Answer The Call To Renew The Mainline Church! Visit MainlineCall.org today and register for our Chicago Conference Aug 6-8,2010
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"We must once again contend for the apostolic faith of the one, holy, universal and apostolic Church. This renewing work must be built only upon the foundation of our unity in the truth that is made known in Jesus Christ. It is now time for repentance, courage and action. The renewal, reform and healing of our churches only can come through the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit." (Titus 3:5-6)
Tom Oden, United Methodist
Posted January 20th, 2010 by adminPosted December 2nd, 2009 by admin
Leaders, Clergy, and Members of the UCC, Episcopal Church, Evangelical Lutheran, and other Mainline Churches were called today to stand for the “sanctity of human life, the dignity of marriage and the rights of conscience and religious liberty” by signing onto the Manhattan Declaration, an ecumenical call to conscience. Http://www.manhattandeclaration.orgAssociation for Church Renewal President, Rev. David Runnion-Bareford, called his mainline colleagues to, “make this public commitment as followers of Jesus Christ on behalf of the historic churches which once established the spiritual foundation of our nation.”“Now is the hour to speak our conviction in defense of the least of these who are the victims when life and marriage are no longer sacred and our Christian witness is coerced into silence.” Rev Runnion-Bareford said, “We recognize that brothers and sisters who serve as we do in denominations that have publicly compromised with culture, will take this public stand at personal cost. We recognize that in the name of “affirming diversity” and “extravagant welcome”, our denominational structures have created cultures of intolerance in which those who publicly sign this Manhattan Declaration risk your future promotion, placement, and collegial affirmation. In these times the cost of discipleship is real. Come! Let us stand together in the courage of conviction as followers of Jesus Christ, the crucified and risen Lord who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”The Association for Church Renewal is a strategic alliance of renewal leaders representing over 30 renewal ministries in the mainline denominations of the U.S. and Canada. Rev. Runnion-Bareford is ordained in the United Church of Christ. There are now over 230,000 signatories to the Manhattan Declaration. Http://associationforchurchrenewal.comTo contact Rev. Runnion-Bareford: Renewall.acr@gmail.com, Phone: 207-505-0600Posted November 18th, 2009 by admin
Editor’s Note: Those interested in supporting a new Pan-Lutheran seminary by donating relevant books may wish to explore this opportunity. Dr. Dennis Bielfeldt, ordained minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America leads the institute.Donate Theological Books
The Institute of Lutheran Theology is a new pan-Lutheran seminary grounded in the Scriptures and in classical Christianity of the Historic Christian Church.. The Institute is in need of donated books for its library. Begun last year, the Institute ministers to the theological and educational needs of those who are studying for the ministry, for pastors in congregations, and for laypeople who wish to grow in their theological understanding. While it is Lutheran in orientation, it seeks to be of benefit to the Christian Church at large. This Fall the Institute began its first year of M.Div. classes. The Institute is seeking to build a library that can be used by both its students and its faculty. The school is asking clergy to consider donating a portion of their library, or, in cases of retired pastors, their entire library to the Institute. This is a great way to make sure that your books live on and minister to others long after you are gone. Those who are interested should contact the Rev. Douglas Morton, Library Director for the school. You may email him at dmorton@instituteoflutherantheology.org. For more information about the Institute of Lutheran Theology, please visit their web site at www.instituteoflutherantheology.org.Posted October 28th, 2009 by adminWhat? Answering the Call: New Life in the Mainline Church
When? August 5-8, 2010
Where? Elmhurst College (Chicago, Illinois)
Why? to issue the call for a new generation of ECOT (evangelical, conservative, orthodox, traditional) pastors and leaders in the historic mainline churches
Who will speak? Jim Harrell, John Armstrong, Jim Tomberlin, Bob Thompson, and a growing list of Evangelical, Congregational, Orthodox, and Traditional (ECOT) scholars and pastors in mainline settings.
Who should attend? college and seminary students, pastors serving in or interested in mainline ministry, laity interested in mainline renewal
Who is sponsoring the event? The Association for Church Renewal
How do I register? A link for complete registration information will be available on this web site January 31, 2010.
