E-Link Online -- News of the American Baptist Churches of Michigan

2008 Professional Registry Deadline

The 2008 Professional Registry questionnaire has been mailed to all Professional Church Leaders in Michigan. Every Professional Church Leader must complete and return the questionnaire in order to be listed in the 2008 registry. Failure to return the completed form may affect your listing in the national ABCUSA directory. The questionnaire must be returned to the Region office by January 15, 2008. To fill out the questionnaire online, go to www.abc-mi.org, click on "Document Library" in the left hand menu, and then click on "2008 Professional Registry Questionnaire."

For more information on the Professional Registry, contact either Dr. Mary Beth Sarhatt, chair of the Commission on Ordination and Standing at 269-345-2195 (pastor@fbckazoo.org) or Ron Cary, Region Staff at 1-800-636-2671 (rcary@abc-mi.org).

Voices

"The Citizens of the United States of America have a right to applaud themselves for giving to mankind examples of an enlarged and liberal policy: a policy worthy of imitation. All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship. It is now no more that toleration is spoken of, as if it was by the indulgence of one class of people that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights. For happily the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection, should demean themselves as good citizens, in giving it on all occasions their effectual support." -- letter from George Washington to the Jewish congregation at Newport, R.I., in 1790, quoted by R. Gustav Niebuhr, "On Faith," Newsweek Online

From the Editor

Publication of this issue of E-Link Online marks the beginning of the seventh year of my editorial stewardship of the biweekly newsletter. My colleagues on the Region staff regularly provide content for E-Link. There are also folks in local churches and elsewhere who send information to include in E-Link. I am grateful to them all. For 2008 I will do all I can to keep you informed, interested, involved, stimulated, occasionally entertained, and -- now and then -- provoked. -- The Editor

Arrivals, Departures, Celebrations, Concerns

James Perkins

§ On Sunday, January 20, Dr. James Perkins, pastor of Greater Christ Baptist Church in Detroit, will be honored by the Detroit Chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference as Minister of the Year. The honor will be given at the SCLC's annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration Dinner to be held at the Detroit Marriott-Renaissance Center. Tickets for the dinner are available by calling the Greater Christ Baptist Church 313-924-6900.

§ The Rev. Dan Buttry has written a new book entitled Interfaith Heroes. The book will not be available until later in January, but interested persons can read inspirational stories from the book, one each day, beginning January 1 through January 31 by visiting www.readthespirit.com/interfaithheroes.

§ The Annual Equipping Event DVD will be available soon for the cost of postage. If you are interested in obtaining a copy, please contact the Region office at 800.632.2953 or E-mail skaminski@abc-mi.org.

The Story of Union Church, Quincy Mi

by Tucker Gunneman

Union Church of Quincy is one of the many ABC/MI congregations that engaged the support the Region offers to assist them in their time of transition between pastors. [Dr. Scott T. Arnold was recenlty installed as pastor.] This support is designed to help them explore ways to be healthier in preparation for effective ministry under new pastoral leadership. They called a trained intentional interim minister, invited the Consultant for Transitioning Ministries to lead an assessment process, and participated in the renewed search process developed over the past three years. During their time of transition they worked with a team of church leadership, the interim minister, and the consultant to strengthen areas of health identified through the assessment process. They also embraced the leadership of the interim and his insights into other areas of church health. Here is their story (words in bold italics are direct quotes from the evaluation form they completed):

Union Church in Quincy, MI had been through a time of transition a few years earlier and their newly called pastor only stayed for 18 months, following the previous pastor of over 20 years. This was before the new focus of the Region, and the resources we now have were not available. The church compares the two experiences very differently. They describe the first experience as a good one, where good things happened; increase in attendance, appearance of cohesiveness, and a good feeling. But when the new pastor came, they saw how "the waters had been muddied Ç there was little definition in the roles and responsibilities of staff and lay leadership Ç there was ambiguity of mission and purpose. Different sects of people had formed Ç some with interpretation of their own as to what it was we were to do and how we were to do it." They state the reason for this was due to them trying to handle the interim period themselves.

As a result of having a trained interim and doing the congregational assessment, they stated that "The process we most recently went through was exactly opposite. Membership went down a little, times didn't seem so comfortable, an uneasiness seemed present at times, and not everyone was happy' Ç but in the end we came out unified. We are stronger today, and that's by the grace of God. In the end it prepared us for our next under-shepherd. We recognized our own need for leadership from the pulpit."

At the beginning of the transition period they realized that they were "fragmented as each group pursued its own interests and worked to fulfill its own purpose." Now they feel that they are "far more intentional about our pursuits as they relate to the overall plan and purpose of the church", and that they now "have a stronger sense of direction and purpose."

"It (the ministry during their time of transition) was well executed and that's what we have to be thankful for Ç thanksgiving to God and thanksgiving to all of you who assisted in this development."

FANNING THE FLAME

(A national Pastors' Renewal Conference)
APRIL 22-25, 2008
GREEN LAKE CONFERENCE CENTER
GREEN LAKE, WISCONSIN

Free luxury bus transportation will be provided to and from the conference on a first come first served basis until the bus is full. Call the Region office (1-800-632-2953) to reserve a seat.

Apply for a New Life Grant of $300.00 from National Ministries and the conference will cost you nothing!ðContact Sheila Kaminski (skaminski@abc-mi.org) to receive an application.ðYou must be listed in the Region Professional Registry to receive a New Life Grant.

