Category Archives: Resources

2023 Pastor-Spouse Retreat registration now open

 

Registration is now open for the 2023 EPC Pastor-Spouse Retreat, October 23-27 at Glen Eyrie Castle & Conference Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Annie Rose

“Study after study the past few years reveal the same thing: that pastors are feeling the wear and tear of ministry like never before,” said Annie Rose, EPC Director of Ministerial Support and Development. “Our goal for this retreat is to provide time and space for our pastors and their spouses to rest, connect, and be encouraged by the Lord.”

Facilitators are Wade Brown, Jeannie Martin, and Dave Meserve from the EPC’s ministry partner, PastorServe. The three will lead large-group discussions each morning and provide free coaching sessions each afternoon.

“Unless you sign up for one of the free coaching and care sessions, the afternoons are completely open with no scheduled activities,” Rose said. “My prayer is that our church leaders will understand the value of renewal for their pastor and his or her spouse and bless them by helping them attend the retreat.”

The cost for the retreat is $550 per person ($1,100 per couple) and includes accommodations for four nights and 11 meals in the Glen Eyrie Castle Dining Room. For more information and to register, see www.epc.org/2023pastorspouseretreat.

Updated mobile app available for 43rd General Assembly / Gospel Priorities Summit

 

The EPC’s mobile app, updated with information and content for the 43rd General Assembly / Gospel Priorities Summit, is now available for Apple iOS and Android operating systems.

The app includes a wide variety of information, including daily schedules, all Assembly documents including the Commissioner’s Handbook of action items and other information, permanent and interim committee reports, standing committee assignments and meeting details, and more. Users can donate to the worship service offerings and sign up for free coaching sessions provided by EPC partner ministries PIR Ministries and PastorServe.

The app also offers one-touch access to EPConnection—the EPC’s news and information service—and the denomination’s Facebook and Twitter feeds.

Previous users of the iOS version will need to update to version 1.7 for the most current content (look for the EPC GA app under the “Updates” tab of the App Store). New users can search for “EPC GA” in the iOS App Store or the GooglePlay app on an Android device.

The app was developed by the EPC Communications Department.

The 43rd General Assembly / Gospel Priorities Summit is June 20-22 at Cherry Hills Community Church in Highlands Ranch, Colo.

#epc2023ga

Variety of fall 2023 gatherings planned for EPC pastors, spouses, church leaders

 

Retreats and gatherings designed to support and encourage EPC pastors, their spouses, church planters, and other leaders are scheduled for October and November 2023.

“We want our pastors and their spouses to thrive in both life and ministry,” said Annie Rose, EPC Director of Ministerial Support and Development. “The events we have planned for this fall are designed to not only bless those who attend, but also have a lasting impact on their families, congregations, and communities.”

Church Planter Retreat

  • Date and Location: October 16-19, Cheyenne Mountain Resort in Colorado Springs, Colo.
  • Theme: “Sustain”
  • Designed for: All active EPC Church Planters and spouses, as well as local church, Presbytery, and Church Planting Network leaders.
  • Synopsis: We will explore ongoing spiritual health and well-being for church plants and church planters. Teaching and discussion groups will cover topics related to active church planters, as well as specific helps for church leaders wanting to begin or grow church planting in their local church, Presbytery, or region.

XP/Administrators Gathering

  • Dates and Locations: October 19-20, DoubleTree Phoenix-Tempe, Phoenix, Ariz.; and November 9-10, EPC Office of the General Assembly in Orlando, Fla.
  • Designed for: Executive Pastors, Executive Directors, Business Adminstrators, and others in local church operational leadership.
  • Guest speaker: David Fletcher, founder of XPastor.org.
  • Synopsis: Fletcher will conduct the Thursday morning session. The Thursday afternoon and Friday morning sessions will be roundtable discussions among peers to exchange ideas and offer solutions to current issues.

Pastor-Spouse Retreat

  • Date and Location: October 23-27, Glen Eyrie Castle & Colorado Conference Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.
  • Designed for: EPC pastors and their spouses.
  • Synopsis: Many pastors are feeling the wear and tear of what leadership has required over the past few years. The goal of this retreat is to provide time and space for participants to rest, connect with others, and receive encouragement from the Lord. We will be led by the excellent Colorado-based staff from PastorServe, who will facilitate our morning large-group sessions and provide care and coaching in the afternoons. Attendees will be together in the mornings but have free time each afternoon. Come be refreshed by the Lord in a beautiful place!

