{"id":3737,"date":"2023-12-06T09:58:49","date_gmt":"2023-12-06T14:58:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nccumc.org\/new-faith-communities\/?p=3737"},"modified":"2023-11-21T10:04:22","modified_gmt":"2023-11-21T15:04:22","slug":"nfc-december-newsletter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nccumc.org\/new-faith-communities\/2023\/12\/nfc-december-newsletter\/","title":{"rendered":"NFC December Newsletter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Rev. Dr. Tim Catlett, Executive Director, Office of New Faith Communities <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Innovating together: Lighthouse Congregations<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf the 1950s came back, today, our church would be ready\u201d\u00a0– Ed Stetzer (2013)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ed Stetzer made an observation which many of us have found to be a little too true for our local church communities. We are really good at being church for some time period in our past. For your church, it might not be the 1950s, it could be the 1980s, or early 2000s. For some, you may even feel it wasn\u2019t that long ago, and you point to 2019 (pre-pandemic and pre-disaffiliation). If we could simply rewind a few years or a few decades, we would be a thriving church, again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Institutional scholars observe that mature organizations and institutions, including the church, are actually designed to resist change and preserve the institution. Innovation and change threaten to disrupt the very things institutional systems are designed to maintain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For many institutions, it is only when a systemic shock is large enough that they become ready for change which they may have resisted for years or even decades. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is not hard to see where this is going. We have all experienced recent shocks to our systems. Our institutions and churches are being challenged to innovate in otherwise challenging times. Over the past year, some of the churches in the NC Conference have chosen to be Lighthouse Congregations. At first, this was an opportunity to publicly acknowledge a church\u2019s commitment to following Jesus and loving God through continuing in the ways of hospitality, worship, discipleship, mission, sacrament, and pastoral care as practiced in the ways of the United Methodist connection. As committed United Methodist churches, Lighthouse Congregations serve as a beacon of hope to their neighbors, especially those who feel disconnected or displaced due to disaffiliation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

More recently, Lighthouse Congregational leaders have been gathering to share their experiences and innovate together. Since August, pastors and lay leaders have been joining together virtually every month to support one another, dream together, and share best practices of how their local congregations are embracing change to co-create new places for new people to gather in communion with Jesus Christ. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This newsletter will share stories of how two of our Lighthouse Congregations are embracing change and experiencing new life in our changing times. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thank you for your ongoing support and the ways your prayers, financial gifts, and other support make this connection and creativity possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Newsletter<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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UM Collective<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":1310,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_tec_requires_first_save":true,"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1,5],"tags":[8,7,9],"class_list":["post-3737","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-announcements","category-stories","tag-effective-leaders","tag-new-faith-communities","tag-new-room-society"],"yoast_head":"\nNFC 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