APRIL/MAYCIRCUIT PUBLISHED BY THE WEST VIRGINIA CONFERENCE OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
GROWING CHURCH LEADERS The way people become members of The Chapel, a United Methodist Church in Brunswick, Georgia is a little different from what we are used to in the UMC. For starters, you join the church as a partner rather than a member. Curious? Keep reading for five takeaways from Growing Church Leaders, a workshop led by the staff of The Chapel last month at Dunbar United Methodist Church in Dunbar, W.Va.
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A session of the Growing Church Leaders event at Dunbar UMC last month. Photo: Amy Shanholtzer
“I don’t want people to feel guilt, I want them to feel freedom,” said Hanson, while leading a breakout session during the workshop. What that means is that the church is open to anybody. You can worship and be spiritually fed any time. Through a process the church calls “trust and become,” you can choose to join the church. The concept resonated with folks:
1. This partners thing is a really good idea. At The Chapel, members are called “partners,” and the relationship between partner and church is examined every year. But lead pastor Jay Hanson doesn’t want that to scare you off. Continued on page 3