November 2023

New Church: A Canadian perspective

Lately, my energy has been low. I’m spread too thin. I’ve been judged harshly. My boundaries have been challenged. There are a lot of changes in life, but not enough of the kind of changes I really need. But at Leadership Academy, something shifted. I was able to breathe more deeply. To feel more connected to something greater. Just hearing the names of some of the new expressions of church was exciting: “coffee church” – a faith community for people not interested in traditional religious vocabulary or practices; a “not church” that inspires curiosity and gives encouragement for each person’s spiritual journey, whatever that looks like; dinner church through justloveyourneighbor.org; ekklesialove.com; and The Table: a Community for Spiritual Refugees.

I need to spend time with open-minded people who are willing to think outside the box, willing to build new boxes, in new shapes. Sugarbush Christian Church is the first place of worship I’ve attended that has an ethos of curiosity and learning, where questioning is expected. People are loved and encouraged. There are no worries about having to compartmentalize yourself or present a good image. The message is love. We break into discussion groups each week and share deeply. We feel known but change and growth are expected. Read more.
Wendelin Galatianos,
Sugarbush Church,
Guelph, Ontario, Canada
 
 
Learn more about DisciplesNEXT at our upcoming IMPACT webinar

When the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada reached the two-decade goal of “starting 1,000 churches in 1,000 different ways,” we might have relished celebrating our achievements. But 2020 was also marked by a racial reckoning, a climate crisis, and a global pandemic. Meanwhile, the work of the 2020 Vision was far from complete. So, New Church Ministry began shaping a framework for the future, informed by the crises of the day, yet based on Disciples fundamentals: our identity, vision, and mission. Join us for our next IMPACT episode on Wednesday, December 6 from 3:00 – 4:00 PM EST for a candid conversation between Rev. Dr. Jose Martinez, Minister of New Church Strategies, and Rev. Wesley King, Program Coordinator, about DisciplesNEXT. In the webinar, they will discuss how this new framework offers a methodology to train leaders as movement initiators that form faithful communities, and how it can help move the Church forward. Sign up.
     
    Leadership Academy: Changing the architecture of the church through DisciplesNEXT

    Iconic North American architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s “church of the future” proved a fitting setting to introduce     DisciplesNEXT, a framework for church growth in a pandemic-informed ministry context.
    The three-day Leadership Academy, a hybrid event held at Kansas City, MO’s historic Community Christian Church in late October, drew more than 50 participants, including clergy, laity, and regional ministry leaders, with designs on starting, growing, or reimagining congregational ministry for today’s context. The event was led by the New Church Ministry team of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
    Clergy and laity gathered online and in person to explore DisciplesNEXT’s core competencies: contemplative action, prophetic advocacy, and faith-rooted organizing to expand the Disciples witness. The new framework claims the best of the Disciples’ identity and history as a “movement for wholeness” even as it seeks to counter the church’s historic tendency to colonize as a means of growth.
    “I’m taking a lot of tools with me, including not only how to be a leader inside my congregation, but in my community,” said Victor Perez, a member of Casa de Refugio Christian Church in Covina, CA. “Leadership Academy is taking us outside of our comfort zone, outside of the four walls of our church.” Read more.
       
      To access the full Water the Plants prayer list, become a prayer intercessor, or submit a prayer request, visit our website.
       
       
      Where We're Going


      11/ 23 – 11/24 | American Thanksgiving office closure
      12/ 13 – 12/14 | All-staff meeting


      What We're Thinking About


      Becoming Antiracist