- 'Reclaim evangelism' with Beverly Hills parish
- 'Studying Your Congregation' guide debuts on-line
- To Read: GETTING THE WORD OUT: The Alban Guide to Church Communications, by Frederick H. Gonnerman
- To Read: LET THE GLORY OF THE LORD RISE AMONG US: Growing a Church in the Heart of the City, by Greg Van Dunk
'Reclaim evangelism' with Beverly Hills parish conference August 6-7
[ENS, Los Angeles, July 20, 2004] - All Saints' Episcopal Church, Beverly Hills, will help Episcopalians "reclaim the word evangelism" at an August 6-7 conference entitled "Confident Evangelism" and designed "for liturgical churches wanting to build a strong, effective evangelism ministry."
"For many Episcopalians, evangelism is a negatively loaded word, yet paradoxically our church has more opportunities to evangelize now than in decades," notes the Rev. Carol Anderson, rector of All Saints'. "This conference is about equipping congregations for the vital ministry of evangelism to help build true Acts II churches."
Plenary sessions will include: "Catching the Wave of Episcopal Evangelism" led by Anderson; "Evangelizing Post-Modern America" by Barry Taylor, adjunct professor at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California; "Casting a Vision for a Churchwide Evangelism Ministry" by Lisa Carmichael, a Los Angeles-based management consultant; and "Equipping Your Church to Evangelize" by the Rev. Jimmy Bartz, associate at All Saints'.
Break-out sessions will include: "What You Believe About Conversion Determines How You Do Evangelism" led by Gabri Ferrer, a senior associate at All Saints'; "Small Church Evangelism" by the Rev. Dale Chrisman, vicar of St. James' Church in Taylor, Texas, and a public-relations executive; "How to Create a Culture of Evangelism" by Bartz; and "Evangelism Through Alternative Forms of Worship" by Taylor.
Taize worship, with an emphasis on evangelism, will be offered.
Cost for the weekend is $250 per person. Further details and registration information may be obtained from the parish website (http://www.allsaintsassociation.org/) or by phone (310.278.6305).
All Saints' Church is located at 504 N. Camden Drive (at Santa Monica Boulevard) in Beverly Hills.
'Studying Your Congregation' guide debuts on-line; new resource offered by Episcopal Church's congregational development office
[ENS, New York, July 20, 2004] - The overall health of a parish or mission in terms of attendance figures and giving trends for a 10-year period can be viewed on-line thanks to a new service provided by the Episcopal Church's Congregational Development Program.
Designed to reflect trends experienced by the denomination's 7,300 congregations, "Studying Your Congregation" is a guide developed by Kirk Hadaway, the Episcopal Church's director of research. Posted on the Episcopal Church's website (http://www.episcopalchurch.org/), the guide can be accessed from the home page by clicking on "Leadership Resources" and then on "Congregational Development and Support Resources."
Plans call for enhancement of the guide to include demographic information correlating to congregations and listed by zip code, Hadaway said, noting that this addition is expected in about six months.
The Rev. Charles Fulton, director of the Episcopal Church's congregational development program, said the on-line guide is the newest facet in the "20/20" churchwide conversation about congregational development with the view of doubling the Episcopal Church's present membership by the year 2020.
Note: The following titles are available from the Episcopal Book/Resource Center, 815 Second Ave., New York, NY 10017; 800.334.7626; http://www.episcopalbookstore.org/
- To Read: GETTING THE WORD OUT: The Alban Guide to Church Communications, by Frederick H. Gonnerman (Herndon, Virginia: The Alban Institute, 2003; 233 pages, $20.)
From the foreword by Martin E. Marty: "Gonnerman realistically admits that church communications have to compete for the time, attention, investment and priorities of those who might receive, contribute to, or in some other way respond to them. What Gonnerman is after is that his readers first appraise how they have communicated and then to engage in self-criticism. He shows us how to do those things. Next he encourages us to develop the skill to do better -- and he again shows how to do it. And finally, he teaches us how to present a new product."
- To Read: LET THE GLORY OF THE LORD RISE AMONG US: Growing a Church in the Heart of the City, by Greg Van Dunk (Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 2002; 93 pages; $12.95).
From the publisher: "Let the Glory of the Lord Rise Among Us" tells the story of a congregation planted and grown in the heart of the city. All Peoples Church (an Evangelical Lutheran Church in America congregation) began in 1991 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, using a building once owned by another church that closed its doors after 85 years. The average household income in the neighborhood was well below the national average. Since the start of All Peoples Church, membership, worship attendance, and giving by members have grown significantly. The support received from other individuals and congregations has also increased. The story of All Peoples Church illustrates strategies for urban ministry."