ECO/EPC Small Church Summit

  • Date and Location: November 7-9, First Presbyterian Church of San Antonio in San Antonio, Texas.
  • Theme: “Lead in Community”
  • Synopsis: Those who pastor smaller flocks can feel isolated from other leaders, but we know that the Lord has placed each of us in His body as one of many members. Let’s come together for a time of encouragement and equipping, learning how we can raise up leaders in our churches, and experiencing the grace of doing ministry in community. The summit is free to participants. Cover your transportation and hotel, and we will take care of the rest!

“Registration for these events will open later this summer and be communicated through our normal channels,” Rose said. “Please save the dates for the event that best fits you and your ministry!”

How inFaith serves the church the topic of “In All Things” podcast episode 76 with Jerry Iamurri

 

Jerry Iamurri, Executive Director and CEO of inFaith, is the guest for episode 76 of the EPC’s podcast, “In All Things.” Iamurri is a Teaching Elder in the Presbytery of the East and served as EPC Assistant Stated Clerk from 2017-2022.

Host Dean Weaver and Iamurri discuss how inFaith ministers among the most underserved and underreached communities in the U.S., as well as how the organization serves church planters with a variety of administrative support functions. In addition, Iamurri describes how governance serves mission and vision, and how his experience as Assistant Stated Clerk informs his leadership at inFaith.

Episodes are available on a variety of podcast platforms, including Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Podbean, Spotify, and others. Search “In All Things” on any of these services.

The audio recordings also are available on the EPC website at www.epc.org/inallthings.

General Assembly / Gospel Priorities Summit offers Networking Lunches for connection, equipping

 

Networking Lunches at the EPC’s 43rd General Assembly / Gospel Priorities Summit provide opportunity for attendees to connect with others with similar ministry interests. Networking Lunches are held on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, June 20-22, from 12:00-12:50 p.m. at Cherry Hills Community Church in Highlands Ranch, Colo. For more information about each lunch, see www.epc.org/ga2023networkinglunches.

Tuesday, June 20

  • Apologetic Principles for Church Planting, hosted by Tommy Allen, Planting Pastor of EPC Spokane in Spokane, Wash., and Shane Sunn, Executive Director of the Aspen Grove Church Planting Network.
  • Building Retirement Savings and Tax-Exempt Housing Expense Withdrawal, hosted by Bart Francescone, Executive Director of EPC Benefit Resources, Inc.
  • Choosing to Plant a Multi-Ethnic Church, hosted by Sean Boone, Planting Pastor of Woke Bridge Community Church in Ferguson, Mo., and Marcos Ortega, Lead Pastor of Goodwill Church Beacon in Beacon, N.Y.
  • Disability Ministry Story & Support, hosted by Michelle Munger, author of Margins of Grace: Becoming Champions of Faith and Family in the Midst of Disability.
  • How to Revitalize Your Leadership Pipeline, hosted by Scott Manor, President of Knox Theological Seminary in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
  • Liturgical Worship, the Regulative Principle, and Presbyterianism, hosted by Zac Hicks, Pastor of Church of the Cross in Birmingham, Ala.
  • Navigating the Letters (LGBTQ+) with a Family Member, hosted by Scott Kingry, Program Director of Where Grace Abounds.
  • World Outreach: Home from the Field, hosted by Shawn Stewart, Coordinator of Field Development and Co-op Support for EPC World Outreach.

Wednesday, June 21

  • An Introduction to Multi-Ethnic Church Planting, hosted by Michael Carrion, Vice President of Church Planting and Leadership Development for Redeemer City to City in New York, N.Y.
  • Come and Ask Your Church Health Questions, hosted by Bob Stauffer, EPC National Director of Church Health.
  • Executive Pastors and Church Administrators, hosted by Patrick Coelho, EPC Chief Financial Officer.
  • Female Pastors, Chaplains, and TE Candidates, hosted by Carolyn Poteet, Lead Pastor of Mt. Lebanon Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, Pa.
  • Meet Our Newly Commissioned Global Workers, hosted by Saul and Jesse Huber, Coordinators of Mobilization for EPC World Outreach.
  • Revelation 7:9: How to be a Community-Conscious Congregation, hosted by Rufus Smith, Senior Pastor of Hope Church in Cordova, Tenn.
  • Sharpening Parent Skills Amidst Today’s Adolescent Crisis, hosted by Bill Senyard, President of Gospel App Ministries.
  • Small Church Leadership: Developing the Body in its Call to Hope, hosted by Bill Crawford, Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Thibodaux, La., and Suzanne Zampella, Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Dexter, N.M., and First Presbyterian Church in Hagerman, N.M.
  • The Contemporary Significance of Westminster Divine Edward Reynolds (1599-1676), hosted by Jeff Jeremiah, EPC Stated Clerk Emeritus.
  • What Does Your Personal Well-Being Look Like?, hosted by Bart Francescone, Executive Director of EPC Benefit Resources, Inc.

