Bill Englebreth, the pastor of Moore’s Chapel UMC in Charlotte, North Carolina has shared a sermon on Passionate Worship. There has been a good response from his congregation, and hopefully it can be of use to others. The sermon touches on two passages: Psalm … Continue reading →

Rev. Bruce Colella has shared his copy of the bulletin for the Wesley Covenant Service he used during his first two years at Esther UMC. He feel there is so much to be gained by remembering our Wesleyan roots.  There is a … Continue reading →

When Bishop Robert Schnase began thinking about writing a book on congregational effectiveness and excellence, he focused on finding the right word to describe the practical and theological nature of a successful congregation. Schnase’s research and testing led him to … Continue reading →

Pam Ekey has written an article entitle “Change of Attitude Can Lead to a Revitalized Church“. Please take a look and a read this through provoking feature on church revitalization.

This document is a compliation of workshop notes taken by Rev. Brad Bartelmay of New Buffalo First UMC. He attended a seminar with members of his congregation who found it inspiring. He merged notes from the seminar with his own and wanted to share. … Continue reading →

For a bigger congregation, it might not be so amazing, but for two small churches in southeast Missouri, recent changes have been incredibly fruitful. “Our little church at Steele [Mo.] has decided it wants to grow,” said the Rev. Jan … Continue reading →

Jan Dillard: Steele and Cooter UMCs E-mail: pastorjan@bpsnetworks.com Our churches are, as many churches are, small, and we need to utilize our somewhat limited human and financial resources wisely and with respect for what we can do without running low; … Continue reading →

These friends and colleagues have spent time in conversation and training with Bishop Robert Schnase about the Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations. They have graciously made themselves available to speak, teach, or lead gatherings of pastors or laypersons at conference, district, or retreat events as their time and schedules permit. Continue reading →

Cokesbury now has Five Practices of Fruitful Congregation bookmarks available. The bookmarks come in packages of 25 and are a very reasonable price. Order Online!

Franklin Gillis has developed a participant’s study guide to go with the Leaders guide, and also a survey in correlation with the Five Practices. He administered the survery following the six week study he led at Bon Air UMC in Richmond. This information was then shared … Continue reading →