A United Methodist Pastor's Theological Reflections

"But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory (nikos) through our Lord Jesus Christ." - I Corinthians 15:57


Saturday, May 2, 2009

Retreat - Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations

This weekend, I was with several of our church leaders for a retreat at Kirkmont Retreat Center, near Zanesfield, Ohio. The picture above is our group on the deck of our lodge. We spent our time focusing on "The Five Practices of Fruitful Congreations" which was our congregation-wide Lenten theme.

The five practices to help a church make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world are:
  • Radical Hospitality
  • Passionate Worship
  • Intentional Faith Development
  • Risk-Taking Mission
  • Extravagant Generosity

If you want to learn more about these five practices, go to United Methodist Bishop Robert Schnase's web blog. Our plan is to share our brainstorming ideas at our next Council on Ministries and Administrative Board meetings.

In addition to a lot of praying, reading scripture, and brainstorming around these five practices, we also were able to take walks, enjoy wonderful meals, share in worship, and enjoy our time together.

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