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 →

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 →

When the Rev. David Bennett invited the new bishop to preach at Kirkwood UMC in January 2005, he had no idea the congregation would be getting in on the ground floor of an approach to ministry that would change the … Continue reading →

Nathan Mattox: Morris, Oklahoma First UMC E-mail: morrisokumc@yahoo.com A couple laywomen in our congregation noticed that our little town of 1500 didn’t host a farmer’s market, though many in the community are involved in agriculture.  They asked the pastor if our … Continue reading →

Last summer, the staff of St. John’s UMC in Austin, Texas, read and studied Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations together. Intentionally focusing on the five practices led staff members to ask themselves how St. John’s could improve in each of … Continue reading →

Katie Dawson: First UMC Marengo E-mail: pastor@firstumcmarengo.org I’m working on incorporating some of the Five Practices ideas into a sermon series for the fall.  We are going to be focusing on going "back to the basics" of what it means to … Continue reading →

Matt Evans: Greater Heights UMC (Clayton, NC) E-mail: pastor@greaterheightsumc.com The Five Practices of Fruitfull Congregations has been a great blessing to our new congregation.  We are a new congregation (started November, 2007) just outisde of Raleigh that is presently meeting … Continue reading →

This spring the North Texas Conference was introduced to Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations through an introductory workshop held in each district. The Rev. Fred Durham, Director of Connectional Ministries, led the sessions. “I did a basic introduction and an … Continue reading →

Question: Is the Intentional Faith Development formulation broad enough? The Crosstalk adult Sunday school class at University UMC, Gateway Central has studied and discussed the Five Practices some time ago.  We recently focused on how these congregational practices apply to … Continue reading →