Evangelism agency tapped for Baltimore strategy By Dean Snyder
UMConnection staff The national church board responsible for evangelism and membership development has made a commitment to support Baltimore congregations in their efforts to make new disciples and to reach new people for Christ. The United Methodist General Board of Discipleship, a Nashville-based denominational agency with more than 200 staff people, will develop resources and conduct training to support the efforts of Baltimore churches to reach their communities for Christ, according to a Jan. 29 agreement made between Bishop Felton Edwin May and the Rev. Karen Greenwaldt, general secretary of the board. The General Board of Discipleship is delighted to work with leaders in Baltimore City to extend and connect the ministries of the general church to the work of pastors and laity who are in the front lines of ministry across this large metropolitan region, Greenwaldt said in a Feb. 8 statement. The agreement was concluded following a meeting between Bishop May and 34 Baltimore pastors at Lovely Lane UMC earlier in the day. The bishop told pastors that the future of each Baltimore church would be determined by asking three questions: Does your congregation have a future? If so, what are you specifically attempting to do to make that future become a reality? If the church does not have a future, what would need to happen to turn it around? The agreement between the board and the conference stems from a renewed missional focus on Baltimore, which was celebrated and affirmed at a specially called Christmas Conference on Dec. 28, which drew more than 400 participants. Baltimore is the birthplace of United Methodism in the United States. However, social ills including drug addiction, poverty and violence now plague the citys communities and confound its 62 United Methodist churches, conference leaders say. Bishop May promised that churches committed to reach out to their communities would get the help they need. We will sound the trumpet, he said, and call in the cavalry the General Board of Discipleship of the United Methodist Church. Bishop May said that the conference will also help churches tap the support of other denominational bodies, such as the Strengthening the Black Church for the 21st Century Initiative, as well as secular foundations and community development groups. Were going to issue a call within the conference and nationally for people to come over to Macedonia and help, he said. There are churches outside the city who will link themselves with you. It is not a terrible thing to say I need help, he said. When you keep it to yourself, thats a problem. Bishop May decided to solicit help from the board of discipleship because he is convinced that Baltimore churches need to focus on the fundamental tasks of evangelism and making disciples. Our task is to make disciples, he told the pastors gathered at Lovely Lane UMC. This is not a second job that we have. This is our primary responsibility. This is our life. Of course, were going to have to make some very sensitive decisions about congregations and your pastoral leadership, Bishop May added. Churches that are unwilling to grow will receive merely maintenance-oriented appointments, he explained. The General Board of Discipleship was created when the United Methodist Church was restructured by the 1972 General Conference. The board of discipleship was given major responsibility for the support of receiving, nurturing, caring and sending ministries of congregations. The board provides resources in the areas of Christian education, worship, music, evangelism, new church development, stewardship, funding and financial management, lay leadership development, age-level (children, youth, adult) and family ministries, small-group ministries, ethnic local church concerns, devotional life and spiritual formation. In the past, conferences have not always turned to the board of discipleship for help in urban settings. The board of discipleship has sometimes been seen as emphasizing the needs of suburban and larger churches while the General Board of Global Ministries helped urban and ethnic congregations. The General Board of Discipleship partners with annual conferences to help strengthen the ministries of their local churches, Greenwaldt said. We believe that revitalization of congregations includes Christian spiritual formation and leadership development to support pastors and laity that live out their call to discipleship in our cities, neighborhoods, and communities. Greenwaldt and other board staff are planning to meet with conference leaders and Baltimore pastors in April. | 
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