One of the greatest ministry opportunities that has ever come to United Methodist Men’s doorstep is Letters From Dad!At our fall 2006 GCUMM board meeting, the Letters From Dad [LFD] ministry opportunity was discussed with some of our leaders. In a nutshell, LFD is sweeping the nation with a simple ministry process. It’s helping men unlock their heart and give them a safe platform to say what they have always wanted to say but didn’t know how – in letters to loved ones. The journey starts with a large BBQ / meal kickoff at a host church, where men are invited to join the LFD experience, meeting monthly over a 4 month period. United Methodist congregations have been leading the way. LFD will launch over 400 BBQ kickoffs nationwide in 2006.
On September 12, LFD founder Greg Vaughn visited with David Adams and Larry Malone in our Nashville office, and we prayed a blessing over LFD and it's ministry to reach men in and beyond the UMC. On the following Sunday night at Wolfforth UMC [near Lubbock TX], a LFD BBQ kickoff was held in a congregation of 300 attendees. 188 MEN ATTENDED! Many of these men brought their neighbors and friends. 50 - 80% of men who attend the BBQ's will sign up for LFD. Please see the attached photo collage, and read below what UMC Wolfforth Pastor Curtis House said;
"Letters from Dad is not another man created program for the local church. Rather, it is a mighty movement of our Heavenly Father to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the heart of the children to their fathers. How else do you explain a church that runs 300 on a Sunday morning having 188 excited men at the Letters from Dad kick off BBQ? Our men were spiritually hungry for the words spoken by its founder Greg Vaughn and they responded in a manner that was almost unbelievable. We are committed to spiritually growing and maturing our men and that’s exactly what Letters from Dad does. My strong suggestion: saddle up your men and drive them to Letters from Dad. I think you’ll be glad you did."
As a contrast to some of our awesome emerging ministries, LFD is a turnkey ministry that is fully developed and ready to go NOW! The model that can work effectively for the UMC is a district or area event that launches BBQ kickoffs from several host churches sequentially each day over a weekend. In this way, hundreds of men can and will attend one of several BBQ's held in an area over a weekend, based upon what is best for their schedule and driving distance.
Greg Vaughn has seen and experienced a mighty movement of God with men in the UMC. As a result, he has reserved 30 weekends in the next 12 months for the UMC, giving us "first fruits" of the LFD ministry. In order to receive this blessing, we must act quickly, because Greg's calendar will fill as fast as he lets it. Remember - 400 BBQ launches in 2006! I want to schedule a conference call hosted by LFD, for key UMM leaders. They will be sharing an online presentation that will outline details of how LFD works within the local church. Now don't get all intimidated by all that Tech stuff - LFD staff assures men that if you can turn your computer on and go to a website you have what it takes. You need to block an hour for this meeting and presentation.
Our first leader meeting is scheduled for TUESDAY, October 3rd at 10:30 AM Central. Please let me know by Monday noon if you can join in this call. In this first call, you will learn about LFD and be exposed to a new way to pass and receive information, and to conduct electronic meetings.
Before the scheduled meeting, you will receive an e-mail from LFD providing a phone number to call that will conference all participants together. You will need to make the call while at a computer connected to the internet, at the LFD home page. After a presentation taking less than ½ hour, we will have time to ask and answer questions, and discuss our next steps. The same conference call presentation will be scheduled about a week later, for the men that you identify that would be likely to respond to it.
Before the meeting, please go to
www.lettersfromdad.com and familiarize yourself with the website. While on the website they would encourage you to watch two video testimonies. Simply select from the menu on the left side of the screen the “Watch the Videos” section. Once there they would like you to watch the video titled; “Letters arrive 40 years late” and “Is it Worth It”.
At the time of the conference call the LFD presenters would like you to be on the LFD home page. From there they will give further instructions to lead you to the online presentation. After hearing the presentation and ministry opportunity, we would like you to identify the UMM churches who would most likely respond and make good use of LFD.
The best part of LFD is how well it is suited to be used and connected with our traditional UMM structure and culture. It is also ideal as a catalytic event that creates and captures momentum, and prepares men for further growth in "next steps" like Flight Quest, Wesleyan Bands of Brothers, and Men's Ministry Specialists. LFD is ready made for a progressive UMM leader at the jurisdiction, conference, district or local level to ACT UPON. Just say yes, follow great leadership and guidance, pray, and receive a bountiful crop of blessed and spiritually alive men.
Don’t miss this one!
In Christ,
Larry Malone
Director, United Methodist Men's Ministries
615-620-7265
lmalone@gcumm.orgRev. David Adams
General Secretary, GCUMM
615-620-7267
dadams@gcumm.org
INCREASING CHURCH ATTENDANCEby Dean McIntyre
This article is available at
http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=19181&loc_id=17,823)
A recent message from a church musician read: “I have been tasked, after my first job evaluation with the Sr. Pastor and SPRC Chair to increase attendance over the next year with the Contemporary Service I lead. What resources do we have available through the GBOD which might help me in this quest?”