How do I spread the word?
· E-mail starloftin@charter.net if you would like one or more “Save the Date” refrigerator magnets.
· E-mail bob@corinthtoday.org if you would like a speaker to address a student group, seminary setting, or local congregation about this event.Posted October 8th, 2009 by adminIf you are serving Jesus Christ as the Executive or Representative of a North American mainline church renewal ministry you are cordially invited to join us for the Autumn meeting of the Association for Church renewal. We’ll have critical reports on what is happening in the ELCA, the merger of major mainline ministries in human sexuality, new Methodist ministry opportunities and much, much more!
Monday 9:00 A.M. - Tuesday Noon, October 26-27, 2009
Holiday Inn Rosslyn @ Key Bridge, Arlington Va.
(Washington D.C.)Planning Meeting for the August 2009 Future Leadership Conference will follow and adjourn at 3:00 P.M.
For details, questions, or to confirm you are coming:
email: Renewall.acr@gmail.comPosted September 15th, 2009 by admin
Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson tried to communicate confidence to the recent conference of ELCA Bishops saying, “I still remain convinced that we in the ELCA have a particularly unique moment to give an evangelical and missional witness together to the world.” The mood, however, was uneasy as financial crisis and schism looms large in the wake of this summer’s ELCA decision to follow the UCC and Episcopals in the embrace of homosexual clergy.Under fierce criticism from African American and other racial minority Lutherans over this decision, Hanson stated magnanimously, “I want to be absolutely clear. Contrary to what some are saying or least implying, the churchwide organization is not now and will not use grants to congregations as a manipulative tool to silence criticism or to keep those congregations and their leaders in this church.” ELCA News
Meanwhile the schismatic implications of the ELCA decision were clear in a letter to the Conference from the President of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, Rev. Gerald B. Kieschnick in which he repeated the strong words he gave in his address to the ELCA General Assembly last summer. He wrote, “I share this letter with you to confirm what I have already stated, namely, that this is a very serious matter, one that we cannot ignore . . .. to the greatest extent possible, it would be a blessing to our ongoing cooperative relationships if the actions taken at the ELCA Assembly were not implemented, nor given influence, in the context of inter-Lutheran ministries involving the LCMS and the ELCA, so that these relationships would be neither damaged nor destroyed.”The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod will consider the status of its many joint ministries with the ELCA at its national gathering in June, 2010. ELCA NewsMeanwhile, meeting in late September, the ELCA renewal coalition known as Lutheran CORE met in Indianapolis with delegates from the U.S. and Canada to begin a reconfiguration of the Lutheran Church in North America. Changing their constitution from a Coalition for Reformation to a Coalition for Renewal, they began to create a free standing Synod for all faithful Lutherans. “God is calling us to do something. The ELCA has fallen into heresy. It is a time for confession and a time to resist. It is, please God, also a time for new life and transformation and for mission,” said Rev. Paul Spring, CORE Chair. Lutheran COREThe movement toward reconfiguration will include conversations toward unity with another reformation movement: Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ. Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ meeting this week in Fargo, N. Dakota have had a doubling of their normal attendance at an annual gathering. LCMCPosted September 8th, 2009 by adminIn July, Exodus International merged with One by One, an outreach equipping the Presbyterian and Reformed faith communities to compassionately and effectively address biblical sexuality and Transforming Congregations, a similar ministry in The United Methodist Church.
“Together, we hope to advance a new era in the global Christian church that is defined by God’s truth as well as His heart for hurting individuals experiencing confusion and conflict about their sexuality.” said Alan Chambers, President of Exodus International. Representatives of the mainline ministries will share this exciting new vision at the Autumn meeting of the Association for Church Renewal.Posted September 1st, 2009 by adminWith one more than the required 666 votes to pass, the ELCA approved a resolution at their August Convention to allow gays and lesbians in same-sex relationships to be ordained. They thereby became the third protestant body in the U.S. to make such a decision, following the lead of the United Church of Christ and the Episcopal Church. Apparently they were uninhibited by the fact that the Episcopal Church and the UCC have been loss leaders among denominations for several years or that a tornado struck the church where they were meeting while the ELCA was making the decision.