Thursday, June 22

  • Building Retirement Savings and Tax-Exempt Housing Expense Withdrawal, hosted by Bart Francescone, Executive Director of EPC Benefit Resources, Inc.
  • Discerning and Engaging the Culture Through Film, hosted by Ritchey Cable, Pastor of Gashland Presbyterian Church in Kansas City.
  • Healthy Leadership Development in Church Planting, hosted by Cron Gibson, Executive Director of Hopewell Equipping & Counseling Ministry Center in Virginia Beach, Va.
  • ITEN Partnership and Training Ministries, hosted by Mike Kuhn, Director of the International Theological Education Network (ITEN) of EPC World Outreach.
  • Next Generation Missions, hosted by Saul and Jesse Huber, Coordinators of Mobilization for EPC World Outreach.
  • Pastoral Letter of Racial Lament and Hope, hosted by Gerrit Dawson, Co-chairman of the Interim Committee on Pastoral Letter of Racial Lament and Hope.
  • Pastors’ Wives Lunch, hosted by Ramona Spilman, Adult Ministries & Missions Pastor for Cherry Hills Community Church in Highlands Ranch, Colo.
  • Reaching a Generation Like None Other, hosted by Jen Burkholder, Director of Strategic Partnerships for the Coalition for Christian Outreach.
  • Revival and Revivalism in American Presbyterianism, hosted by Don Fortson, Professor of Church History and Pastoral Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, N.C.
  • The Awakening Power of a Great Question, hosted by Dave Meserve, Affiliate Coach in the Rocky Mountain Region for PastorServe.
  • The Power of Rest: Embracing Sabbaticals for Ministry Health, hosted by Roy Yanke, Executive Director for PIR Ministries.

For more information about the 43rd General Assembly / Gospel Priorities Summit, including online registration, schedule, and more, see www.epc.org/ga2023.

El Libro de Orden 2022-23 ahora disponible en Español

 

El Libro de Orden de EPC 2022-23 en español ya está disponible en formato PDF descargable en www.epc.org/recursosenespanol.

“Esta edición actualizada de nuestro Libro de Orden incluye todas las decisiones ratificadas por la 42.ª Asamblea General en Ward Church en junio pasado”, dijo Dean Weaver, Secretario Delegado de EPC. “Esa Asamblea aprobó tres enmiendas al Libro de Gobierno y dos revisiones al Libro de Culto, así como una serie de artículos señalados como Actas de la Asamblea. Además, verificamos cuidadosamente cada referencia de página, nota al pie e índice para verificar su precisión. Esta es la primera actualización de nuestro Libro de Orden en dos años, por lo que debería estar en el estante de cada Anciano Docente y Secretario de Sesión”.

El libro de 253 páginas es el Volumen 1 de la Constitución de EPC y está compuesto por el Libro de Gobierno, el Libro de Disciplina (que incluye Formularios de Disciplina), el Libro de Culto, las Reglas para la Asamblea, las Actas de Asamblea y un índice completo. La edición de este año incluye enmiendas al Libro de Orden y Reglas para la Asamblea ratificadas a través de la 42.ª Asamblea General (2022), así como las Actas de la 42.ª Asamblea General.

La Constitución de la EPC consiste en el Libro de Orden, la Confesión de Fe de Westminster (incluidos los Catecismos Mayor y Menor) y el documento “Fundamentos de nuestra fe”. Todos estos están subordinados a la Escritura, que es “la autoridad suprema y final en todos los asuntos sobre los que habla”.

Los recursos adicionales descargables en español incluyen la Guía de Capacitación de Liderazgo de EPC, el Manual de Procedimientos para los Comités Ministeriales y de Candidatos, y Caminando con Jesús: Un Devocional Familiar escrito por Héctor Reynoso, Pastor de la Iglesia Presbiteriana Génesis en Mercedes, Texas.

