FOUNDATIONS OF LAUNCHING & LEADING MOVEMENTS |
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True ministry begins not with giving but with receiving. We need to be filled up before we have anything to give to others.”
Joshua Choonmin Kang in Deep-Rooted In Christ
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“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished, and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”
Acts 4:13 NIV
We live in times of low expectations. Institutions, organizations, and individuals that previously commanded respect, are now met with suspiciousness. Some of our highest profile positions in government, corporations, and the church are filled with people of questionable character and instead of demanding accountability, we simply lower our ethical standards or spend time defending and deflecting attention from the poor character.
Even in our churches, our expectations are often dampened. Most churches no longer expect the supernatural, the powerful, the unexplainable, or a new spiritual awakening. We work hard to be “decent” but don’t understand that we are created to be “dynamic”.
No pastor intentionally wants to lead a church that isn’t dynamic, does not produce fruit, and is declining. No church member desires community irrelevance and spiritual impotence. Yet, this is often the unstated expectation for churches. Unhealthiness becomes the “status quo”.
This is not what Jesus died for. Jesus died so that we could have communities that are hosts for the presence and power of the Holy Spirit and instruments of God’s grace. Religion, detached from the presence of God, becomes drudgery. It has been said that discipline without desire is drudgery. That is, to feel obligated to God without a deep love for God is a heavy burden, that Jesus came to lift (Mt 11: 28-30).
Jesus came to challenge the status quo of first century Palestine and every generation after that who have developed low expectations. Jesus explicitly states that he came so that we may have “Life and life more abundantly”. Abundant life is what we are created to experience. Jesus would talk about his movement as “The Kingdom”. Jesus would teach his disciples to expect to do even greater things than what he did in their midst (John 14: 12). Jesus teaches that the only way to participate in ongoing fruitfulness is through connection with Him (Jn 15:5). Fruitfulness is a metaphor for the outcomes expected when we are connected to Jesus and accept His invitation to His liberating, life-giving mission of love.
The Apostles were not the most educated, most spiritually mature, or the most gifted, but what they had was a connection with Jesus, and that is more than enough.
Over the next year, you will be hearing a lot about movements, in light of the FM board of Bishop’s statement that they are seeking to “ignite a spirit-fueled movement”. The theme of our 2023 Leadership Summits is Launching and Leading Movements. A movement is simply a sustained and organized challenge to the status quo.
The foundation of a Spirit-fueled movement requires one to be spiritually rooted in order to be spirit-filled. This is not just an admonishment for individuals, but also for entire churches. Churches who are prayer-saturated, Bible-informed, Christ-centered, and Spirit-led can expect to be part of transformational movement of God that impacts families, friends, co-workers, neighborhoods, cities, and nations.
So, as we begin 2023, let’s have an “Expectation Check”.
- Are you expecting a dynamic move of God in your life, in your church, or better yet through your life and church?
- Have you allowed yourself to get into survival mode instead of pressing into that “abundant life” that Jesus desires to give you?
- Are you spiritually rooted, in a posture of openness to the power and presence of God so that you can fully participate in the life-giving, liberating mission of love?
- Are you praying surrendered, passionate prayers to see tangible expressions of “thy kingdom come” in your life, church and throughout your sphere of influence?
- Are you praying with a sense of “Holy Expectation” that God is going to honor your request?
The movement begins when we are spiritually rooted. It is the only foundation capable to launching a movement that is this substantial.
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The mission of the Justice Network is to extol and deepen the Free Methodist Church’s historic commitment to oppose oppression and restore God’s wholeness to those who have been disenfranchised both in society and within the church.
The vision of the Justice Network is to galvanize the Free Methodist Church USA, annual conferences, churches, and all clergy and laypersons toward life and ministry that intentionally, and unapologetically, oppose racial, ethnic, gender, socioeconomic, environmental, ability, and other injustices.
Their strategies include:
1. Gathering: Provide national, regional, and conference level gatherings for participants to encourage one another, educate the church on issues of current concern, and offer ongoing resources to bring equity and wholeness. These gatherings create a safe place for the discussion of paramount critical issues.
2. Advocating: Work with the BOB and BOA to assess the empirical progress or change in the participation and leadership of historically marginalized groups within the FMC leadership structures (e.g. women, P.O.C., non-native English speakers) and advocate for individuals or groups who are not experiencing full inclusion and equity.
