Helping Churches Shift from Maintenance to Mission
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What is the purpose of Mission Shaped Church?
The Church is the only institution that exists primarily for the benefit of those who are not its members according to the Rev. William Temple, the former Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury. Do our churches exist for those who do not yet know Christ? What will it take for us to be this kind of Church? Our hope is this blog will help answer this question.
Who are we?
Rev. Dr. Bill Brown
Bill is an ordained elder in The United Methodist Church and has served rural, city, and suburban churches in his 31 years of ministry. He is currently the Director of Innovative Evangelism for the Baltimore Washington Conference and is responsible for equipping our Conference to start new churches and work with congregations in need of renewal and revitalization. His passion includes helping local churches discern and implement their next faithful step. He has a Master of Divinity from Wesley Theological, a Doctor of Ministry focused in Organizational Leadership from Drew University and is an Associate Certified Coach with the International Coach Federation. Bill is married to Michelle, who grounds and humbles him; they have a daughter, Torie, who amazes and impresses him every day. When not working, you may find Bill enjoying the 3 R’s – reading, the Ravens, and running.
Rev. Lauren Harris
Lauren is an award-winning writer and itinerant elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church (A.M.E.). She served at Reid Temple A.M.E. Church in Glenn Dale, MD for over 10 years under the esteemed leadership of Rev. Dr. Lee P. Washington. She also served in Columbia, SC from 2015 to 2017 with the Rev. Carey A. Grady at Reid Chapel A.M.E. Church. Most recently, she served at Mt. Pisgah A.M.E. Church in Columbia, MD. She has a Master of Divinity from Howard University and a Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Maryland. She’s also been published in Parents magazine, Sojourners, Washington Family, Modern Loss, Gospel Today, and several others. In honor of her deceased husband, Gabriel Jones, she volunteered for Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) for five years and was a finalist in their search for a national president in 2018. Professionally, Lauren works for the Baltimore-Washington Conference of The United Methodist Church on Congregational Development.
In my role as the Director of Innovative Evangelism in the Baltimore-Washington and Peninsula-Delaware Area, I have the privilege of working with a diverse group of congregations throughout Maryland, Delaware, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia. Since we are located in an incredibly diverse region, I do get asked a lot for help with leading evangelism …
By Tom Bandy Baby Boomers (present age 60 – 78) represent a large portion of the population in Maryland and Delaware, and an even larger portion of UMC participants. However, Baby Boomer church expectations are not all alike. Consider just some of the top boomer lifestyle segments: Baltimore-Washington Peninsula-Delaware Region UMC Region …
In a world filled with billions of people, it’s easy to feel insignificant, like a single drop in an ocean too vast to impact. But history and storytelling remind us time and again of the profound influence one person can have. As I was flying home from vacation, I had the opportunity to watch the …
There is a touching documentary on Netflix called “Daughters.” It’s about a program that hosts a “Date with Daddy” dance for inmates and their daughters. The program provides coaching for inmates and their families leading up to the dance, and they provide formal attire and barber services for the men so when their daughters see …
In our last post (you can read it here), I shared the dangers and pitfalls of Transactional Evangelism, which I also refer to as “Vampire Evangelism. As United Methodists, we are called to share the love of Christ with others, not just through words but through our actions and relationships. One of the most effective …