Online Archives

UMCOnnectoin File Photo
Mission Disciples being commissioned in 1999. The Mission Disciple program is being expaned as participants are intentionally called and trained to serve in existing congregations throughout the conference.

| To become a |
Mission Disciple

Those interested in exploring the call to mission discipleship are asked to begin the process by taking two classes at Leadership Days. Leadership Days are held on January 12, 19, or 26: 

• Leadership Gifts, which allows individuals to assess their spiritual gifts with an inventory. 

• Leadership Styles A&B, a two-class session that helps leaders understand various leadership temperaments and how to relate with those who have different leadership styles. The three segments are specially designed for those considering mission discipleship. 

• Mary Ka Kanahan, coordinator of lay ministries at Bethany UMC in Ellicott City, and the Rev. Edwin DeLong are the instructors. 

• Those called to become mission disciples will be invited to an overnight retreat March 1 and 2, where they will explore the meaning of servant leadership. 

For more information contact DeLong at (800) 492-2525, Ext. 432, or

Mission discipleship: Answering Gods call to service

BY MELISSA RUDOLPH
UMCONNECTION CORRESPONDENT

Debra Apperson was an avid church worker. She was also restless.

Apperson loved her church, taught Disciple Bible Study and served as Sunday School superintendent. But it didnt seem like enough. 

I wanted to do more outreach, she said. I was seeking to serve Gods people and share the Gospel. 

In 1998, when Apperson learned about Bishop Felton Edwin Mays vision of mission discipleship, the chance to use her gifts and talents in a new way resonated with her. She was ready for a change.

She pursued the call, leaving the familiarity of her home church to join 40 to 50 other mission disciples at Congress Heights UMC in Washington, D.C.

It was an exciting opportunity because we were a part of something new, going to serve in an existing church to revitalize it, she said. 

The church welcomed the mission disciples with a celebration. The disciples worked alongside those who were already members at Congress Heights UMC. 

According to the Rev. Ed DeLong, the Baltimore-Washington Conference director for congregational development, mission disciples provide an important service to new and growing churches. They assist in the development of new faith communities and come in to the churches to assist and enhance the gifts of the churchs leadership team, he said.

Mission disciples take on a variety of roles. Some teach Sunday school, others join praise bands, hand out fliers, organize tent meetings or serve as church secretaries. The particular gifts of the mission disciples are matched up with needs in the various communities. 

Volunteers commit six months to two years to the mission. By using mission disciples who have developed expertise in their own churches, things run more efficiently, DeLong said.

Delong cited one recent case in which four lay speakers from the Baltimore-Harford District taught Sunday school at the New Life Mission in Baltimore for a year. Their presence allowed people who were new to the church to have the opportunity to learn about their faith before taking on leadership roles.

In Harford County, mission disciples have also served the New Hope Christian Fellowship in Edgewood. Theyve been the hands and feet, said DeLong. 

Currently, the conference is nurturing 22 new faith communities that include new churches as well as satellite programs within existing churches. Opportunities in mission discipleship exist for anyone who feels called, regardless of age. Sometimes there are whole families that go, DeLong said.

Many churches pray for and financially support new church starts. Mission disciples are a next step. It really becomes a partnership where the home church sends people to the mission field as an expression of support, Delong said. Often before sending out mission disciples, churches hold services of consecration.

Apperson is still at Congress Heights. As I approached the end of two years I realized God was calling me to stay, she said. The opportunity to hear Gods call to serve as a mission disciple and continually seek his will for my life has changed me.