New Ministries Strategy Board

The New Ministries Strategy Board (New-MSB) is committed to fostering the healthy Development of New Ministries, in New Places, for New People—all to expand our faithful witness for Christ through evangelism, worship, fellowship, and mercy and justice ministries

Framework of the System of TIERS

In the process of Congregational Development for planting new ministries, the Conference Strategy Board and District Strategy Teams have developed an implementation system of Tiers to organize the work in planting:

  • Tier 1: Are New Ministries that are active, or those that have completed the feasibility study to become a New Faith Community. These are ministries approved with:
    Funding, Church planter assigned, metrics, accountability system in place and timeframe. Our tier one projects become our HOTSPOTS. The New Ministries Strategy Board oversees TIER1.

  • Tier 2: Are projects for possible sites to start new ministries, projects that have received the support of the District Strategy Team and the District Superintendent. Projects in demographic research, with verification through windshield tours, circuit meetings and if needed with the Ethnic minority caucuses. Benchmarks, MAP and financial plan are created on this tier. District Strategy Team (DST) is the responsible of TIER 2.

  • Tier 3: Are places where there are possibilities of starting new ministries, dreams of places where we would like to see a new United Methodist Ministry. Local churches, Circuits, and/or clergy and laity are responsible of TIER 3.

Process of Seven Seasons for Church Planting

We are glad to have a partnership with Path1 of the Discipleship Board in the effort to plant new ministries. Therefore, we use the process of the Seven Seasons in church planting. Part of the work of the Office of Congregational Development is to support church planters and new ministries in the effort to move in a healthy way from one season to the next one until they complete the seven seasons:

  • Season of Discerning
  • Season of Visioning
  • Season of Gathering
  • Season of Discipling
  • Season of Worshiping
  • Season of Maturing
  • Season of Multipliying

All our church planters are trained in the Institute of Congregational Development in this process of church planting.

New Ministries Strategy Board Committees:

1.  New Ministries/New Place/New People (New MPP Committee)

Identify and prioritize places for new ministries.

  • Establish connection and work closely with DST’s
  • Screen and identify new places
  • Develop a plan with different models of starting New Ministries
  • Help congregations to develop a culture of planting New Ministries
  • Develop and facilitate resources to support church planters and parent churches
  • Encourage and support Districts to start New Ministries
  • Develop measurements that are determined for success

 

 

 

 

                         
2.  Implementation Committee

  • Support and accountability
  • ICD (Institute of Congregational Development) & IDC (Instituto de Desarrollo Congregacional)
  • Shepherding Committees
  • Coaches
  • Identify and screen planters once they have finished ICD
  • Follow up and partnership with New Church start ministries

 

 

 

 

                           
3. Fiduciary Committee
  • Develop criteria and oversight of funding
  • Process to determine length of funding (It is hard to do a one size fits all)
  • Guidelines for funding
  • Develop a plan to help congregations to make the transition from New Church Start to other status in ministry