The Four White Pills — Discussion summary.

Kid’s ministry: lifelong faith begins with childhood decisions

Nearly every group mentioned their church conducts Sunday school programming, some for kids only, and some hold classes for all ages. Some, especially smaller churches, favour an intergenerational approach.

Mid-week programming (Awana, Pioneer Clubs and Link) drew kids from the community and linked them to other church programming. VBS and camp were both identified as effective, with family ministries (mom’s programming, preschool) functioning both to support families and as community outreach. A few churches have hired staff specifically for kids’ ministry.

By far the greatest need among churches is for more leaders and volunteers. There is a need for training.

Resources and curriculum were the top suggestions on how EMC could help churches, specifically resources with EMC-compatible theology. This could take the form of creating a curriculum or finding and vetting material.

Men’s ministry: challenging young men to live honorably

Almost every group mentioned men’s breakfasts, though frequency varies. Prayer meetings or Bible study/discipleship times in a variety of formats are also common. One church’s men’s event is designed for outreach and features a “TED Talk-style presentation with a low-pressure invitation to Sunday morning for more biblical content.”

The most common “greatest need” mentioned is for men to have time and capacity to participate in men’s events and for them to make involvement a priority. Many of the groups identified needs related to relationships, trust and vulnerability. One group saw a need for resources focused on Christian masculinity rather than the more strident voices for masculinity sometimes heard in church and media. Several responses pointed to the need for men to lead and mentor younger men.

Some ways the EMC can help: provide resources and training (perhaps through connecting churches to organizations that do men’s ministry well); connect people across EMC churches (like at this Conference Council round table) so they could learn from each other; organize and run regular conference men’s events, including retreats, father/son retreats, sports leagues and/or service projects.

Biblical integration: the Bible says … let’s live it together

Participants expressed confidence about what their churches were doing. Some variation of “solid biblical teaching” was the overwhelming response. Churches are preaching the Bible from the pulpit and in Sunday school classes. Churches are also choosing songs with good theology and studying apologetics and series on trusting the Bible. Several participants also noted that this included a life of integrity where the church acts on what it believes, seen in things like how they care for the poor.

The greatest need was less clear-cut, but education, both formal (Bible college or academic training) and informal (seminars) were mentioned several times. Many responses focused on biblical application; wisdom is needed to apply or balance biblical values with love for people.

Training and resources were named most often as things the conference could do to help churches. Of these, subsidizing and promoting education, specifically at Steinbach Bible College was mentioned most often. Several groups identified helpful EMC resources and requested that something similar be done again (Come and See sermon series, Darren and Barry’s video, Desire conference).

Genuine experiences: felt experiences through encounters with God

Testimonies, sharing and prayer stood out to most groups as times when genuine spiritual experience took place, whether these were planned occasions (baptism, sharing time during the service), or less structured occasions (camps, retreats, small group meetings). Many responses noted that the act of caring for each other or just being together as the family of God was richly experiential in their churches (shaking hands and greeting people by name, eating together, praying for one another, or asking how God is at work in a person’s life). The importance of missions experiences, camps, and youth events (Abundant Springs) was noted.

Needs were identified for re-enchantment (combating cynicism toward spiritual realities), not quenching the Holy Spirit, finding ways to identify and name supernatural encounters or moments with God and undoing skepticism due to manipulative or inauthentic experiences. There is also a need to integrate younger members into the life of the church.

What can the conference do? Existing EMC gatherings (meetings, festivals, ministerial retreats, Abundant Springs, and more) are seen as helpful. There is a need for EMC to tell stories of people’s experiences of God and his work. EMC needs to continue praying for churches and encourage prayer meetings among churches.