Movement over model

A primary role of The Wesleyan Church Division of Church Multiplication and Discipleship (CMAD) is resourcing. Most of the best resources and practices for ministry are constantly being created in a number of local churches where they are born out of real needs and tested in actual ministry situations.

One of CMAD’s main approaches will be to connect pastors and churches to resources being developed by others.

Building connections will be more important than creating programs. Of course, the focus will be to champion effective discipleship and church multiplication. But it is believed that the best methods for doing so are being birthed out of development in local contexts.

Healthy chemistry, authentic teamwork, and real joy describe team culture as the new executive director, Rev. Anita Eastlack, and mostly-new staff rally around the CMAD mission to serve local churches.

CMAD is casting a vision for movement over model, encouraging decisions for the specific discipleship and multiplication ministry models to be made at the local level. CMAD leaders are seeking to be connectors over creators. They will reference discipleship models in a variety of avenues, identifying training and resourcing “hubs” where effective models of discipleship, multiplication, and social holiness already exist. Digital conversations and online resourcing will be a major way in which connections are facilitated.

One new avenue will be through a free resource-sharing website designed to provide access to a full range of church-related needs. The release goal is summer of 2017, but the strength of the site will continue to grow over time. Also, the Belonging membership booklet has been updated in English and Spanish, along with a video (in English and Spanish) that can be used in membership classes as an introduction to what it means to be a member in a Wesleyan church.

The CMAD team is committed to the vision of transforming lives, churches, and communities through the hope and holiness of Jesus Christ, celebrating every time a disciple makes a disciple and a church multiplies itself until The Wesleyan Church has a transforming presence in every zip code.

Please pray for the CMAD team. Contact them for your first conversation and commit to keep the conversations going as we stay in touch with you in the local church where peoples’ lives are being Made New. Visit www.wesleyan.org/cmad.

Director of Discipleship: Rev. Kim Gladden brings 25 years of experience of ministry in both urban and suburban settings as a church planter, lead pastor, and in staff roles such as director of discipleship and missions.

Director of Nex Gen Discipleship: Rev. Zach Coffin brings ten years of experience in leading Next Gen ministries, earned degrees in Christian ministry and Christian education, and was on the leadership team for the Follow 2015 Youth Convention.

Director of Multiplication: Dr. Ed Love is a prolific author, church multiplier, and was a district catalyst for church multiplication. He created and teaches the Certificate in Church Planting and Multiplication program at Wesley Seminary.

Director of Multiethnic Ministries: Rev. Santes Beatty has served in CMAD for over two years and is passionate about building teams that pursue unity, while facilitating connections and developing resourcing.

Read another of Anita’s articles, “Leading Like Jesus,” in the previous issue of Wesleyan Life.

Now available: Belonging Membership Guide for leaders and participants.