Posted August 15th, 2009 by adminPresiding Bishop Katherine Schori admitted to the General Convention in July what many already suspected, that she had never had a personal conversion to faith in Jesus Christ and considered the idea idolatrous. In her opening address to the Convention she said, “The crisis of this moment has several parts, and like Episcopalians, particularly ones in Mississippi, they’re all related. The overarching connection in all of these crises has to do with the great Western heresy - that we can be saved as individuals, that any of use alone can be in right relationship with God. It’s caricatured in some quarters by insisting that salvation depends on reciting a specific verbal formula about Jesus. That individualist focus is a form of idolatry, for it puts me and my words in the place that only God can occupy, at the center of existence, as the ground of all being. That heresy is one reason for the theme of this Convention.” Bishop Schori - opening address
A month or so later she managed to get a youtube piece up denying that Jesus Christ is God’s singular way to salvation . . . as opposed say to Islam or Judaism or . . . .whatever.Posted August 8th, 2009 by adminUCC - Goodbye honestly, Sacred Conversations?? and we don’t have WHAT??
The June UCC Synod meeting offered little to prompt national headlines but in saying goodbye after ten years as President of the UCC, John Thomas pulled back the curtain to tell it like it is. In opening his farewell speech he said, “I do want to acknowledge that there are many ways in which reach exceeded grasp, hopes were not fulfilled, and challenges not met. We are a smaller church than we were ten years ago. Our national staff has shrunk with all the attendant pain that entails. We have said farewell to one of our Conferences. We are moving in painfully slow ways to acknowledge and claim a new fund raising environment with all of its challenge and opportunity. We are closing more churches than we are opening or welcoming. The ecumenical vision which has been my passion continues, but the organizations embodying that vision are more fragile than ever. Much about our institutional life feels very vulnerable, and efforts to address those urgent concerns still meet denial and resistance. You have been gracious not to lay the burden or the blame for this on me alone, and I have resisted doing that to myself as well. But I do worry about our future, and I lament that we are not where I thought we would be when I began ten years ago.”John Thomas FarewellThe Grand Rapids Synod featured “Sacred Conversations on Race”, in which delegates shared their angst and revelations on personal racism. All very well until the power politics of still another restructuring revealed the reality of a racial angst that was anything but sacred. African American, Hispanic and Asian delegates spoke angrily about exclusion and a patronizing response by President Thomas provoked an old fashioned demonstration. Whoops!Finally, during a treasurers report while most delegates and visitors were dozing or sending text messages, a youth delegate went to the microphone to ask, “does the United Church of Christ have a budget?”There was audible chuckling in the room until the UCC treasurer responded, “actually we don’t. The UCC has not operated with a formalized budget since the last restructuring probably in 2000 or 2001″. Well what do you know folks - a major mainline denomination has simply been operating without a budget for nearly a decade? Go figure.
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Our Mission
"We must once again contend for the apostolic faith of the one, holy, universal and apostolic Church. This renewing work must be built only upon the foundation of our unity in the truth that is made known in Jesus Christ. It is now time for repentance, courage and action. The renewal, reform and healing of our churches only can come through the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit." (Titus 3:5-6) Tom Oden, United Methodist
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Recent News
- Answer The Call To Renew The Mainline!
- THE MANHATTAN DECLARATION: A CALL TO MAINLINE LEADERS, CLERGY, MEMBERS
- New Pan Lutheran Studies Institute Forms - Seeks Donated Theological Works
- Answering the Call: New Life in the Mainline Church
- Invitation To the Autumn Meeting of the Association For Church Renewal
- Lutherans Rock and Roil After ELCA Sex Decision
- Exodus, Mainline Ministry Merge For Greater Effectiveness in Human Sexuality Ministry
- ELCA Votes To Follow UCC, ECUSA Model For Church Growth
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