New Church Development to offer four workshops designed to help you do something new in 2021

It’s a New Year! It’s time to do new things!

New Church of the North Alabama Conference has four workshops designed to help you do something new in 2021.

New Church desires to partner with you and is providing this training at the low cost of $25 per workshop for individuals or $100 for church staffs (invite as many team members as you would like). You select which pricing model works best for you. Please note: *Due to Covid-19, all trainings will be via Zoom.*

Workshop 1: Steeple to Street: A New Kind of Local Church for A New Kind of World

Feb. 11, 2021
9:30 a.m.- 3:30 p.m. (CST)
*Virtual on Zoom

This workshop will equip you to try new approaches to reach new people. Reverend Matt Lake and Reverend Michael Beck employ very different methods, but their congregations are finding new life. They will explore the theological underpinnings for becoming a new kind of local church, as well as share practical tools, practices, and processes to help local congregations cultivate a new future.

Workshop 2: Discernment Academy: How Will God Use You to Do Something New?

Wednesday, May 12 and Thursday, May 13, 2021
9 a.m. - 12 p.m. (CST)
*Virtual on Zoom

Have you ever thought about planting something new? Whether it be a new church, a new service, or a new gathering to reach new people, this is the workshop for you. Reverend Rachel Gilmore from Path One and Reverend Matt Temple from First United Methodist Church of Williamsport, PA will help pastors learn more about themselves and their leadership styles in order to develop a vision for their ideal ministry and setting.

Workshop 3: Starting a New Worship Service

Thursday, August 12, 2021
9-11 a.m.(CST)
*Virtual on Zoom

Ready to relaunch or launch something new post-Covid? Launching a New Worship Community is a new book coming out this summer by Paul Nixon and Craig Gilbert and a dozen other voices from around Methodism. It contains thirty-two short how-to chapters for pastors, worship leaders and other team members who should be involved in launching well a worship service. Paul Nixon is a UMC elder who pastored Gulf Breeze United Methodist Church in the Alabama-West Florida Conference. Gulf Breeze added 1300 professions of faith during Paul’s tenure. Additionally, Paul served as the Director of Church Development, overseeing net membership gains, correlated with a blitz of new worship communities. Paul has coached hundreds of pastors in the US and UK.

Workshop 4: Laity Church Planting

Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021
10-11 a.m. (CST)
w/self-paced follow-up sessions to be announced.
*Virtual on Zoom

This training will help laity discern their call to plant something new (a fresh expression of church, a new service, a missional community, a satellite campus of an existing church, etc.) and equip them to lead a new faith community. A key component of the training underscores the importance of laity-clergy partnership in forming new faith communities. Bener Agtarap, Executive Director of Path1, and Doug Ruffle, Director of Church Planting Resources will lead participants in an interactive learning process to address the “why” of planting new faith communities.

For questions or more information about any of these workshops or more New Church opportunities, contact Executive Director of New Church Rev. Suzanne Katschke at suzanne.katschke@umcna.org.