District Superintendent - Mike Kraemer

Greetings Iowa District,

It has been such a joy running all over our state connecting with many of you. I am enjoying getting to know the district and the good people across Iowa.

Recently, I was asked the question, “what does the church need to do to pass on our faith to the next generation?” That’s a great question! And it’s a question we need to figure out. As many of our churches get older, it becomes more challenging to connect and pass this faith on to a generation that thinks much differently than we do. And so, I have been praying and thinking of that question and this is what I've come up with.

1. We need to live out our holiness doctrine. It must be more than head knowledge. Often times I see people who tout our holiness message but fail to live it out in the everyday life. The life changing message must make it south of our neck and into our hearts! We can know all the terms and language of sanctification and holiness but if we don’t truly love God with our whole heart and being, it means nothing. If we fight amongst ourselves and don’t demonstrate a love to this next generation, they will go find a group that will. Let’s live out our doctrine and demonstrate holiness to those around us!

“This is the sum of Christian perfection: It is all comprised in that one word, Love. The first branch of it is the love of God: And as he that loves God loves his brother also, it is inseparably connected with the second: ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself:’ Thou shalt love every man as thy own soul, as Christ loved us. ‘On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets: These contain the whole of Christian perfection.” John Wesley, sermon #76

2. The church needs to get back to living with a sense of mission. If we continue to pump out Sunday services and hold our gatherings but never go out into the community with a sense of mission this next generation will continue to leave. Our mission needs to become more important than our buildings, our property, and even our services. Do the neighbors around our church buildings know the good news of Jesus Christ? Have we stepped out of our buildings and walked across the street to share with them the life changing message of salvation through Him? If not, this next generation will find a place that is willing to BE the church in our neighborhoods. Jesus came to “seek and save the lost.” We must rediscover what it means to be a church on mission!

It sounds too simple, right? But what if we put these two thoughts into practice? What if all our churches across our district just decided that they will live out the holiness message and live with a sense of mission. Think about what we could accomplish across Iowa if our churches lived this out. Well, let’s try it and see what God does through the Church across our state! We have a great message! We have a mission from Jesus Himself! May we live this out and pass on something worth while to the next generation.

I’m grateful for you today!

Michael Kraemer

NYI President - Andy Watts

Hey Iowa Nazarenes!

As we enter into November, my mind starts to get fixated on Thanksgiving (and deer hunting) and I just want you to know how thankful I am for each of you! Your role in ministry, whether you are a pastor or a lay leader, is so crucial to the Kingdom and it is often a thankless job. Thank you for what you do for the teenagers of your church. I know that middle schoolers can be squirrely, distracted and stinky but they need you. They need you to keep showing up in their lives so they can trust that you know them, while they are figuring out who they are. I know high schoolers can be distant, aloof, and standoffish but they need you. They need you to keep showing up so they know that you'll be there for them even when times get tough. Teenagers need the church. They need incarnational leaders who will model Christlikeness to them as they navigate the mysteries of the teenage experience. Thanks for showing up. You are prayed for and you are loved!

Here is a Ministry Resource for NYI:

Do you have parents of teenagers in your church that feel a growing distance between them and their kid? Do you have parents that have found concerning online behavior on their kid's devices? Do you have parents that fear that their kids faith is being threatened by the outside world? Do you have parents that feel like they are failing as a parent?

AXIS is a ministry to help connect parents, teens, and Jesus in a disconnected world.

If you are interested in a church membership to help the parents of your teenagers, send us a message HERE. Some scholarships may be available to help.

Here are some upcoming events for NYI:

November 13: Teen Quiz Meet | Cedar Rapids Oakland | Registration: 9am

December 11: Teen Quiz Meet | Greater Life Church

April 21-23, 2022: MAX @ MNU | Olathe, KS | More Details to come...

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please reach out to me.

I'm in your corner!

Andy Watts

awatts@oskynaz.org

SDMI President - RJ Montis

Hello Iowa District!

Just this week I had the opportunity to spend time with our Children’s Ministry, Teen Ministry, and an Adult Bible Study group. I’m sure you’re schedule has some very similar moments for you, as well. But, I want to make sure all of us are making the time to focus on each of those individual groups. Whether you are the person leading a group or you have someone else in place who is called and gifted to lead, our churches will be very well served when we make it a priority to love, serve, teach, and fellowship with each age group.

There are a lot of different ways that you can break down those groups based on how your church is made up!

Children, Teens, Young Adults, Married Couples, Singles, Single Parents, and Prime Times - all of these are great options to try to reach people exactly where they are at. Look around at your church and take stock of who is looking to you for support.

If you would like help or resources for starting any of these kinds of groups in your church, please let me know!

RJ Montis

rjmontis@gmail.com

Hispanic Coordinator - Shane Wilson

October was a special month. We began by celebrating our biannual United Service when all our Hispanic churches and pastors are invited to come and worship together. Our new DS Mike Kraemer preached an inspiring message and as you can see by the picture, the response was a full altar. I can truthfully say that all our Hispanic pastors are thankful for bringing DS Kraemer to Iowa to serve. We are committed to pray for him and support him in his challenging role as our district leader.

We also celebrated a special anniversary service at Des Moines "Espiritu y Verdad" with pastor Terry Chapman proclaiming the Word. Hope you like the drone pic after the service!

Opportunities and challenges are abundant in the Hispanic Ministry in Iowa. Prayers needed and appreciated! More news next month. ¡Dios les bendiga!

Shane Wilson

spiritandtruth40@gmail.com

NMI President - Brenna Selden

Did You Know?

NMI has changed its emphasis over the last few years from monthly emphases to the 5 Areas of Impact. This is to help pastors and local leaders be able to integrate missions into the greater work of the church rather than separating it to be one focus each month.

The 5 Areas of Impact are: