New Church Development and Sustainability: How will it grow?

"Praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved."  Acts 2:47

On Saturday, Oct. 4, the Illinois Conference LEEAP (Local Evangelism, Envisioning and Planting) funded projects leaders met at Covenant United Church of Christ,South Holland, to gain insight into new church sustainability.

The Rev. Dr. Ozzie E. Smith Jr., Senior Pastor at Covenant UCC, was the appropriate main speaker for the event. Smith organized Covenant UCC as a new church start (launched in 1996). The membership at Covenant UCC today is more than 2,200 and has a budget of over $1,300,000.

The leadership of new congregations along with others from revitalization funded projects gathered to hear Smith and later broke into small groups to discuss how LEEAP and the Illinois Conference can best resource the needs of new churches and their leadership. The event one of the most diverse gatherings in the history of our Conference -- new church work representative of the racial ethnic and demographics being served. Among the participants were several seminary "in-care" students. Several Latino participating seminarians who are interested in new church development came from other denominations.

Participants in the event were treated to Covenant's great hospitality, wonderful breakfast, delicious Jamaican lunch and Smith's Power Point presentation based on the Biblical and theological foundation for new church development and sustainability.