Hello ECO Community! Hope you enjoy this month's newsletter! Make sure not to miss the end! Click on the blue link at the very bottom of this email that says "View entire message"!
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A message from Dana Allin, Synod Executive
How are ECO churches doing? This question has been asked more often of me in the past year than in any other time since our existence. It is an understandable question during this season. The perfect storm between COVID, racial tension, political tension, cancel culture, and the increasing view that orthodox Christian perspective is archaic and hateful. The question is even further complicated when considering what framework should really be used to evaluate how the church is doing. When asking how churches are doing, most people look at the health of the church's finances and the percentage of people attending worship compared to pre-pandemic numbers. These are certainly one set of important measurements but are they the only measurements or even among the most important measurements?
One of the projects we have been working on in ECO is a Church Health Assessment based upon our 6 qualities of a flourishing church. These 6 qualities and their brief definitions can be found in our vision frame under the “Measures” section. These characteristics were created in our vision process before the pandemic, but one of the things that is helpful to understand is that they are not based on traditional metrics of budget and worship attendance. Instead they are fundamental aspects of church health such as the extent to which the church has identified and lived out its unique vision, the extent to which covenant partners have people helping them grow as disciples and the extent to which covenant partners are doing that for others. The key is to focus on the foundational health of the church. When the church is healthy the other metrics will naturally increase.
We are thankful for the hundred of you who took a sample assessment a few months ago. This group helped us decide which questions were valid in determining the six major areas of health and which ones needed to be removed.
We are pleased to announce that we now have a Church Health Assessment that is statistically verified as valid and reliable. We are currently finishing up last minute details and a church trial. Very soon those will be complete and we will send out an eblast with more information and details on how to use the assessment with your congregation. We are excited to be able to offer the assessment for free to churches until the end of September. You can learn more or take the assessment here.
The way the assessment works is that the church signs up and is then given a link to send to the congregation. The congregation fills out the assessment based upon their....read entire article here
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2022 ECO National Gathering Registration is Open!
We can’t wait to see you in Dallas! Register early for discounts!
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Do You Know Korean or Spanish? ECO Ordination Needs You!
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We are looking for a group of people that can help us translate various documents, such as candidates' ordination exams, exam graders' notes, CLP training documents, etc.
The most common languages we need are Korean and Spanish. We are hoping to have a group of people who we can ask, randomly throughout the year, for translations of these documents.
If you are interested in helping ECO with this (or in making a little extra money), please reach out to us!
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We love to stay connected with each other! |
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Make sure you are following ECO on Facebook and Instagram to stay connected and up to date on everything that is going on...from new resources to what our global mission partners are up to, to stories about what is happening in our churches across ECO! |
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Check out your presbytery's facebook page!
Click on a presbytery name below.
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Or connect with other ECO leaders across the country |
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ECO Children, Youth
and Family Leaders
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ECO Church
Planting Network
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PRESBYTERY OF THE SOUTH YOUTH RETREAT |
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ECO Presbytery of the South Youth Retreat!
By Austin Thomas - Director of Student Ministries, Marietta Community Church, GA
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Three years ago, I was returning home from a weekend retreat with my church in Marietta, GA. The retreat involved many local churches, and began years before my time serving as Student Director. The weekend brought churches closer together in a time when it seemed like congregations were looking for reasons to be kept apart. As I walked in, dropped my luggage and laid on the couch, something began to stir within me. God was calling for change.
So, I prayed. That prayer provided a vision for something new and different. This vision called for us to lead a new retreat with new churches. This time, God was asking for ECO churches. I was excited and intrigued, but I also knew that God was saying, “not yet.”
A year later, I returned to the same camp for the same retreat of Marietta churches. This time, however, nothing felt right. Fortunately, I was not the only Student Director that felt this way. Together we came to the conclusion that this would be our last year together. Like a wave rushing over me, God spoke that the time had come for the new retreat He introduced a year before.
This time, my return home was much more active. I reached out to two other ECO student directors and asked them to meet. Once together, I shared God’s vision for a new retreat, and as we spoke, it became clear God was stirring a similar desire in each of us. We wanted to see students within our presbytery come together.
