The 2019 Covenant Journal, a report on the 2019 General Board meeting in February, is mailed to each congregation and available for download here. View full texts of reports and business items on the General Assembly business page.
Read more
from Higher Education and Leadership Ministries (HELM) Higher education has been a priority of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) from the earliest days of the movement. Alexander Campbell once said, “Colleges and churches go hand in hand in the progress of Christian civilization.” It is that idea and vision that has propelled Disciples across […]
Read more
How do we take a snapshot of our denomination? Where can we find some history on our congregation? How many Disciples congregations are there in my area? What do our general ministries do? These questions and more are answered in the annual Year Book and Directory. The Year Book serves numerous administrative functions, compiling General Board […]
Read more
For the first time, the 2019 General Assembly Worship Committee announced a call for sermons to identify new voices for the Church’s biennial gathering. The idea came from first vice-moderator and chair of the committee Rev. Beau Underwood. “There are so many good preachers out there that we just haven’t heard of,” Underwood said. “I […]
Read more
For leaders at the Center for Faith and Giving, stewardship is about far more than raising money to pay the bills or develop a project. “It’s about living the vision,” says Rev. Bruce Barkhauer, minister for faith and giving. Since 2010, Barkhauer has worked to engage our Church in conversations about transformative generosity and stewardship. […]
Read more
The Governance and Mission Finance committees of the General Board reported some progress to the Administrative Committee of the General Board at its regularly scheduled fall meeting. The two committees of the General Board were tasked at the April board meeting to present reports to the fall meeting. The Governance Committee has organized into five […]
Read more“The Mission First! pilot showed us the power of connection and the analysis gave us clarity about action,” said Moderator Sue Morris. “Not only did we learn about the great work being done across the life of the Church, but we also learned that there is a craving for connection.” Beginning with an idea in […]
Read more
“We need connection,” said General Minister and President Teresa “Terri” Hord Owens. “We need connection to God, to who we are as Disciples, and to our community.” Hord Owens laid out her vision for the Church to renew its connection to God with an emphasis on the foundation of Biblical literacy. “We just don’t know […]
Read moreEven though the Iowa winter did not want to let go, the General Board meeting was full of signs of spring and resurrection. The general ministries and regions shared their verbal reports in detail with small groups and the highlights were shared with the whole board in a joy-infused session. Included in those notes were: […]
Read more
“Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” – Matthew 13:8 (NRSV) It started with an acquaintance and some literature shoved under the door. “Most of us in the apartment building were only there for a year or two,” said Rev. John Mobley, regional minister for […]
Read more