In thinking over my response, I was struck by the implications of his question:
· He has received a “task” from the senior pastor and SPRC chair, assigning responsibility for increasing attendance to the musician. They are not satisfied with the attendance at this contemporary worship service and have given the musician who has been on the job for less than a year one more year to turn it around.
· The musician will rely on “resources” to accomplish this. In other words, what music can he select, what prayers and Scriptures can he incorporate, what words and practices must he put into the worship bulletin that will result in increased attendance?
I must confess that his question caught me off-guard. It’s the first time it’s been asked of me and I had no ready-made response. I’m not so surprised that he asked it, as I am surprised at the task assigned to him by the pastor and SPRC chair. While we at GBOD are not unconcerned with attendance of United Methodists in worship, it is not one of the goals set for our office by General Conference in The Book of Discipline nor by our own board of directors. Thus, we do not first ask ourselves, “What worship resources can we produce and make available that will increase attendance?” The big reason why this is so is because such a question leads to catering to the changing and self-centered wants, desires, and tastes of individuals and leads to a consumerist view of worship rather than worship that is God-centered, God-directed, doctrinally sound, Wesleyan informed, and offered with joy and integrity.
Increasing attendance and influence is a worthy goal for all congregations, but I suggest it is not for planning and leading worship. I believe increased attendance comes as a result of many factors: preaching content, style, and effectiveness; a welcoming and invitational congregation; a congregational understanding of its mission and identity; an active evangelical outreach into the community; the nurturing of the people in small groups; regular and frequent observances of the sacraments and the means of grace; generous giving as an ongoing part of stewardship training; education and training for all ages; an appealing, inviting, and functional building; and many more. I further suggest that the task of increasing attendance is one that should fall on the entire congregation, but especially on the elected leadership of the congregation, as well as on the employed staff. If my list above of factors that affect church attendance is at all accurate, then surely the pastor must take the lead in this task rather than putting the responsibility on the church musician. Notice that I did not include worship and music style in my listing. They are missing, not because they are unimportant, but because I don’t believe worship music should be selected based upon one’s belief that it might increase attendance.
Having said all of that, here are some resources that anyone interested in increasing church attendance, or anyone involved in planning contemporary or alternative worship should consider. I especially recommend the first two items to pastors and SPRC chairs, and would be happy to put them in touch with someone here at GBOD for further discussion.
Church Vitality Indicator, an online assessment tool
http://www.cvindicator.comhttp://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/description.asp?item_id=276354The Church Vitality Indicator will show your church how to effectively reach out to your community and grow in numbers. More importantly, it will also transform the spiritual life of your members. Begin the journey to a more dynamic congregational life and ministry with the Church Vitality Indicator!
L3 Leadership Incubator
http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/description.asp?item_id=205633Resources for Blended and Contemporary Worship and Musichttp://www.gbod.org/worship/blended.htmlContemporary Music
http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?loc_id=929,930&act=nav_locContemporary Worshiphttp://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?loc_id=929,932&act=nav_locContemporary Preaching
http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?loc_id=929,931&act=nav_locMusic Downloads(contemporary music is available throughout this section)
http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?loc_id=17,897&act=nav_locThe Upper Room Worshipbookhttp://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?loc_id=17,482,1146&act=nav_locNewly revised (2006) for congregations making use of contemplative, sacramental, emergent, and ancient-future worship.
Zion Still Singshttp://www.cokesbury.com//search.aspx?scope=all&query=Zion%20Still%20SingsThis new songbook will be released by Abingdon Press in early 2007. It will include many contemporary, alternative, and new ethnic songs.
Increased attendance for the sake of bringing people into a life of faith and making disciples for the transformation of the world is a worthy goal. Selecting worship music because one thinks it might increase attendance is not.
_____________________________________________________________________________Copyright © 2006 The General Board of Discipleship of The United Methodist Church (Dean B. McIntyre, Director of Music Resources); PO Box 340003; Nashville TN 37203-0003; telephone 877-899-2780, ext. 7070; website <
http://www.umcworship.org>.
This article may be reprinted and used for nonprofit local church and educational use with the inclusion of the complete copyright citation plus the words "Used by permission." It may not be sold, republished, altered, used for profit, or placed on a website.
Dean McIntyre, Director of Music Resources
The General Board of Discipleship of The United Methodist Church
PO Box 340003; Nashville TN 37203-0003
Telephone 877-899-2780, ext 7073 (toll free)
Telephone 615-340-7073
Email Address:
music@gbod.orgWebsite <
http://www.umcworship.org>
Fax 615-340-7015