Over the next several months, we met, planned, hoped, and dreamed. Shortly thereafter we had a spot on the agenda for our presbytery meeting at the 2020 National Gathering. Here we shared our vision, and soon every church was on board. We decided to call the weekend TOGETHER because it was an opportunity for our students to worship, fellowship and grow together.
Only two months later, COVID-19 swept across our nation and the world. Early reports called for two weeks, but quarantines and social distancing kept pressing forward. By the time June rolled around, every church that was once on board had backed out. It seemed that all the work, effort and vision from God was crashing down around us. To say the least, it was not the most encouraging time for ministry.
Instead, I took a small group of my own students to the camp that weekend, and scouted all they had to offer. By the end of that weekend, every hope and dream reawakened within me, and I booked the camp again before our bus even left. Only this time, I booked it for a year in advance, and for more than just one church to attend. With renewed enthusiasm for God’s vision, we started planning for TOGETHER 2021, including the ECO churches from the Presbytery of the South.
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Even as we hit challenges and setbacks, our team was determined to move forward. Health concerns were an obstacle again, and the Delta variant reared its head to thwart yet another year for our churches to gather TOGETHER. But even as the day drew near, we refused to accept another wash. I knew God was doing something greater. I was reminded over and over again of Hebrews 10:24-25, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (emphasis added, ESV). God’s vision was not just for an awesome weekend, but an opportunity to stir us up from a period where isolation and separation so deeply defined our lives. God was truly bringing us together to stir one another to love and good works.
As I reflect, I am reminded how God truly orchestrated it all. It really could not have happened apart from him. The weekend was filled with biblical teaching from Dana Allin, humbling worship from Evergreen Church’s praise team, and so many opportunities for fellowship at Woodlands Camp. There isn’t anything I would change from this first TOGETHER conference. And it is my hope and dream from God that TOGETHER would stretch farther than the Presbytery of the South. Let’s see TOGETHER, not just here, but throughout all presbyteries for the glory of our Father and the growth of our students.
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Trinity Street Church: A Micro-Expression Birthed out of COVID |
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Written by Mike Kenyon
Executive Pastor of Evangelism, Discipleship and Multiplication
Trinity United Presbyterian Church Santa Ana
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In his book The Church of Irresistible Influence, Robert Lewis shares the story of the first suspension bridge built across the Niagara River Gorge in 1851. The idea came from James Roebling, one of the most accomplished engineers of his time. Everyone thought he was out of his mind. A suspension bridge with no girders or support beams seemed impossible, especially stretching across the roaring rapids. The chasm seemed too great. However, with intentionality, effort, and teamwork, Roebling pulled it off. Lewis makes the point that although the gap between the church and culture often seems impossibly wide, Christ calls us to build bridges that extend into the communities where we live.
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Last year, several families from Trinity United Presbyterian Church in Santa Ana, California, did just that. Unable to meet indoors due to COVID-19 restrictions, they decided to gather one Sunday in a neighborhood cul-de-sac. They watched Trinity’s livestream service on a flat-screen television mounted on the back of a truck. Soon after, they added live music to the worship experience. A year later, the weekly gathering has grown to more than 200 people, including many neighborhood residents who don’t belong to a church. |
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“Trinity Street Church creates an environment where it’s easy to invite people who wouldn’t normally go to church,” said Jessica Gazzaniga, one of the volunteer leaders. “Before this, many of us didn’t even know our neighbor’s names. Now we are building relationships, praying for them, and seeing our new friends come to Bible studies.”
Street Church has evolved into one of Trinity’s regular Sunday morning venues. Every month the gathering moves to a new location after a host family obtains the neighbors’ permission. Over the past 14 months, the gathering has been held in nine different neighborhoods.
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Doug Rumford, Lead Pastor at Trinity, sees God at work in this ministry endeavor. “As a leader, I am learning to exercise faith by leading with ‘Yes.’ Street Church has been an experience of watching God move and saying Yes to the next step. I am not sure what makes me most joyful: new people coming to faith and spiritual engagement, or long-term disciples getting activated in missional outreach.”
Last winter, a 35-year-old husband and father of three died in a motorcycle accident. The man’s family, which was not connected to any faith community, asked Trinity Street Church to host the memorial service in front of their home. About 500 community members attended. Trinity provided chairs, pop-up canopies, food, and other resources. Pastor Doug Rumford officiated at the service.