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2022-23 Book of Order now available in Spanish

The Spanish-language 2022-23 EPC Book of Order is now available in downloadable PDF format at www.epc.org/recursosenespanol.

“This updated edition of our Book of Order includes all the decisions ratified by the 42nd General Assembly at Ward Church last June,” said Dean Weaver, EPC Stated Clerk. “That Assembly approved three amendments to the Book of Government and two revisions to the Book of Worship, as well as a number of items noted as Acts of the Assembly. In addition, we carefully checked every page reference, footnote, and index for accuracy. This is the first update to our Book of Order in two years, so it should be on every Teaching Elder and Clerk of Session’s shelf.”

The 253-page book is Volume 1 of the EPC Constitution and is comprised of the Book of Government, Book of Discipline (including Forms for Discipline), Book of Worship, Rules for Assembly, Acts of Assembly, and a full index. This year’s edition includes amendments to the Book of Order and Rules for Assembly ratified through the 42nd General Assembly (2022), as well as Acts of the 42nd General Assembly.

The Constitution of the EPC consists of the Book of Order, the Westminster Confession of Faith (including the Larger and Shorter Catechisms), and the document “Essentials of Our Faith.” All these are subordinate to Scripture, which is “the supreme and final authority on all matters on which it speaks.”

Additional downloadable Spanish resources include the EPC Leadership Training Guide, the Procedure Manual for Ministerial and Candidates Committees, and Walking with Jesus: A Family Devotional written by Hector Reynoso, Pastor of Genesis Presbyterian Church in Mercedes, Texas.

Disability ministry conference returns to Cleveland, Ohio, EPC church

 

Bay Presbyterian Church in suburban Cleveland, Ohio, will host Disability & The Church 2023 on Friday and Saturday, April 28-29. The event is the largest annual disability ministry conference in North America and is presented by Key Ministry in collaboration with the Tim Tebow Foundation.

Topics of this year’s conference include:

  • Inspired ideas and strategies for outreach.
  • Approaches to mental health inclusion/ministry.
  • Engaging lead pastors in promotion and implementation of disability ministry.
  • Innovative community partnerships.
  • Ministry with persons impacted by trauma.
  • Underserved populations in the disability community.
  • New and impactful family support models.
  • Disability, gender, and biblical sexuality.
  • Research on ministry best practices.
  • Inclusion in Christian schools, colleges, and universities.
  • Ministry with persons experiencing disabilities of aging.
  • Advancing ministry through use of technology and social media.

On Thursday, April 27, an optional, pre-conference slate of Ministry Intensives includes three options:

  • Mental Health Ministry Intensive: Every Church Can Do Something More.
  • Creating a Trauma-Informed Children’s or Youth Ministry.
  • Disability Ministry 101.

Disability & The Church is designed for pastors, leadership teams, care teams, and children’s/student ministry leaders. Cost is $129 per person (through April 21; $159 on April 22 and later. EPC members are eligible for a 20 percent discount by using the code EPC23 at registration. The Thursday add-on is $69 per person (through April 21; $79 on April 22 and later).

“I have known the Key Ministry staff for many years, and I wholeheartedly endorse their efforts,” said Dean Weaver, EPC Stated Clerk. “If your church has a disability ministry—or you are praying about starting one—you should attend this conference.”

For more information, see www.keyministry.org/datc2023.

2022-23 Book of Order now available

 

The spiral-bound, printed edition of the 2022-23 Book of Order is now available for purchase through EPC Resources. The cost per book is $15.43 plus shipping.

“This updated edition of our Book of Order includes all the decisions ratified by the 42nd General Assembly at Ward Church last June,” said Dean Weaver, EPC Stated Clerk. “That Assembly approved three amendments to the Book of Government and two revisions to the Book of Worship, as well as a number of items noted as Acts of the Assembly. In addition, we carefully checked every page reference, footnote, and index for accuracy. This is the first update to our Book of Order in two years, so it should be on every Teaching Elder and Clerk of Session’s shelf.”

The 253-page book is Volume 1 of the EPC Constitution and is comprised of the Book of Government, Book of Discipline (including Forms for Discipline), Book of Worship, Rules for Assembly, Acts of Assembly, and a full index. This year’s edition includes amendments to the Book of Order and Rules for Assembly ratified through the 42nd General Assembly (2022), as well as Acts of the 42nd General Assembly.

