Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

In a world that is constantly changing, the church is challenged to be faithful to the Gospel and remain vital and effective.  Toward that end the Moderators of the ABCNJ Associations and the Regional Council have been working on a new model of ministry for our Region that encourages and supports our commitment to congregational health and faithfulness.  We believe that it positions us to grow our witness in a changing world.

The change we are presenting to you, for your information and feedback, populates our Council according to a networked mission model because ABCNJ is a network of ministries and churches seeking to follow God.  The proposed model envisions Council being composed of one representative from each of the region’s existing ministries.  Each church would be encouraged to send representatives to all the various ministries they are interested in supporting.  The proposal also allows for the creation of new areas of ministry/mission or the dropping of any regional ministries that cease to function.

How does your church fit in?  A key component of this model of ministry is the creation of the Association Covenant Groups (ACG).  Association Covenant Groups will be composed of between 12 and 30 churches.  The ACG will focus on the common mission and ministry of the participating churches.  Each ACG is responsible for the following areas of associational life:

·       Sending one representative to the ABCNJ Professional Ministries Committee

·       Ordinations

·       For accepting new churches into ABC life

·       Mission and ministry where it makes sense for local churches to cooperate

·       Worship and fellowship with member churches

·       The training of local lay leaders       

We encourage you to discuss this proposal as congregations and as associations.  Each association will set up at least one Town Hall type forum to discuss this proposal during the first half of 2010.  Members of the Regional Council and Regional Ministry Team are eager to participate in these events to hear from you, provide further information and to answer questions.

Your participation and input is a vital part of our renewal process.  The intent behind this restructuring is to increase our ability to remain faithful participants in the mission and ministry of our Lord, Jesus Christ.  If the churches provide positive feedback and support, this proposal will be brought to a vote at the 2010 ABCNJ Annual Session on September 24-25, 2010.

Yours in Christ,      

Rev. Teresa Ely, President

ABCNJ Council                                                                                                       

Attachments:

File	Description	File size
ABCNJ Council of Regional Ministries in Spanish.pdf		133 Kb
Proposal - ABCNJ Council of Regional Ministries		98 Kb