Doing church differently
There are elements of the church that should never change. We should always come together to worship. We should always come together to devote ourselves to a deeper understanding of what God has revealed in His word. We should always come together to encourage one another on this challenging and awe-inspiring journey called life.
The church has been adapting to the culture around it for thousands of years. The early church met in homes because that is all they had. In years gone by, there were no computers, no internet, no social media (many of you may long for those days). Today technology is simply part of our reality. The internet has been the source of much pain via its ability to unite fallen humanity in ways we would never have dreamed possible. The world and its values, its false views on life and its never-ending lust for more, has found a willing partner and advocate in this new cyber world. But we too can harness this new technology in making Jesus famous around the globe. Churches in the Dakotas Conference are embracing culture shifts and doing church in our very diverse and complex calling. Here are some video snapshots about doing church differently.
Waffle Church: Waffle Worship is a worship service / feed the hungry / community outreach / reach new people event which began last year at Canyon Lake UMC in Rapid City, SD. This video highlights one of the services, including waffles, fruit, Goldfish communion and multiple baptisms. See the excitement of those who are reaching out to encounter the Spirit.
Renewing Lives in Kenmare: In Kenmare, ND, hearts and minds are opening to the Spirit in the town square. A church is growing from the center of town and reaching new people of every age.
Churches Alive: From one charge became two independent churches. The Salem-Montrose charge underwent a breakthrough transformation when Montrose decided to take on their pastor full-time, and the Salem United church closed and reopened with a new name, new people, and a new vision. Both transformations were dependent on each other, and growth is clear in each of the "new" congregations.
Learn and dream about more ways of doing church differently at this year’s annual conference in Sioux Falls, SD, June 7-9, 2018. We will:
- See videos and hear stories about places throughout the Dakotas Conference where the holy spirit is breaking through.
- Celebrate churches that are making a difference through the One Matters and Multiplication Matters awards.
- Learn from Rev. Olu Brown, lead pastor at Impact Church, a growing congregation near Alanta, GA. With Olu’s vision and leadership, since its founding in 2007, Impact has grown from a core team of 25 people to more than 1,800 attendees each Sunday, making it one of the fastest growing United Methodist Churches (UMC) and new church starts in the United States. Olu strongly believes in an active church, one that makes a meaningful impact in the lives of individuals and communities. Rev. Brown has written Zero to 80: Innovative Ideas for Planting and Accelerating ChurchGrowth (2010), Leadership Directions from Moses: On the Way to a Promised Land (2017), and was a contributor to Flipping Church: How Successful Church Planters are Turning Conventional Wisdom Upside-Down (2016).
