NWC Calendar
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October 4-6, 2010
Ministerial Association Retreat - Cragun's Resort, Brainerd, MN
October 10, 2010
NWC Celebration - Salem Covenant Church, Duluth, MN
October 12-13, 2010
Parish Nurse Retreat - Covenant Pines Bible Camp, McGregor, MN
October 15-16, 2010
Thrive North Dakota - Hope Covenant Church, Grand Forks, ND
October 24, 2010
NWC Celebration - Evangelical Covenant Church, Dassel, MN
November 13, 2010
CONVERGE Workshops - Roseville Covenant Church, Roseville, MN
January 8, 2011
Recharge - Berean Baptist Church, Burnsville, MN
January 31-February 4, 2011
Covenant Midwinter Conference, Chicago, IL
April 28-30, 2011
NWC Annual Meeting - Crossview Covenant Church, North Mankato, MN
June 11-18, 2011
Adventures in Leadership - Adventurous Christians, Grand Marais, MN
June 25-28, 2011
The Feast - Estes Park, CO
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Children's Ministry Free Resource
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21 Tips to Prepare for Fall
Summer is a time for fun and festivities for kids, but those in children's ministry know that it is no time to lose focus on the upcoming school and ministry year.
Download this one-page list of 21 ideas to help you prepare for the season ahead. Colorful and simple, this is an ideal handout to share with your staff and volunteers as they prepare for a new wave of ministry.
Click here to download this free resource from Today's Children's Ministry.
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Avoiding Mission Drift
By Peter L. Steinke
Visiting a relative who lives on the Great South Bay off the
shores of Long Island, several of us joined him for a boat ride. We were on the
bay in early afternoon, enjoying the breeze and fast ride. Some dark, scattered
clouds cast shadows on the water, but the sky was mostly blue. The weather
forecast called for sunshine with scattered showers in the evening. But several
of the dark clouds suddenly bonded together. A strong breeze accompanied the
darkening sky. Within minutes, everything became gray, concealing any sight of
land. The wind-driven rain made visibility even more difficult. Unable to see
land, the skipper turned to his boat's compass to orient himself and the boat.
Motoring slowly, he was able to dodge other boats on the bay as we headed for the
now-invisible shore. Eventually, we saw partial outlines of beach houses as we
approached land. Totally drenched and hyperalert on our own adrenaline, we
docked at our destination. Oriented by the boat's compass, we escaped harm's
way, landing safely.
To be headed in a direction serves people well in life, just
as it did for us on the bay. According to Edwin Friedman, a distinctive mark of
a mature person is having clear life goals. Guided by personal goals, an
individual is less likely to be distracted or detoured by the reactivity of
others. Someone else's behavior does not determine yours. Based on principles
and values, you direct your life. Friedman often referred to the analogy of
sailing to illustrate his point. Without a destination, a sailor on a lake
meanders and drifts. The sailor will not adjust the sails to take advantage of
the wind to proceed to the chosen landing place. If this is true on water, what
about in life? Is orientation possible without destination?
Considering all of the complexities and challenges facing
churches, it is amazing that more of them are not on the brink of oblivion or
in harm's way. Many are not using a compass to navigate the hazy conditions
created by cultural shift. When consulting with churches embroiled in conflict
or paralyzed by passivity, I always ask the congregation, "Does this
congregation have a clear sense of its mission?" Typical responses range
from "poor sense of purpose" to "running in circles," from
"lack of vision" to "our mission is not to have a mission."
Questions like, Who are we? What is our primary focus? go begging for answers.
Continue reading "Avoiding Mission Drift."
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Register soon for the Ministerial Association Retreat, and the Town and Country Commission Conference
Pastors and spouses are invited to the 2010 Ministerial Association Retreat, which will take place at Cragun's Resort in Brainerd, MN, Oct. 4-6. The brochure for the retreat, available at the link below, contains expanded information about the speaker for this year's retreat, as well as general information about the schedule, scholarships and the resort itself. Registration Forms and Retreat Scholarship Applications are also available on the site.
NWC Ministerial Association web page
Town and Country Commission Conference
Interested in developing your leadership skills in a town and country ministry setting? Make plans to attend the FREE Town and Country Commission Conference preceding the Ministerial Association Retreat.
A promotional flyer for the conference is available on the NWC Town and Country Commission web page.
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Thrive North Dakota: Oct. 15-16
Thriving Churches International is bringing a one day version of its THRIVE Conference to Grand Forks, ND, Oct. 15-16. THRIVE ND will feature general sessions filled with inspiring worship, gut-splitting laughter, and thoughtful, encouraging messages-plus many of the "unexpecteds" THRIVE is known for-in each of its three general sessions.
 THRIVE ND will also feature two separate workshop times offering 25 different topics of interest ranging from marriage, personal finances, and parenting to leadership, small groups, and advanced preaching technique.