The Constitution of the EPC consists of the Book of Order, the Westminster Confession of Faith (including the Larger and Shorter Catechisms), and the document “Essentials of Our Faith.” All these are subordinate to Scripture, which is “the supreme and final authority on all matters on which it speaks.”

Leadership Training Guide reprint now available

 

The second printing of the EPC Leadership Training Guide (revised edition) is now available for purchase at www.epcresources.org/products/leadership-training-guide. Subtitled “A Resource for Pastors, Elders, and Church Leaders of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church,” the guide was developed by the EPC’s Ministerial Vocation and Theology committees, and produced by the EPC Office of the General Assembly.

The 230-page, spiral-bound book is designed to assist churches in leadership development and includes instructions on how to use the material to prepare ministers, Ruling Elders, and deacons for their ordination vows. The 15 chapters are Early Church History, Reformed Church History, Reading the Bible, Theology, Anthropology, Christology, Soteriology, The Holy Spirit, Ecclesiology and the Sacraments, Eschatology, The Purpose for Which God Created the World, Church Government, The Officers of the Church, The Life and Character of the Officer, and Leading Healthy Churches. Each chapter concludes with practical leadership applications and questions for review and discussion. Also included are the EPC ordination vows and an Emotional and Spiritual Health Inventory.

The cost per book is $13.36 plus shipping.

Open Enrollment for EPC Benefits runs November 1-30

 

November is Open Enrollment month for the EPC’s Health Benefit programs. Open Enrollment presents the opportunity for churches to enroll their staff or make changes to employee coverages. The 2023 Open Enrollment website provides information on the EPC’s five medical/prescription drug plan choices, as well as dental, vision, and life/disability insurance benefits.

Individual plan details and comparison charts are easily accessed, as well as information on Member Care programs such as chronic condition management, nurse health coaching, 24/7 virtual primary care, and the Healthcare Bluebook. All enrollment or coverage changes made during Open Enrollment will become effective January 1, 2023.

During open enrollment for 2023:

  • Churches can enroll in EPC benefit plans for the first time.
  • Churches can make changes to benefit elections for currently covered individuals.
  • Churches can add to, or change, their plan offerings for 2023 by completing a Benefits Election Form.
  • If enrollment and plan selections are not being changed for a current participant, then no action is needed. Under this “passive process,” all will automatically retain their current coverages for 2023 unless they actively initiate a change.

Bart Francescone

“Our staff and Board of Directors work hard in partnership with our plan administrators to provide high-quality benefits and a variety of health management programs at the lowest possible cost,” said Bart Francescone, Executive Director of EPC Benefit Resources, Inc. (BRI). “Our benefit programs are designed to support the achievement of personal health goals and to provide assurance that medical expenses will be covered should a need arise. With these assurances, it is our hope that EPC ministers and staff will be free to focus their energies on their callings to proclaim the gospel.”

EPC benefit plans are available to full-time employees (30 hours or more per week) of EPC churches, as well as World Outreach domestic workers, chaplains, and EPC ministers serving out-of-bounds or without call.

“Anyone new to the EPC—or interested in enrolling in one of our benefit programs for the first time—should contact the individual who handles benefits at their church or organization,” Francescone said. “And as always, BRI staff members are happy to answer any questions someone may have about our programs.”

For more information about the EPC’s 2023 benefit plans, contact BRI at 407-930-4492 or benefits@epc.org, or see www.epc.org/2023openenrollment.

The EPC’s benefit programs are administered through BRI, a ministry of the EPC under the leadership of Francescone and the BRI Board of Directors. The BRI Board is a permanent committee of the General Assembly.

Kim Wells highlights inclusive leadership principles at annual Executive Pastor/Church Administrator gathering

 

At the first of two EPC Executive Pastor/Church Administrator workshops, executive educator and leadership coach Kim Wells discussed the topic “The Strategic Power of Inclusive Leadership.” The event was held October 13-14 in Denver, Colo.

Wells, who serves as the Executive Director of Executive Education at the Howard University School of Business in Washington, D.C., said inclusive leadership involves six areas: knowing how to listen, getting feedback from stakeholders and/or constituents, not only listening but also acting, being a facilitator, having strong mental health, and demonstrating commitment to their people by action.

Wells noted that listening and getting feedback should come from a wide variety of sources.

“Are we talking to the people on the front lines? Are we listening? Are we coming down from our big offices and connecting? How can we have a forum where we are learning from our people? People are watching what we do, not what we say. How do we behave? How was that decision made? We can avoid a lot of confusion and strife if we include them in the process.”

