In the News: King Street Church, Boone
[This article appeared in the Watauga Democrat on March 2, 2015; Sherrie Norris Reporter/Daniel Barlow Photographer]
King Street Church — meeting people where they are
A casual Sunday evening gathering on King Street in Autumn 2013 — with about five people in attendance who had drifted away from traditional church — has now become a weekly gathering known as King Street Church. As a network of small worship gatherings focused on bringing people into Christian community, King Street Church is people who have never experienced it before or have grown cold to conventional styles of worship, said Pastor Luke Edwards. That’s why he meets people where they are in life — without condemnation, judgment or expectation. As the newest worshipping community of Boone United Methodist Church, KSC launched with church planting support from the Methodist Church, said BUMC pastor, Jason Byassee. The idea for KSC emerged from a conversation between Edwards and Byassee, his pastor, in the spring of 2013. Even before that conversation, Edwards said, he had been thinking about “what it would look like” to start a church service — for those that thought church wasn’t for them, he said. “Pastor Jason asked me if I would be interested in starting a new worship service in downtown Boone,” he said. “At the time, I was the missions coordinator at Boone UMC and was already spending a great deal of my time serving those outside of the church.” Read the rest of the articleResources 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
Living Faithfully: Human Sexuality and the United Methodist Church
Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations
Ted Talks: The Power of Vulnerability
Ted Talks: The Price of Invulnerability
Meditations on the Ministry of All Christians
DISCIPLE FORMATION:
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:
Evangelism & Theology in the Wesleyan Spirit
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:
GRANTS:
The Royce and Jane Reynolds Ministry Fund Grants
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.
- Resources