Church Development - News Articles

Is your church looking for ways to connect with families with children in your community? Messy Church is a type of fresh expression that is having a huge impact in the UK, Canada, and Australia. Messy Church combines activities, a meal, and a brief message to bring families together to experience church who would not normally come on a Sunday morning. On Saturday April 22nd the Appalachian District and WNCC Fresh Expressions are hosting a Getting Started in Messy Church training at the Jefferson UMC (115 E. Main Street Jefferson, NC) from 9:30am to 2:30pm. This training will give you all the tools you need to start a Messy Church at your church.

Join the Uwharrie District on Saturday, May 13, 2023 from 9:30am-3pm at Hood Theological Seminary for a day of learning and dreaming about fresh expressions of the rural church. Bring a team and spend the day learning from Rev. Dr. Michael Beck, author of Fresh Expressions of the Rural Church, as we discover how Fresh Expressions can bring new life to ministry in rural areas. The day will be part teaching, part brainstorming, where you and your team will have an opportunity to work out hopes and next steps on your Fresh Expressions ideas no matter where you are in the Fresh Expressions Journey (listening, loving and serving, building community, church taking shape). Lunch is included in your registration.

Is your congregation interested in starting a dinner church? Would you like to see one in-person? Fresh Expressions Western North Carolina, Word on the Street, and the Metro District are hosting a dinner church immersion experience in Uptown Charlotte on March 30th from 10:30am to 1:30pm.

The Church Development Office, in partnership with the UM Foundation and the Reynolds Ministry Fund, is excited to offer the 4th Round of the BOTH/AND Hybrid Worship Cohort Grant in an effort to help our churches improve the quality of online worship and provide a framework for hybrid worship in preparation for a post-pandemic reality. This is a rolling grant. When you apply you will receive a response as soon as possible. Deadline to apply is January 13, 2023.

Lydia's Place, a new plant in Asheboro, celebrated in October 2022 with a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony.

What could it mean for our congregations, for our communities, if we flipped the script on how we “do church”? In this week’s episode Rev. Rob Parsons, pastor of Saluda UMC and a new church start called WithALL, shares how these two congregations are doing just that. He describes their ministry style as “church in reverse,” and for them, their ministry does not start in the sanctuary, or a food pantry, or a Facebook page – it starts in courtrooms.

Pushing the Progression of Hybrid Ministry Worship/Discipleship/Equipment/New Expressions

Register today for this webinar taking place on Thursday, August 25th on the topic "Fresh Expressions of the Rural Church".

Thank you for supporting Stuart Auditorium Renovations and the Both/And Grants for this year's Annual Conference Offering!

After careful consideration, the Office of Church Development and IT Services has determined that we will be unable to extend the Zoom licenses offered to churches during the pandemic beyond our current agreement (which runs through July 31st, 2022).

Church Leadership Two-Day Event Evangelism in the Post-Christian Context Duke Endowment Scholarship Available to Attend Dr. David Wilkinson and Family from Durham, England Long’s Chapel UMC Lake Junaluska, NC 28745 July 29th and 30th

Welcome to the 2022 Peace with Justice Sunday Pastor and Leader’s Kit. This Special Sunday kit provides a full package of ready to use resources to help your church celebrate the Peace with Justice Special Sunday and define how we give, why we give and the impact we make through connectional efforts.

With $20,000 donated by First United Methodist Church of North Wilkesboro, HHFH will break ground on its 51st home later this year!

Our Christian principles charge us to be a community of prayer and action. We are to live in the tension of piety and work. Worldwide, we continue to experience racial, ethnic, and tribal injustices that dehumanize God’s people. We are called to work towards liberation — as a spiritual and actionable practice. For this reason, the General Commission on Religion and Race invites you to participate in the Racial Justice Prayer & Action Challenge. Beginning on Juneteenth (Sunday June 19, 2022) we will post daily prayers on social media for six weeks. We’ll also include weekly challenges to help you put your prayers into action.