Photo of a person with their hand on the shoulder of another person

Junius B. Dotson says that church outreach has generally taken the form of community service or evangelistic efforts. But real missional engagement entails the building of authentic, organic, and consistent relationships that lead to intentional discipleship.
 
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Photo of a church funeral. CREDIT_ Pool _ Roll Call Photos Inc. _ Newscom _ Universal Images Group. Rights Managed
 
Sarah Dorrance describes the pastoral challenge of helping surviving family members who do not attend church to understand that a Christian funeral is appropriate for a deceased relative who was an active church member. In this situation, a church funeral honors the faith life of the departed saint and is an outreach to friends and family who may not have been in church for a long time, if ever.

The Right Question
Leaders do not need answers. Leaders must have the right questions. 

In his book on evangelism, New Wine, New Wineskins: How African American Congregations Can Reach New Generations, Lewis Center Director Doug Powe suggests that churches seeking to reach new people as themselves these questions:
 
Are you merely a drive-in-for-Sunday-service-and Bible-study congregation?
Is your congregation willing to create a space for those who are truly seeking a relationship with God?
How consistent is your witness in the community?

Adult Education Studies from the Lewis Center for Church Leadership
New at the Lewis Center: Adult Education Studies

The Lewis Center is the new home of the Wesley Ministry Network -- video-based ecumenical studies that encourage energetic discussion and personal reflection. Ideal for your congregation's small groups, adult Bible studies, and Sunday School classes, courses include lessons on DVD, Leader's Guides, Participant's Guides, and more.

Follow _TakeTheNextStep on Twitter and Facebook
Follow "Take the Next Step" Events on Social Media
September 28 and 29, Washington, DC
 
We'll be live tweeting the Take the Next Step events honoring Dr. Lovett H. Weems, Jr., and we invite you to follow along at #TakeTheNextStep on Twitter and Facebook. The celebratory dinner is tomorrow from 7-8:30 p.m. Eastern time, and the symposium is Friday from 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Eastern. We encourage you to add your own posts and comments honoring Dr. Weems' many contributions in leading the church to greater fruitfulness.
Quotable Leadership

I learned that disputes among the faithful, although usually fought with polite words, can be as acrimonious in their language as a street brawl.
 
Pauli Murray
50 Ways to Increase Active Engagement
50 Ways to Increase Active Engagement
 
Strong and growing congregations typically have a very high percentage of people who are actively involved in learning, serving, and leading. These 50 tips will help your congregation increase active engagement.
Taking Clergy Mentoring to the Next Level Video Tool Kit

Clergy mentors indicate overwhelmingly that they need more training for their task. Mentees value mentoring but also indicate that their mentors need more resourcing for this important responsibility. Taking Clergy Mentoring to the Next Level is designed for clergy mentors who wish to prepare for a ministry of mentoring. Available in Group Training and Individual Study versions.


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