He also explained the importance of a leader going beyond listening and being open to input from others.

“Don’t try to make big decisions in a vacuum,” he said. “There will be times as a leader when you have no choice, and hopefully you’ve done your homework. But inclusive leadership shows people that their contributions are valued. As we do that, we use our resources more efficiently. Ask the question: who else should we have here? We need to come out of our own sphere.”

Inclusive leadership also involves investing in the entire team, Wells noted.

“Provide learning and development opportunities,” he said. “Invest in them—invest, invest, invest. And not just the younger people. Let your older people know that they are still valuable to you.”

Regarding action planning, Wells explained the need for leaders to be aware of their own unconscious biases and how they affect others.

“Stop being unaware of your own behaviors and interactions, and educate yourself,” he said. “Ask for feedback to keep your unconscious biases in check. Inclusive leadership is not about race or gender, it is about listening—to different ideas, different perspectives, different people. And not just listening but engaging with others.”

Now in its ninth year, the gathering is a two-day event for EPC executive pastors and directors, church administrators, and others in senior operational leadership positions.

In addition to discussing recent challenges and opportunities in their ministry settings, participants shared best practices on a variety of topics related to church administration and operations, technology systems, personnel, vision and strategy, finance, and more.

The workshop is a resource of the Office of the General Assembly. The second roundtable, which also features Wells and has the same format as the October event, takes place November 10-11 in Orlando. For more information, see www.epc.org/xpadmingathering.

Dean Weaver, Brad Strait to host March 2023 Israel pilgrimage tour

 

In March 2023, EPC Stated Clerk Dean Weaver and NLT Chairman Brad Strait will lead a “Best of Israel” spiritual renewal tour of the Holy Land.

“More pastors than ever are discouraged, depressed, struggling in their relationships, or burning out,” Strait said. “As a denomination, we are working to create ‘refilling moments’ that can strengthen our fellow pastors and encourage their love, faith, relationships, preaching, and effectiveness in Jesus’ church. This renewal trip to Israel for pastors, their spouses, and other leaders is one part of this effort.”

“We will see the best Israel has to offer—places that will fan every person’s faith and magnify their biblical knowledge. Every day is filled with ‘wow’ moments of Jesus and biblical times and places. Each stop is a living encounter with the words of Scripture, and a sermon waiting to be preached,” Strait noted.

The tour is March 7-16, 2023, and costs $3100 per person, all-inclusive from New York City.

For complete information, see www.epc.org/israeltour2023.

“In All Things” podcast episode 45 features theological education discussion with Kent Mathews

 

Kent Mathews, President and Academic Dean of Heartland Theological Seminary in Kansas City and Director of the EPC’s Mentored Apprenticeship Program for seminary students is the guest for episode 45 of the EPC’s podcast, “In All Things.”

This week, host Dean Weaver and Mathews discuss the challenges and opportunities in preparing people for vocational ministry, and how Heartland Seminary and the EPC Mentored Apprenticeship Program combine rigorous academic preparation with practical, mentor-partnered application.

Mathews also describes the need to develop a pipeline of ordination candidates for ministry in rural churches—including the benefits of serving in rural communities—and how small churches can be better equipped for fostering community.

Episodes are available on a variety of podcast platforms, including Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Podbean, Spotify, and others. Search “In All Things” on any of these services.

The audio recordings also are available on the EPC website at www.epc.org/inallthings.

“In All Things” podcast episode 39 features Next Generation Ministries Council, Revelation 7:9 Task Force member Enid Flores

 

Enid Flores, Ruling Elder for Iglesia Presbiteriana Westminster in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, is the guest for episode 39 of the EPC’s podcast, “In All Things.”

This week, host Dean Weaver and Flores discuss her involvement in the EPC’s Next Generation Ministries Council and Revelation 7:9 Task Force, as well as her recent service as Moderator of the Presbytery of Florida and Caribbean. Flores also describes her vision for developing pathways of service for younger leaders in the denomination, as well as her desire that every EPC church member would be engaged in the work of the larger Church.

Episodes are available on a variety of podcast platforms, including Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Podbean, Spotify, and others. Search “In All Things” on any of these services.

The audio recordings also are available on the EPC website at www.epc.org/inallthings.

“In All Things” podcast episode 38 features EPC Chief Financial Officer Pat Coelho

 

Patrick Coelho, Chief Financial Officer at the EPC Office at the General Assembly, is the guest for episode 38 of the EPC’s podcast, “In All Things.”

