The VITAL Initiative Leadership Gathering 2018
Church of God International Offices hosted The VITAL Initiative Leadership Gathering 2018 on April 27 and 28.
The weekend was filled with discussion and collaboration around the theme “Strategies for the Future” as leaders from seven states traveled to Cleveland, Tennessee and gathered in the LCC Conference Center to discuss the place and power of small churches in the Church of God and in 21st century Kingdom work.
The Gathering opened with an examination of our current organizational reality in the Church of God. According to a 2016 statistical report presented by Michael Nations, founding director of The VITAL Initiative, the Church of God has 6,592 churches in the USA/Canada and eighty percent of these churches have less than 100 in Sunday worship, or 5,273 small churches.
“These numbers challenge our perception of the church,” Nations stated. “Do we see these churches as mission stations with missionary pastors or failed large churches?” The current work of The VITAL Initiative was discussed as an effective vehicle to create a new ethos to maximize missional impact in small churches.
The VITAL Initiative has been presented in 22 states/regions connecting with almost 2,500 pastors. Several states such as Western North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Kentucky continue to move this initiative forward in their respective states through their State Facilitator and board.
Dr. Tim Hill, Presiding Bishop of the Church of God, passionately shared his heart in the session “Small Churches, The VITAL Initiative, and the Church of God”. Hill reminisced about the impactful ministry of his father in small churches in Texas, asserting that his dad was “a successful pastor!” He continued by declaring that The VITAL Initiative is “changing how we view the pastors of small churches and it needs to continue!”
Director of Church of God USA Missions Mitchell Maloney stressed that every pastor regardless of the size of the church they lead is a “carrier of the Gospel”. He led an inspiring session entitled “Strategic Partnership with USA Missions”. Bishop Bruce Rabon, Administrative Bishop of Kentucky, in his session “The Perspective of an Administrative Bishop” explained why small churches are important today for the cause of Christ by detailing many instances where a small church made a dramatic difference in lives of people, including his own family.
Administrative Bishop of Virginia Joseph Mirkovich showed the great potential of this effort in the session “The VITAL Initiative in Virginia.” He shared several dynamic stories highlighting the work being accomplished in small churches in Virginia. The Director of USA Missions/Youth and Discipleship in Western North Carolina Mike White talked about “The Power of The VITAL Initiative” by asserting that, “We as the Church of God are who the local pastor is” and that The VITAL Initiative is a way “to capture the heart of the pastor” and focus on the mission of God in the earth.
Saturday sessions were intense and packed with information as State Facilitators and State Board members worked with Michael Nations to develop ways to expand the reach and impact of The VITAL Initiative in 2018 and beyond. Pastor Ron Hawkins, State Facilitator in Western North Carolina, and Pastor Robert Meredith, State Facilitator in Virginia described the work happening in their respective states and offered a great list of suggestions for increasing our reach to pastors serving small churches.
Nations concluded the meeting by reaffirming that, “We believe that small churches are important in God’s redemptive plan and that they have a place in the mission task that no other group can fill.
The VITAL Initiative believes in small churches and the pastors who serve them and desires to connect with all of them.”
#WeAreVital #Expand2018
(Source: The Vital Initiative)
