07604
September 24, 2007

GAC seeks evangelism consultation

‘Outside the box’ thinking is needed, council says

by Bill Lancaster
Presbyterian News Service

LOUISVILLE — The General Assembly Council (GAC) is exploring a broad-based consultation on evangelism “to create the opportunity for bold, ‘outside the box’ thinking to imagine how the GAC can effectively support evangelistic strategies across all the ministry areas and at all levels of the denomination.”

Rick Ufford-Chase, former moderator of the General Assembly, framed the proposal in the GAC’s Evangelism and Witness Goal Committee, envisioning a “movement-type” approach, not a program approach. The GAC approved the proposal at its meeting here Sept. 21

The consultation is to include “key players” from synods, presbyteries, congregations, and elected and staff people from all seven ministry areas of the GAC.

“We need to get everyone together and ask what would a movement-type evangelism thrust look like?” Ufford-Chase told the council, adding that he is not looking for another program, but a ground swell similar to that generated by the Mission Challenge ’07 — in international mission push in October that has grown to involve 144 presbyteries.

The consultation “would be an opportunity to build on the new, collaborative style that the GAC is trying to model in all of its work, and create the space to imagine new ways for the GAC to promote evangelism and witness,” the proposal stated. The consultation would give a place where “fissures that have made collaborative efforts impossible” can be overcome.

A task force, to be appointed by GAC chair Allison Seed,  is to report back to the February 2008, GAC meeting “having defined the task and determined who should be invited to participate.”

Bill Lancaster is associate executive presbyter for new church development for Foothills Presbytery.