Church Health Enrichment 2008

Perhaps you have been thinking about doing something to help assess and enrich the health of your congregation. 2008 would be a great year to begin the process of moving toward greater health and growth.

Ron Cary, our Region Consultant for Congregational Health, can help by offering the leadership of your church a variety of "customized" approaches that will address the current needs of your congregation. From a basic workshop that introduces the concept of a healthy church to a multi-year assessment called "Natural Church Development," Ron can help you analyze your needs and design an approach that matches those needs.

Does church health enrichment make a positive difference? According to Dr. Edwin Holmes, pastor of Renaissance Baptist Church in Detroit, it does. After engaging in a church health assessment with his leadership, he said, "It has truly made a difference in how our church approaches certain issues ... I highly recommend that every church partake of this workshop."

More information is available by visiting the Region website, www.abc-mi.org, and clicking on "Congregational Health Assessments" in the left hand menu. Or contact Ron directly at 1-800-636-2671 or rcary@abc-mi.org.

Church Annual Reports Due

Please be on the lookout for the Church Annual Report form to be mailed out the first week of January to all ABC-MI churches. The data you provide us is used for determining the number of delegates for your church at the ABC-MI Annual Meeting, as well as delegates from ABC-MI to the ABCUSA 2009 Biennial. This data is also used to produce Region and national directories; for statistical reporting within both ABC and in inter-denominational publications; to create congregational profile reports for pastoral search committees; for per capita calculations in financial reports and recognitions; and as a basis for Region mailings. Accurate information benefits the entire ABC family. In the event you do not receive yours in the mail, please contact Sheila Kaminski at the Region office at 800.632.2953 ext. 231 or skaminski@abc-mi.org.

Book Alert: Multidimensional Ministry for Today's Black Family

Multidimensional Ministry for Today's Black Family edited byJohnny B. Hill (Judson Press 2007)

In 2006 theologians, social workers, therapists, and public agency representatives gathered for the "Breaking the Silence for the Good of All Families" Conference. The event provided a forum for renewed and dynamic dialogue on the role of the church in the life of black families. This book was born from the input and solutions gathered at that event.

For this new resource editor Johnny B. Hill gathered contributors from various perspectives to address such critical topics as:

>> The diverse needs affecting black families, from finances and fatherhood, to marriage and mental health
>> Practical steps for establishing, organizing, and maintaining a thriving family life ministry in local congregations
>> Ways in which the church can respond holistically, both inside and outside its walls
>> Opportunities to partner with local and federal agencies, non-profits, and for-profit organizations

As Hill asserts in the Introduction: "In the times in which we live, the church and faithful believers have a real opportunity to 'break the silence,' and to begin a serious debate on what is being done and what can be done to strengthen black families."

Dr. Hill is an ordained Baptist minister and is assistant professor of Theology at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, in Louisville, KY. The book is available from Judson Press, www.judsonpress.com.

Short Notices

The Center for Parish Development has partnered with United Theological Seminary to provide a Doctor of Ministry degree in congregational transformation. The greatest challenge facing churches today is to live missionally Ç to develop missionary sensitivities, vision, and practices. This D.Min. focuses on a process of congregational transformation in light of a missional perspective. For more information call United Theological Seminary at 937-529-2201, ext.3800 or visit the website at www.united.edu.

They're back - after a two-year absence - Handy Pocket Planners, Forget about fancy electronics that only M.I.T. graduates can operate. Don't worry about batteries failing at crucial moments. Stop lugging book-sized planners. Instead, carry the pocket-sized, lightweight 2008 American Baptist Churches USA planning calendar. It's been tailored so that key Christian holidays, U.S. holidays and American Baptist-designated Sundays are listed. All you need to make it work is a pen or pencil. The planning calendar also contains a quick reference section for key ABCUSA people, areas of ministry, and regional organizations. Order yours today from Judson Press at $8.95/copy - or better yet, two or more for $7.95/copy by: Phone: (800) 4JUDSON, Email: Tammy.Tull@abc-usa.org.

Read the latest issue of International Ministries Prayer Call: http://abc-mi.org/elink/prayer-call.pdf.

The Friendship House Newsletter is now provided in both PDF and DOC formats. The DOC format is a much smaller file and will take much less time to acquire on slow dialup connections. Read it in PDF at http://abc-mi.org/elink/fh.pdf or in DOC format at http:abc-mi.org/fh.doc.

The latest Friendship House Virtual Family Shop newsletter is here: http://abc-mi.org/elink/vfs.pdf.

The next issue of E-Link Online will be published on January 14, 2008 . Please send news items and notices to the Editor (editor@abc-mi.org) by January 10.

Editor's Trips

Disclaimer: listing of these references does not imply endorsement of positions or policies advocated in them by either the American Baptist Churches of Michigan or the editor of E-Link Online. They are provided here for further thought, discussion, and inquiry. Caveat lector.

The Editor

»»  Can't We All Just Get Along? -- http://tinyurl.com/2ytsfz
»»  What It's Like Where There's No Separation of Church and State -- http://tinyurl.com/ynqzvq
»»  Selling a Good Book By Its Cover -- http://tinyurl.com/2fpsad
»»  American Christianities (interview with Garry Wills about his new book) -- http://tinyurl.com/2627ue
»»  Expertise Makes You Dumber -- http://tinyurl.com/33rkx8
»»  What Would Jesus Buy? -- http://tinyurl.com/2avks2

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