3. Monitoring: Stay abreast of current events and provide position papers when appropriate to be approved by the BOB and offered to the general church to give guidance to our pastors and members.
4. Resourcing: Maintain a website with resources that address issues of injustice and a learning community of elders, pastors, and laity who are actively developing capacity and ability to launch and sustain ministries that intentionally pursue justice. In particular, the Justice Network will provide resources regarding race, gender, economics, and environmental equity from the perspective of our Wesleyan-holiness heritage. Resources will address theology, spiritual formation, and activism.
The River Conference has the privilege of hosting the 2023 Justice Network Summit at our Essential Church in Spring, Texas on September 28-30. If you would like to receive information on FMC's Justice Network click on the button below.
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TRC's LEADERSHIP SUMMIT '23 DATES |
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ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Zoom Video Conference
Saturday, June 24, 2023
8-11AM Pacific Time / 9AM-12PM Mountain Time / 10AM-1PM Central Time
REGIONAL LEADERSHIP SUMMITS
District / Location / Date
Spokane / Opportunity Fellowship / September 16, 2023
Boise / Deer Flat Church / September 23, 2023
Colorado / Meadowood Church / October 7, 2023
North Texas / Lighthouse Fellowship / October 21, 2023
South Texas / Essential Church / November 4, 2023
Arizona / Renuevo Church / November 11, 2023
All Regional Summits take place on Saturdays from 9AM-3PM
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July 24-28, 2023
Orlando, FL
REGISTRATION
Opens on January 1, 2023
for event tickets and hotel reservations
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Below are conferences sponsored by the Free Methodist Church USA. Click on the image to go to their website and registration page. |
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April 27-28 in Cleveland, Ohio |
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February 23 - 24 in Anaheim, California
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March 6-9 in Orlando, Florida |
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A NEW WAY TO SUBMIT TRC APPORTIONMENTS |
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The process of receiving the Conference Apportionments via ACH Withdrawal has begun. The churches who completed the necessary paperwork to auto withdraw the amount submitted on the Conference Tithe / Apportionment Report are up and running.
This report is to be submitted by the 10th of the every month via TRC's website. TRC has an encrypted form that allows you to provide your banking information so your church can begin to participate in our ACH program.
It is our plan to have 100% participation. Please click on the link below and complete the authorization form to begin your participation. This is the same process used by Defined Benefits (retirement), Brotherhood Mutual, and utility companies.
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Most of our churches have not yet changed the mailing addresses with their insurance provider. Please reach out to your insurance provider and inform them that there are change of addresses for the “additional insured”. Those pages must be sent directly to: |
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Free Methodist Church USA
PO Box 51710
Indianapolis, IN 46251
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The River Conference
23300 Cypresswood Dr.
Spring, TX 77373
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TRC signed up to take advantage of Amazon.com's "give back" campaign. Amazon Smile is a program where you can designate a charity to receive a percentage of any purchase made on Amazon.com.
If you buy things off Amazon, please consider designating TRC as your charity. How to get started:
www.smile.amazon.com - find The River Conference of the Free Methodist Church, Lakewood, CO on the charity list, select it. Now every time you order something from Amazon, you must enter through the smile.amazon.com website, you'll see what charity you're supporting in red letters. Then start shopping. Amazon will automatically deposit donations into our checking account.
If you buy things off Amazon, please consider designating TRC as your charity.
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Are you a part of our Regional LGL3 teams?
Contact your District Leader to get more information on joining.
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TRC DISTRICT LEADERS
ARIZONA
BOISE
COLORADO
NORTH TEXAS
SOUTH TEXAS
SPOKANE
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Upcoming TRC Committee Meetings
Tuesday, February 7, 2023
MAC Video Conference
Thursday, February 2, 2023
MEG Video Conference
Thursday, February 9, 2023
Property Team Video Conference
Tuesday, February , 2023
Conference Advancement Team Video Conference
Tuesday, February 21, 2023
Nominating Committee Video Conference
Thursday, February 16, 2023
Board of Directors Video Conference
Tuesday, February 28, 2023
District Leaders Video Conference
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The River Conference introduced our Wellness Initiative at our Leadership Summit last June in Denver. If you would like to take advantage of this opportunity to get some help with issues you may be going through, please click on the link below to read more about this initiative and to get in touch with a wellness counselor. |
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Find out what is happening around the Free Methodist Church. Click below to view the respective newsletters |
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SUBSCRIBE to FMC's Pastors+Leaders Newsletter |
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