Innovation - News Articles

Church Leadership Two-Day Event Evangelism in the Post-Christian Context Duke Endowment Scholarship Available to Attend Dr. David Wilkinson and Family from Durham, England Long’s Chapel UMC Lake Junaluska, NC 28745 July 29th and 30th

Check out this Food and Faith event in Western North Carolina sponsored by the Come to the Table Program.  At Come to the Table, we work to empower faith communities to participate in the creation of a just food system through collaboration, capacity building, and advocacy. On July 12 from 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., we will be hosting a regional gathering in Mills River, and we would love to get the word out to pastors or lay leaders in your network. At the gathering, we will have sessions on "...

Dates: September 22-24, 2022 Location:  Huntersville, NC (WNCC headquarters) Are you nursing an entrepreneurial idea for ministry, but don’t know how to get it started (much less fund it)? Is your church ready to move a social enterprise idea down the field that funds other aspects of ministry? Could you use the wisdom of others to test-drive an idea for missional entrepreneurship? What’s a Hatchathon? A Hatchathon is a collaborative incubator experience, where creative people get coaching and ...

Here's a little invitation for you: Can you join us for a little while on February 28, 2022, via Zoom? A Buzz Session is a gathering where Christian innovators (typically from WNCC churches, though not always!) talk about the projects they're working on, and then have give-and-take of ideas and suggestions for next steps of development from the folks on the call.

Is your church looking for new ways to connect with its neighbors? Churches across the Western NC Conference are discovering new and creative ways to be the church with their neighbors by starting fresh expressions. In this one-hour webinar, we'll be joined by Bishop Ken Carter and Rev. Dr. Stephanie Hand to learn about what Fresh Expressions is and why every church should consider starting one.

Fresh Expressions PRE-CONFERENCE @ Exponential 2022 in Orlando! Join us at a Pre-Conference Workshop entitled: "Fresh Expressions: Multiplication, Multi-site, and Missional Vitality for Everyday Christians" featuring Bishop Ken Carter and WNCC-Metro District's Rev. Dr. Stephanie Moore Hand. The realities of the last two years have thrust the church into a new era.  The challenge before us is not only to rebuild but to build anew.  For the foreseeable future we need a way of being church that is flexible in form, timely in context, rooted in depth, and scalable in resource.  This is the call for a new kind of local church.

Checkpoint Church, a digital church plant in Western North Carolina, decided that they would create a video game this Advent. This church plant was formed as the church for nerds, geeks, and gamers and is striving to reach those outside of the normal reach of the church. Rev. Nathan Webb, the self-proclaimed Nerd Pastor of the community, encourages people to not just read another devotional this Advent - instead they should play one!

Here's a little invitation for you: can you join us for a little while on December 3 by Zoom? A Buzz Session is a gathering where Christian innovators (typically from WNCC churches, though not always!) talk about the project they're working on, and then have give-and-take of ideas and suggestions for next steps of development from the folks on the call. You never know when someone will suggest an "aha!" idea or make a contact they didn't know they needed. It's good stuff.   Anyway, we'd love ...

Here's a little invitation for you: can you join us for a little while on October 4 by Zoom? A Buzz Session is a gathering where Christian innovators (typically from WNCC churches, though not always!) talk about the project they're working on, and then have give-and-take of ideas and suggestions for next steps of development from the folks on the call. You never know when someone will suggest an "aha!" idea or make a contact they didn't know they needed. It's good stuff.   Anyway, we'd love to...

An in-depth, applicable guide for individuals and congregations starting new faith communities.

The current BOTH/AND Grant cycle has closed. We will be offering another grant cycle at the end of the year that will have Cohorts starting again in January. Also, be on the lookout for BOTH/AND Worship Resources! To further equip churches to use BOTH/AND concepts, we will offer worship resources for Advent (Released in Oct) and Lent (End of Jan). This resource will include a worship theme, digital media, and specific ways to apply BOTH/AND concepts through a worship series that connect with BOTH In-Person AND Online participants.

Most Wednesdays at 2 p.m. a group of Fresh Expressions practitioners join up for a conversation on the clubhouse app. We cover a variety of topics around leading fresh expressions. Email Luke Edwards at ledwards@wnccumc.org for an invite.

Are you an innovator in our conference? Do you know someone who is? We want to hear from you!

In case you missed any of the Ministry Innovation Stories in 2020, the links to the stories are listed below by date.  “God Plays Indoor Soccer” (June 30, 2020) https://www.wnccumc.org/newsdetail/god-plays-indoor-soccer-14115172   “Still Waters Landing – Harvesting a God-sized Dream” (July 15, 2020)  https://www.wnccumc.org/newsdetail/still-waters-landing-harvesting-a-god-sized-dream-14129688   “St. Luke’s Dinner Church – Gathering Re-imagined” (August 3, 2020) https://www.wnccumc.org/newsdetai...

Thanks for taking a moment to expand and align the work of innovative ministry in the Western North Carolina Conference. Your feedback will help the conference to be more faithful and fruitful in its work to develop fresh forms of ministry. There are just 4 short questions. The entire survey should take 2 minutes or less.  Take the Survey. 

Annual Conference 2020 promises to feature another chapter in WNC’s emerging culture of innovation! AC 2019 featured an innovators’ dinner, videos for the whole conference to glimpse the new things that God is up to in these ministries, and a gathering at BearWaters Brewing Company in Canton for innovators to connect and fellowship informally.