Starting 12 urban churches
12 rural churches and
12 ethnic ministries by 2012
A little background
The Rocky Mountain Conference New Ministries Team introduced a
special petition at the 2004 Rocky Mountain Conference that
outlined the vision of establishing 36 new ministries over
the next 8 years. It passed overwhelmingly -- which showed
that those present embraced the vision. The petition also spelled
out the initial steps necessary to transform vision into a
bricks and mortar reality.
What Finance is already available?
Currently, the New Ministries Team has a budget of just $125,000
to assist with new starts throughout the Conference -- a two-thirds
reduction from the 2002 budget. While this amount is helpful in
supplementing start-up expenses of five to seven new congregations,
it won't even begin to undersrite the actual costs involved. It's
obvious that if the 12x12x12x12 vision is to become reality, it
will require a tremendous effort on behalf of all United Methodists
and congregations throughout the ROcky Mountain Conference.
What other action is planned?
Part of the effort required will be for each sub-district to identify
the following no later than January 1, 2005:
1. 5 potential opportunities
for developing new ministies in their area.
2. Identifying potential lay and clergy 'new ministry' leadership.
Bishop Brown will designate a person in each district and sub-district for the task of spreading the gospel of new ministry growth.
What safeguards are in place to ensure a new church succeeds?
A promise will be made to the potential members of new churches
that no new church will be started without a comprehensive ten-year
plan for encouraging and supporting that church. This plan will
include involvement by the United Methodist Churches in the surrounding
communities, district and at the Annual Conference level.