PC(USA) - New Church Development


	Stories The Gathering at Windsor “Gathering those not yet gathered” By Kelly Shepherd, Attendee of The Gathering "Thus says the Lord GOD, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, I will gather others to them besides those already gathered." (Isaiah 56:8) The Gathering at Windsor in Windsor, Colorado, is a new church development on a mission. Its purpose is clearly defined by Isaiah 56:8. It exists to gather those not yet gathered. Organizing Pastor, David Barton, says, “While many people think in terms of ‘going to church,’ The Gathering is a church that thinks in terms of ‘going into the world.’” The congregation is challenged to cultivate relationships within their spheres of influence. Suddenly church isn’t just something you go to on Sunday mornings anymore. You are charged to think of yourself as a disciple of Christ 24/7 in the world: at work, in your neighborhood, at the coffee shop, at the park play group, anywhere you have unchurched friends. [Read more.] A special gathering of Presbyterians with a passion for creating new churches We Presbyterians need to begin more new churches and we need to do a better job of starting them! If you agree with that sentence I would like you to invite the right team, of at least three people from your presbytery, to come to Dulles, Virginia, May 17 to May 20 for a very special gathering of Presbyterians with a passion to serve the Lord through the creation of new churches. The team you invite could be members of the committee within your presbytery that is responsible for new church development, or you may have a church within your presbytery that is active in starting new churches and the team could come from that group. [Read the rest of this story.]


	Getting Bigger by Growing Smaller Sherwood Presbyterian Church in Sherwood, Oregon, is an NCD that is getting bigger by growing smaller. Begun on the premise that spiritual seekers and believers alike are hungering for authentic community, Sherwood Presbyterian is committed to being a church of small groups rather than a church with small groups. So small groups have been part of Sherwood's DNA from its inception, and they believe that these small group "lifeboats" enable not only biblical community, but discipleship, outreach, gifts discovery, and leadership development. [Read more]


	Meet The Village Church, changing Nashville and the Presbyterian Church (USA)

	The Rev. Andrew Stephens. Photo courtesy of tennessean.com Sometimes the Rev. Andrew Stephens warns prospective members that The Village Church is a little different. He says, " The Village Church PC(USA) is an African-centered Christian witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ. We seek to provide an authentic expression of worship and community that is firmly rooted in African cultural forms. We affirm that Christianity is a world religion with deep African roots and is not the property of any one nation but meant to be embraced, inculturated and expressed in forms that are authentic to the cultural context of a given worshiping community. This claim is supported by what we read In The Acts of the: Apostles 17:5: "Now there were staying in Jerusalem God fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language." The gospel that is proclaimed through the life and ministry of The Village Church is one of love that acknowledges that love and justice are inextricably linked. Consequently, the struggle for social justice plays a central role." ''We understand our love of God to be intimately involved with action, with change,'' Stephens said one recent Sunday. The God worshipped here, he said, is a God of justice. [Read more]


	Cornerstone Church of Silicon Valley... ...the first New Church Development (NCD) of San Jose Presbytery in about a decade, we've come a long way, but we've still got a long way to go. One recent development has been the move from a nesting situation to our own location. We had been searching for a suitable place for us to move into that would allow us to worship in the morning. For five years, we worshipped in the mid-afternoon. For almost the same amount of time, we received calls after calls that ended with, well, we're looking for a morning meeting. (insert your favorite cry of ministerial anguish). [Read more]


	Defining success and celebrating our successes

	New churches come in lots of sizes and styles. One presbytery may set a goal of one thousand people in worship within fifteen years, while another church might be started with an expectation of always being a small fellowship built around covenant community. Both of these can be successful – if they reach their goal. The presbytery, organizing pastor, lay leadership and coach all see the same vision, together they spell it out in concrete terms, and then, with prayer and work, the vision becomes a reality. Success! [Read Good News Defining Success and Celebrating our Successes]