2008/2009 MDA Schedule

COMMUNITY LIFE RETREAT
January 25-26 2008
Roslyn Retreat Center—Richmond, VA

COURSES VIA WEBCAST - Saturdays 9 a.m.—12 p.m.
DEVELOPING AND WORKING A MINISTRY PLAN - February 9, 2008, March 8, 2008, March 29, 2008
GRACE-DRIVEN OUTREACH - April 12, 2008, May 3, 2008, May 17, 2008
CULTURE LEARNING - June 14, 2008, July 12, 2008, August 9, 2008
EVANGELISM & WITNESS - September 13 2008, October 4, 2008, October 25, 2008
LEADERSHIP IN A MISSIONARY AGE - November 15, 2008, December  6, 2008, January 10, 2009
BUILDING THE BODY OF CHRIST - January 31, 2009, February 21, 2009,March 7, 2009

Program Objective

The primary mission of the church is to make disciples of every nation by bearing witness to Jesus Christ through the sharing of the Gospel and the administration of the Sacraments. The Mission Development Academy will prepare Mission Outreach Teams to explore, develop, and launch an outreach ministry or a congregational revitalization effort within a local congregation, community or potential new site.

The Mission Development Academy will provide in depth courses related to mission development that equip teams of mission-driven disciples with the knowledge, skills and resources necessary to launch new worshiping communities or revitalize existing congregations so that they become again focused on bringing new people to Christ and his Church. ( Learn more by connecting with the Program Information link to the right)

DISTRICT PRESIDENT'S PERSPECTIVE

In response to Ablaze! and empowered by the Holy Spirit, the Southeastern District at its Convention in 2006 challenged all of our congregations, schools, and ministries, to aim at achieving the following goals by October 31, 2017:

• Enlisting 3000 mission prayer partners
• Sharing our faith with 2.5 million persons not connected to Jesus
• Beginning at least 100 new congregations and ministries
• Holding regularly-scheduled outreach workshops and conferences
• Training and equipping 60 Outreach Ministry Teams.

These same goals have prompted me, along with our BOD and Staff, to take another look at our SED Vision.  What we now see at the very center of all that we plan to do as a District are "creative partnerships resulting in church transformation and Kingdom growth."

When we examine our SED Ablaze! goals one by one, some appear to involve changes in the climate of our churches, and others seem to promote the expansion of God's Kingdom in our world.  When we consider them as whole, however, we quickly recognize that all of these goals involve both "church transformation" and "Kingdom growth," and that there is in fact a synergistic relationship that they have with each other.  While we may need to alter some of our churchly behavior for the sake of the Kingdom, growth in this regard will also change us. 

No better example of this might be given than our District's newly-formed Mission Development Academy.  It's an arm of our Training Leaders for Outreach (TLO) program to help us achieve our goal of training and equipping 60 Outreach Ministry Teams.  These "teams" will consist of two or more individuals who are prepared not only to launch an outreach ministry at some of those 100 new ministry sites in our District, but to do the something similar within the life of a local congregation and its surrounding community.  As such, they will serve within the boundaries of our District to strengthen both "church transformation" and "Kingdom growth."

It may be that you are part of a congregation or circuit that wants to start a new mission.  Or perhaps it's a new building that has awakened a deep desire on the part of your leaders to find new ways to reach the people of your community.  Maybe your congregation sees itself as a "mission outpost" but needs help in turning this idea into reality.  Or perhaps it's a satellite ministry that will require volunteer support.  In any event, let me encourage you to put together a "team" and to apply for enrollment in the SED Mission Development Academy.

Jon Diefenthaler, SED President