairless Hills,
Pa., participated in spiritual leadership training sessions led by the Rev.
Helen Fleming, pastor at Eastwick.

As both churches participated in the training sessions, "we began to know
each other racially and culturally," Fleming said. She was asked to lead in
the development of a new congregation in a multiethnic and multicultural
community. Because Eastwick was building a relationship with First Church,
she invited the Fairless Hills members to support the venture. The
congregations worked to restore a church that had been closed by the annual
conference for six months. That joint effort culminated in last September's
grand opening of the Sharon Hills Christian Center United Methodist Church. 

"This new church start venture, Sharon Hills Center United Methodist Church,
is strengthening the black church's skills in leadership and in race
reconciliation as we develop this multicultural and multiethnic congregation
in this diverse community," Fleming said. "Eastwick is excited about having
the opportunity to start a new church in ministry." 

Since the initiative's inception, 400 partner congregations have been
assisted, and congregations willing to look at every facet of their ministry
have been strengthened, Stevenson said. Referring to Acts 4:32 in the Bible,
which notes that all believers are one in mind and heart, she said, "pastors
and laity must have one heart and one mind as they work together to
revitalize their congregations and communities."  

Through the initiative, partner congregations work together "to clearly
understand why they are doing what they are doing in ministry. Pastor and
laity of partner churches have the spirit of the Lord in their hearts as
they seek God's preferred future for their church," she said.   

A congregation wanting to become a partner church under the initiative must
demonstrate openness to change; express a desire to develop clergy and lay
leadership; show willingness to give prayer, time, talent, resources and
energy to the process; position itself strategically for mission; and
covenant to share learning experiences with other congregations, the larger
United Methodist Church and the initiative itself.

The Rev. Donald Jenkins expressed excitement about ministry in the 21st
century after he and two teams from Saint Paul United Methodist Church in
Winston-Salem, N.C., attended training sessions at Saint Mark United
Methodist Church in Wichita, Kan.  

"We have been blessed richly," Jenkins said, writing on behalf of the teams.
The experiences and partnership with Saint Mark encouraged the team members
to "believe that spiritual and numeric growth is possible," he said. They
were inspired to clarify God's vision and mission for their churches and
develop a set of core values that have guided their work, he wrote.

Jenkins said he and the Saint Paul teams returned to the congregation
committed to sharing what they learned, recommending plans of action,
communicating constantly and evaluating progress. "We could not have a
better resource center than Saint Mark," he wrote. "Our leaders believe that
transformation can happen, and we are committed to seeing it happen, even in
Winston-Salem."

In other actions, the coordinating committee:
7	Further developed ways of evaluating training events to ensure that
the needs of the partner congregations are met.
7	Continued planning the March 8-10 summit of congregation resource
centers in Atlanta.
7	Began working on evaluating the effectiveness of the initiative's
plan of action for follow-up recommendations and reporting to the 2004
General Conference.
7	Implemented communication strategies to increase awareness of
Strengthening the Black Church, its accomplishments and further mission.
7	Visited Windsor Village United Methodist Church, a congregation
resource center, to experience first-hand its appeal and its cooperative
ministries and activities.

# # #

*Green is news director of United Methodist News Service's Nashville, Tenn.,
office.

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United Methodist News Service
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