Ministry academy to offer 10 workshops

By Rachel L. Toalson
Staff Writer
Ten workshops covering leadership development, fostering multicultural relationships and cros-sing racial lines are part of Holy Boldness Urban Ministry Aca-demy next week in San Antonio.
The Jan. 18-20 gathering at Travis Park UMC is designed to show Southwest Texas Conference clergy and laity leaders ways to transform congregational life in city churches.
Such ministry convocations date back to the time of John Wesley, founder of the worldwide Methodist movement, said the Rev. Dan Bonner, a workshop leader and president of the Center for Urban Congregational Renewal Inc. in Georgetown.
“It’s intrinsically Wesleyan to conference together around new ministry agendas,” he said.
The Holy Boldness Academy is a two-year, six-session training program sponsored by the New Church Development and Transformation office. Holy Boldness covers seven themes in the first year. The second session focuses on strengthening multicultural relationships, eradicating racism and developing leaders.
Bonner is to lead a session titled “Creating New Ports of Entry for Newcomers.” It is to teach church leaders how to address the spiritual, emotional and health needs of newcomers when they are located in changing urban settings.
He also plans to emphasize the importance of maintaining a balance between the old and the new.
“It’s very important for a church in that setting to affirm those ministries, those small groups, the kind of worship, that they have always had,” Bonner said, “while viewing the formation of new groups and worship services as additions, not as replacements.”
Churches should create cell groups—small groups—to address the needs of newcomers, Bonner said. Members should guard against resisting change.
“The reason urban churches go into decline is they close in on themselves out of some anxiety about these new people moving in—they’re no longer like us,” Bonner said. “That anxiety, at its base, is, ‘We’re going to lose what is really important to us.’”
Churches must reach new people but still protect and honor traditions of existing members, Bonner said.
The Rev. John Feagins, pastor of Chapel Hill UMC, San Antonio, is presenting a workshop titled, “Discovering Your Context for Ministry.” It is designed to help leaders discover ways to “get demographic information in inexpensive, almost free ways.”
By hanging out at the grocery store, Feagins said, leaders can begin to understand the demographics of the area surrounding their church. By studying the area school enrollment, they can predict the future of the area to a certain extent.
Demographics are important numbers to know, Feagins said, for many reasons.
“Demographics are not only about people’s economics,” he said. “They’re not just about ethnicity or age. Those are the factors that are in them, but they’re also about people’s spiritual needs. A church that has its ministries aligned with the spiritual needs of the surrounding community has a better chance of helping meet those needs and reaching people for the Lord.
“And because the Methodist church is constitutionally inclusive, you would expect it to reflect the surrounding community.”
The Rev. Sharon Stewart, associate pastor of Coker UMC, San Antonio, is to lead a workshop about “Crossing Racial Lines.” It is to include a candid discussion of cross-racial friendships.
Stewart said she has based her information on a book written by Deborah Plummer called Racing Across the Lines.
“I’ll be talking about and trying to have some discussion about making our churches more racially inclusive,” Stewart said. “It’s an important step for us as disciples of Christ individually. We need to have relationships that are different from what we normally have because it gives us a wider perspective of what the nature of God is and what the kingdom of God will look like.”
Other workshop titles at the second session include:
> Preaching for Transformation.
> Leadership Development.
> Bridge Builders.
> Jireh House: Faith Development and Community Empowerment.
> Overcome Fear of Change.
> Developing and Strengthening Multicultural Relationships.
> Developing a Holy Boldness Ministry Plan.
Cost for the event is $30 per session for individuals. Congregations bringing four or more participants pay $25 per person. Childcare is available for a fee.
The first Holy Boldness session was Sept. 28-30. The third session is set for March 28-30. Three more are scheduled for late 2008 and early 2009.
For more information about the academy, visit www.umcswtxprograms.org/holyboldness or contact the Office of New Church Development and Transformation.