Church Visit, "My Favorite Day Yet," McKinley and Dayton Korean UMCs

It was a long day, but it ended up being my favorite day. Another good 12-14 hours. I’m working hard adjusting to a sustainable pace. But this ended up glorious. Started the day in worship at McKinley UMC in Dayton, one of our District’s African-American congregations, where they rocked the house in worship. Had an amazing worship leader. Involved all ages and especially the children. Pastor Diane hit a home run with the message. Went on to Dayton Korean UMC for a celebration of their 38 years of ministry and recognition of their new class of leaders. I had no idea our District had such wondrous diversity. The bounteous buffet filled with one Korean dish after another was emblematic of the feast of the kingdom I enjoyed all throughout the day. Then I ended it all with a tough but blessed meeting with a leader who is making some hard decisions for an even more success-filled future. Good job Miami Valley.

Church Visit, "Special Event Services/Radical Hospitality," South Charleston UMC

South Charleston UMC, like many, offered special services in view of Veterans Day. They honored servicemen and women, sang great songs, performed a cantata, and told some great stories. They even had a Teddy Roosevelt impersonator. The church was packed. “Special Event” type services can be highly strategic. Quality of worship is launched to a whole new level. Your church gains a bigger vision of what they can do. The community gets introduced to you all over again. Just make sure your hospitality is raring to go. New people will come. Be ready on the welcome and follow up side. Whether or not people come back or not is determined best by things we probably wouldn’t naturally think. It’s not the preaching and music. It’s 1.) The welcome and first impressions that they receive in the first 10” on your campus; and 2.) The number of positive “touches” they feel in your assimilation and follow up process. From the time they park the car till when they first sit down, most have already made up their mind. Doing the expected and polite doesn’t count as “Radical Hospitality.” How can we go over-the-top for Christ? We aren’t ultimately introducing them to us. We are introducing them to the overwhelming love of God. May we never forget who we represent.

THRIVE: A District Office Vision

An emerging for the District Office's vision to serve you and your local church is as follows. Key elements are also listed. Please feel free to comment and let us know what you think.

T...Trust that God is Moving in Every Place.

· Whether large or small, rural, urban, or suburban, encourage every church to develop a ministry growth plan for their church.


H...Help Every Church Find and Fulfill Their Mission for Christ.

· Work with our District’s Revitalization Teams to partner with local congregations in developing new vision for their church and coaching them for success.
· Teach and Train on the most fruitful practices of ministry and encourage collaborations for greater effectiveness.


R...Recruit, Develop and Deploy Christian Leaders of Passion and Excellence.

· Assist and partner with our DCOM, BOM, Cabinet, Lay Leadership Teams, Coaching, and Cluster System to deploy the best possible leaders in the Miami valley District.


I...Invest and Align Our Resources for Maximum Kingdom Impact.

· In coordination with District Leadership teams, maximize our collective resources for the cause of Christ.


V...Vision News Ways to Reach New People.

· Keep alive the culture of innovation within the Miami Valley and assist local churches in the exploration of new ministry models.


E...Engage the World Beyond the Walls.

· Encourage every church develop a size-appropriate missions program to go beyond their walls.

· Work with the District Strategy Team to develop BHAGs for our District (Big, Hairy, and Audacious Goals)