Responsible Outreach Conference Offered by Duke Divinity School
Responsible Outreach: The Church in Mission
February 20-21, 2015
Duke Divinity School
What does it mean to be a local church doing outreach? What is the church’s theological and ethical responsibility to its community? How can churches be more responsible disciples in their local and global settings? How can churches navigate the complexities of race, socio-economics, culture, and community histories to fulfill our mission of transforming the world for the sake of Jesus Christ? Join us as pastors and students come together to wrestle with these questions, alongside four experts in missions and outreach.
Conference participants include:
Bishop Hope Morgan Ward –
Bishop, North Carolina Annual Conference, President of the General Board of Global Ministries. Bishop Ward has been involved in missions throughout the United Methodist church, in rural and urban settings, as well as presiding over the church’s response to major natural disasters in her episcopal areas.
Bishop Peter Witbooi –
Bishop, Central District of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa. Bishop Witbooi’s episcopal area includes Johannesburg, mining communities, agricultural areas, and informal townships. His ministry has included work in Apartheid era South Africa, and modern social issues within South Africa.
Rev. Sikawu Makubalo - Rev. Makubalo began his ministry in a mining community outside of Johannesburg. Currently, he serves as the minister of a church in the northern suburbs of Johannesburg, working to integrate that church congregation. He also serves as the chair of the missions and outreach committee for the Central District, working closely with Bishop Witbooi. He has a passion for reconciliation, building sustainable community partnerships, and working with impoverished areas.
Rev. W. Joseph Mann - Rev. Mann retired in 2010 after 20 years as director of the Rural Church Division of the Duke Endowment. During his time at the Duke Endowment, Rev. Mann helped strengthen the rural church in North Carolina, and pioneered the Thriving Rural Communities Initiative, which funds seminary education for clergy committed to serving the rural church. Currently, Rev. Mann teaches courses in church leadership and philanthropy at Duke Divinity
You can register at:
https://duke.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_2hEJKan6ytNtHLL
*Allen Stanton is a Rural Fellow in the Thriving Rural Communities program at Duke and has helped to develop this program. He is a WNCC certified candidate for appointment this year. He is also working with the Center for Reconciliation and the Student Life office at Duke Divinity School on this event.
Resources for Vital Congregations
CHURCH LEADERSHIP
Lewis Center for Church Leadership
Lewis Center for Church Leadership: Books
Lewis Center for Church Leadership: Serve Your Neighbor
GBHEM Leadership Resources
eLEAD
Living Faithfully: Human Sexuality and the United Methodist Church
Englewood Book Review
Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations
Ted Talks: The Golden Circle
Ted Talks: The Power of Vulnerability
Ted Talks: The Price of Invulnerability
Design Thinking
Meditations on the Ministry of All Christians
DISCIPLE FORMATION:
Be A Disciple
A Disciple’s Path; A Guide for United Methodist
Lewis Center for Church Leadership: Adult Christian Studies from the Wesley Ministry Network
Traveling Together: A Guide for Disciple Forming Congregations
WESLEYAN STUDIES:
Living As United Methodist Christians
Methodist Doctrine: The Essentials
Reclaiming our Wesleyan Tradition: John Wesley’s Sermons for Today
John Wesley Sermons: Anthology
REACHING PEOPLE:
Get Their Name
Evangelism & Theology in the Wesleyan Spirit
Canoeing the Mountains
Fresh Expressions
Fresh Expressions: Dinner Church
Lewis Center for Church Leadership: Reach New Disciples
Lewis Center for Church Leadership: 50 Ways to Reach People
Community: The Structure of Belonging
RESOURCES TO CONNECT WITH THE COMMUNITY:
Institute for Emerging Issues
Congregations 4 Children
GRANTS:
The Royce and Jane Reynolds Ministry Fund Grants
The Duke Endowment
OTHER:
The Appalachian District Church Vitality Team has been prayerfully seeking ways to help support you and the ministries of your local congregation during this COVID-19 pandemic. Together they have diligently researched and connected with others throughout the conference and our denomination to identify resources and offer them to you. We hope they will be helpful to you and bless you greatly in leading your churches and communities through this unprecedented time. We are very grateful to the District Vitality Team and other contributors for their great work on this resource.
This faithful team has created three documents, two of which you are receiving today. They include:
- Family Home Worship – designed to help families establish a regular worship space within their homes as well as a time where they can worship together.
- Tech Strategies – to help guide you in selecting effective tools and resources within your budget to best communicate in the digital world.
We believe these resources will be of great benefit to you. Also know that the District Vitality Team is available to answer any questions you might have in regards to the documents attached. If you have questions, you may email Rev. Howard Fleming at hfleming@wnccumc.net.