Report for Congregational Development Team—2007

The Congregational Development Team continued to be a resource for the Tennessee

Conference in 2007 in helping to start new churches and to help revitalize existing
congregations. Rev. Loyd Mabry was our Director of Congregational Development for
the first half of last year until assuming his duties as Director of CCOM. While he may
have switched hats, his love and passion for the mission of Congregational Development
has not diminished and now is always a part of his focus as he conducts and directs our
Conference Office and its personnel. Loyd has continued his leading our conference in
the direction of creating and revitalizing congregations through the Natural Church
Development process as contained in the book by Christian A. Swartz. This is a process
that has been used, and is recommended my many Congregational Development Teams in
other conferences and has had an excellent track record in developing healthy
congregations that are dedicated to growing their churches through growing their
ministries and their discipleship. Loyd had addressed our Annual Conference, District
meetings, and local churches and has presented this program along with some very
significant statistics of which we all should take notice and begin to take action in our
own local parishes and districts. It is very apparent, especially in this time of General
Conferencing, that United Methodism is making this one of main goals and initiatives.

Our own Conference’s Congregational Development Team has taken some significant
actions to support our Bishop and District Superintendents in some new ministries. [Our
team is not empowered to start new churches by the Book of Discipline. Only the Bishop
and the District Superintendents can start a new church. We are a resource only through
funding and/or training. We accept proposals signed by the local church and the Bishop
or the District Superintendent on or before September 1st of each year and endeavor to
give an answer on or before October 1st of that same year for funding to become available
either starting on January 1st of the next year or July 1st of that same year. Forms are
available from the conference office or by emailing me at haphewgley@msn.com.]

Funding this last year went to: Grace UMC (Funding for Associate Pastor of Evangelism
to bring new families to Grace and establish a new faith community to reach unchurched
persons in the Providence area. Rev. Jacob Armstrong has been appointed to head this
project which will become a new church start in the near future. The project started on
Jan. 1st, 2008); Belmont UMC (Funding for ¾ salary of the Local Pastor r of Golden
Triangle Fellowship.) Golden Triangle is a multi-cultural ministry to the various Asian
persons; a Virtual Church (Funding for purchase of cameras and related equipment to do
streaming video, podcasting, make DVDs, special Bible studies, conference and district
training events. This equipment will be owned by the Conference and overseen by Dr.
Ron Lowery who is the DS attached to our Team. It is proposed to be housed by
Bethpage UMC, but can be moved if deemed not to be meeting or that it is incapable of
meeting the goals as outlined in the Virtual Church’s mission statement. Such a decision
will be at the discretion of the CD Team; the Murfeesboro District (Continued funding for
Salary and program money for “Ama a tu Projimo” and for Enrique Hernandez ;
Westland UMC (Funding for salary for Community Youth Outreach Project. Evangelistic
project to nurture and strengthen families in the surrounding neighborhoods.); and in the
Clarksville District—(Continued funding for salary and expense support for Thomas
Farmer a local pastor in the Springfield area.).

We are also planning on offering a day of consultation with Dr. Bob Crossman, Director
of the New Church Institute in Conway, Arkansas. This is proposed to happen on
Wednesday, February 20, 2008 for the purpose of meeting with your Bishop, Cabinet
and Congregational Development Team.

As you can see, our team has been active for the last quadrinium and we look forward as
a new team is formed this annual conference to continue this vital kingdom work.

This concludes our report for 2007.

Respectfully submitted,

Rev. James R. “Hap” Hewgley

Chair of CD Team