The
Massachusetts Conference Board of Directors has approved new criteria
under which it will determine what new church start proposals will be
eligible for Conference funding and staff support.
The need for such criteria became increasingly clear as two grassroots
attempts to start churches – a mission church in Turners Falls and an
Open and Affirming church in Provincetown – faltered. The Church of
the Open Door in Turners Falls has just closed, after four years ministering
to the unchurched. The idea for the Provincetown church never generated
much enthusiasm within the Cape community where it was proposed.
Over the past year, the Conference’s Commission for Evangelism and Renewal
and Church Development Task Force have been studying how successful
church starts have worked in other regions.
“It has been a learning experience for us,” said Paul Nickerson, Acting
Associate Conference Minister for Evangelism, Mission and Justice. “As
a result we have worked with the Board to develop this policy. We have
researched the best practices in how to do this: how to locate leadership,
how to get funding, and so on.”
The new policy directs the Church Development Task Force to develop
and evaluate new church start proposals using four criteria:
-
Demographic urgency. For any region
to be targeted for a new church start, there must be a growing population,
a growing ethnic sub-population, or a population clearly underserved
by mainline Protestant churches;
- Local
support. The Church Development Task Force must perceive
sufficient interest on the part of community members in having a local
UCC church, and sufficient interest on the part of churches in the
Association in supporting a new church start;
- Compelling
mission opportunity. There must be a local need which a
new church could engage as a central part of its ministry;
- Potential
for economic viability.
There must be a reasonable possibility that the new church start will
be economically self-sufficient within three years.
Under the plan, new church start pastors will begin their work as Conference
employees, so it will be up to the Minister and President to appoint
search committees to seek such pastors and to ultimately approve candidates.
The goal will be for the new church to take over employment of the pastor
within three years.
The Conference will covenant with the participants in the new church
start to provide consulting help, funding, evaluation procedures and
performance goals. Funding could come from grants from the Association,
Conference and national setting of the church as well as through stewardship
efforts of the new congregation.
Both the Conference’s The Gift and The Promise
Campaign and the Vision for Renewal
and Growth named the goal of starting 10 new churches in 10
years.
Nickerson said initial work is now taking place to explore the possibility
of a new church to serve the growing Hispanic population in Lawrence.
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