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Over the summer Trinity offered mid-week programs on campus for children, youth, and adults, to help Street Church families engage with Trinity. This fall we will encourage the spiritually curious and new believers to participate in small groups as well as worship services.
“Street church reminds me that we are here to serve our community, to preach the gospel to our neighbors,” said Rebecca Holz, another volunteer leader. “We’ve brought the church to our street.”
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NEW ECO SYNOD MAILING ADDRESS |
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If you are mailing anything to ECO Synod, please send to:
ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians
300 Garden of the Gods Rd
Suite 130
Colorado Springs, CO 80907
If needed please relay this address update to your church administration staff. Thanks!
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New Gilead Reformed Church
Concord, NC
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NEW COHORTS, WEBINARS, AND RESOURCES! |
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We will hold a webinar later this month to give more information about the Flourish Institute and to answer any questions you may have.
Webinar Info:
Sep 22, 2021 @ 10:00 AM Pacific
Register in advance for this webinar. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
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ECO’s partnership with Axis keeps getting better! |
ECO Churches may now extend the
free membership to their families!
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ECO has partnered with Axis again, offering free membership to ECO families!
The Axis Membership delivers trustworthy, gospel-centered resources on the topics that make parenting such a challenge in this smartphone, social media world.
Culture, technology, faith, identity, and hundreds of other challenging topics are covered through a Gospel-centered lens, making life’s tough conversations just a bit easier.
Register your family for your Axis Membership today!
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Coach Training at the 2022 National Gathering for ECO Pastors, Presbytery Leaders, Elders and Certified Transitional Pastors
When:
Thursday, Feb. 3rd 1pm - 5:30 (after the National Gathering ends)
& Friday, Feb. 4th 9am - 4pm
ECO will offer a 2-day Coach Training certification process after the 2022 National Gathering, in partnership with CoachNet International, because of our commitment to equip leaders and provide resources that nurture flourishing ministry within ECO. Having a coach can be a powerful asset in ministry and discipleship.
More and more, pastors and leaders recognize the value of a quality coach to equip them to cultivate skills, lead staff, mentor young leaders, mobilize volunteers and teams more strategically, and improve as a counselor. This training helps develop and deploy your coaching as a leader in all areas of your life, both personally and professionally.
Coach Training is a worthwhile investment at any level of ministry. Some of you have begun the process with us some time ago, for some of you this may be something new for 2022! Come learn more about how to encourage others in what God is doing in the lives of those around you through the ministry of coaching.
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Certified Transitional Pastor Training |
Foundations
Oct 19-21, 2021 in Weddington, NC
You are invited to participate in this Transitional Pastor Training Seminar where you will learn, together with your peers, how to recognize the issues congregations face, how to provide a consistent non-anxious presence, how to guide the leadership and the congregation to envision God's preferred future for them. In the process, you will give the search team and the congregation the space they need to prepare for the next called pastor.
Location: Threshold Church, 3501 Antioch Church Road, Weddington, NC 28104
Meals: Lunch will be provided at the church for the first 2 days.
Schedule:
Tuesday 8:30am - 5:00pm;
Wednesday 8:30am - 4:00pm
Thursday 8:30am - 2:00pm
Cost: Early Registration is $325
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Want to learn more about ECO Transitional Pastors? View our website below. |
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Connecting Missions Leaders Conference |
Postponing Gatherings - a Message from Frontier Fellowship
Due to the late-summer COVID-19 surge, our team recently made the difficult decision to postpone Frontier Fellowship's 40th anniversary celebration and the Connecting Mission Leaders conference (CML), originally scheduled for October 13-16 in Hendersonville, Tennessee. Hosting large in-person events has become difficult and potentially dangerous for those who would attend, including our global partners who were planning to join us.
We are still very excited to gather to celebrate God's faithfulness and consider "The Future of Frontier Mission" together. Our team plans to reschedule these events for sometime in 2022. For the most up-to-date information on CML, please visit connectingmissionleaders.com. If you're interested in attending the rescheduled 40th anniversary celebration, let us know at frontierfellowship.com/40.
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ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians | eco-pres.org
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