news article
Narratives of local church vitality 2022 series
January 11, 2022 / By Shannon Hodson / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
The statistics that a local congregation reports in Vital Signs or Ezra (such as worship attendance, professions of faith, etc.) provide a snapshot of a church’s vitality. Numbers are great, but what about stories that churches can share? Stories that inspire! Stories that motivate! Stories that can encourage churches throughout the Upper New York (UNY) Conference to try something new to live out the mission of the United Methodist Church, to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
Look forward throughout 2022 for narratives of church success stories in particular markers of vitality. Each month will feature a different marker of vitality. These stories will be shared on the UNY Conference website and in the Weekly Digest. Look through the categories below. If you feel your local congregation has strength in any area, click here to submit your story.
- January: Members becoming followers of Jesus
- February: Developing current leaders
- March: Members stepping into leadership roles for the first time
- April: Mission and outreach
- May: Accountability groups
- June: Supporting marginalized or oppressed individuals and communities
- July: Church membership growth
The UNY Director of Vital Congregations, the Rev. Dr. Aaron Bouwens said, “Of the many things the COVID pandemic has shown us, how we measure and celebrate vitality cannot be done the way it has always been done. People have been faithfully being the Church in ways that require us to gather information in a different way. Getting the stories of transformation along with some key statistics will help celebrate the many ways God is on the move in people of Upper New York.”