THRIVE ND is being hosted and sponsored by Hope Covenant Church in Grand Forks and co-sponsored by the Northwest Conference. The cost is ONLY $49 per person. As an additional bonus, any pastor who brings at least five people from his/her church and registers by Sept. 30 will receive an invitation to a free lunch and roundtable discussion with Bayside Church founding pastor Ray Johnston.
Space is limited so please get your registrations in today.
Expanded information on THRIVE ND, and a link to online registration, is available on the NWC website.
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Communications Corner
Successful Fall outreach publications
By Bryan Malley No doubt your church's fall and winter schedule is filled
up-or filling up quite quickly right now. No doubt you've got kick-off events,
fall festival events, Thanksgiving and Christmas services, and a whole host of
other opportunities coming up. But have you devoted significant time or energy to how you
will advertise and communicate these events to the public? Have you considered
how you might be strategic about communicating who you are, why you are hosting
the event, and what you will offer those who choose to return and become
involved in the life of your church after the event? I found the following article helpful in reminding me of the key
opportunities and potential messages to share specific things about our church
at upcoming public events: "For Successful Fall Outreach Publications: Clarify and Coordinate." |
CONVERGE Workshop: Nov. 13, Roseville Covenant Church
Your church is invited to participate in CONVERGE, a one-day training event for the purpose of learning, sharing, growing, and inspiration. It will be held on Saturday, Nov. 13 at Roseville Covenant Church, 2865 Hamline Ave. S, Roseville, MN 55113.
Elective workshops will include:
- Effective Church Finances
- Developing a Powerful Communications Strategy for Your Church
- MissionInsite: Practical training with a new demographic instrument available to NWC churches desiring to do local "Soil Analysis" in their communities
- How to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Church Programs
- Church Constitutions and Local Church Governance
- Developing New Ministries Within Your Community
- KidShift: It's a New Day for Children & Family Ministry in Today's Effective Church
Beyond the workshops, there will be a time of worship and inspiration. Lunch will also be included with each registration. The cost for the event will be $15/person with a maximum total cost per church of $100.
Read more about CONVERGE and download a printable flyer/registration form for your church.
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What is your legacy?
By Kevin Lawson
As a ministry partner with the
Northwest Conference, Covenant Trust Company is here to walk alongside your
individual church or ministry and provide resources to help ensure the future
[i.e. legacy] of both your church and individuals in your congregation. This
fall there will be three opportunities for your church and people to hear more
about our ministry and the services that are available.
There will be two regional
workshops hosted by local churches:
Sunday, Sept. 26, 7 p.m.
Zion Covenant Church, Ellsworth, WI
715-273-4148
Saturday, Nov. 6, 10 a.m.
Lakeview Covenant Church, Duluth, MN
218-525-6625
The goal of these workshops is to
provide basic estate and financial planning information and talk about the
services available through Covenant Trust. The topic will be most appropriate
for people who are approaching retirement or are already in retirement. If you
are not familiar with Covenant Trust, or if it has been a while since you have
been to one of our workshops, I would encourage you to attend and invite people
from your church to join you. To reserve a spot, or for directions to the
church, please contact the individual church at the number above.
On Wednesday, Oct. 27, at 2 p.m., Charles Walles, President of
Covenant Trust Company, will be speaking at Covenant Village of Golden Valley. This
will be a great opportunity for you to hear from him about the work of Covenant
Trust Company and how we may be able to help with your situation. This event is
open to everyone and will include a reception to celebrate Chuck's service to
Covenant Trust over the past 19 years.
At Covenant Trust Company, our
vision is, "To awaken people to the significance of stewardship through legacy
planning and financial management." Over the coming months I will be writing
more about some of the specific services and benefits that are available
through our organization.
We are not only a partner with the Northwest
Conference, but with each church and ministry within the Conference. We are
here to provide resources to members and friends who are connected to your
ministry, and to help ensure the future of your ministry for years to come.
If you have any questions or
would like more information, please feel free to contact me at 1-877-222-3960
or kelawson@covenanttrust.com.
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Video series highlights ministry priorities of the NWC
The Northwest Conference recently released a series of video
segments designed to highlight ministry priorities of the conference,
including: "Congregational Vitality," "Church Planting" and "Children, Youth
& Family." Each video features interview segments with NWC staff, lay
leaders and pastors-intermixed with photos and video footage from the churches
highlighted-telling stories of how the conference has influenced and aided ministry
on the local level.
The videos are designed for use throughout the year in
church new member classes, services and other adult education opportunities to
help congregations better understand and engage the work of the Northwest
Conference.
Each church's delegates left the NWC 2010 Annual Meeting
with a DVD copy of the videos. Because of the range of DVD players and
technologies available in our churches, we are aware that the DVD copies may
not work perfectly in all instances.
The series is currently available on the new NWC web site's
video page.
The videos are also available in even higher definition on Vimeo (click here)
and this would be the ideal source for streaming the series in your church or
group.
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The Northwest Conference on Facebook
Become a fan of the Northwest Conference on Facebook to receive important notifications and see photos from events.
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