This week, host Dean Weaver and Coelho discuss his upbringing as a first-generation American and his role as CFO of the denomination. Coelho also explains how he serves as a resource for EPC churches, including how the EPC set up online giving for churches at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and his leadership of the annual gathering for EPC Executive Pastors and church administrators. In addition, he describes the EPC’s fiscal year, annual financial audit, and the recently approved change in funding formula from Per Member Asking (PMA) to Percentage of Income (POI).

Episodes are available on a variety of podcast platforms, including Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Podbean, Spotify, and others. Search “In All Things” on any of these services.

The audio recordings also are available on the EPC website at www.epc.org/inallthings.

“In All Things” podcast episode 35 features EPC church member, former imam Mark Christian

 

Mark Christian, member of the EPC’s Covenant Presbyterian Church in Omaha, Neb., and author of The Apostate: My Search for Truth, is the guest for episode 35 of the EPC’s podcast, “In All Things.”

This week, host Dean Weaver and Christian discuss his upbringing in Egypt in a family of the Muslim Brotherhood, becoming an imam at age 12, and how a journey of questioning the claims of Mohamed for a deeper understanding of Islam resulted in a failed attempt on his life and ultimately to faith in Christ.

Episodes are available on a variety of podcast platforms, including Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Podbean, Spotify, and others. Search “In All Things” on any of these services.

The audio recordings also are available on the EPC website at www.epc.org/inallthings. Christian’s book is available on request from the EPC Office of the General Assembly by emailing info@epc.org. Supplies are limited.

“In All Things” podcast episode 19 welcomes Roy Yanke, Executive Director of PIR Ministries for discussion of pastoral transitions, health, coaching

 

Episode 19 of the EPC’s podcast, “In All Things,” features Roy Yanke, EPC Ruling Elder and Executive Director of PIR Ministries, a commended resource of the EPC’s Ministerial Vocation Committee. This week, host Dean Weaver and Yanke discuss how he got involved with PIR, and the services the ministry provides to pastors, Presbyteries, and local churches.

Episodes are available on a variety of podcast platforms, including Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Podbean, Spotify, and others. Search “In All Things” on any of these services.

The audio recordings also are available on the EPC website at www.epc.org/inallthings.

National Church Health Team developing personal evangelism resource based on Three Circles method

 

When it comes to healthy church growth, evangelism should be a primary means of adding people to the church. The church is strengthened spiritually and numerically when the gospel is proclaimed, and the Holy Spirit enables people to respond by grace through faith.

Bob Stauffer

Bob Stauffer, EPC National Director of Church Health, said that the unfortunate reality is that churches often experience a disconnect between understanding evangelism’s role in church growth and becoming a church that actively evangelizes. Church leadership must both value evangelism and teach members how to share their faith, Stauffer often says. However, a 2019 Lifeway Research survey found that 55 percent of people who attended church at least once per month reported that they had not shared with someone how to become a Christian in the past six months.

“Over my many—many—years in ministry, one thing I can almost always count on is that an evangelistic church is much more likely to be a healthy church,” Stauffer noted. “One of the first things we wanted to do as a Church Health Team is offer a resource that can help our congregations in the area of knowing how to share their faith.”

Turning Everyday Conversations into Gospel Conversations (and companion Life on Mission smartphone app) and its Three Circles evangelism method is the resource Stauffer and his team are starting with for a clear, practical, and simple approach to personal evangelism.

Developed by Jimmy Scroggins, Lead Pastor at Family Church in West Palm Beach, Fla., Three Circles is a simple way to explain the gospel through the lens of God’s design: sin’s entrance into the world and the brokenness it creates, and how the gospel of Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection gives people the means to recover and pursue God’s design for their lives and the created order.

If a narrative of God’s design, our brokenness, and the redeeming power of the gospel sound familiar, it’s because the language echoes ideas Reformed thinkers have articulated for years—often using the terms creation-fall-redemption-consummation.

But why base a resource on a specific evangelism method? Why not endorse several—or let churches choose their own method?

The Church Health Team believes that if churches have to select their own evangelism method, the chances are good that they will pick nothing.

Glenn Meyers

“It can be a real challenge to encourage people to share their faith in ways that are practical and doable,” said Glenn Meyers, Pastor of Ardara United Presbyterian Church in Ardara, Pa. Meyers is a member of the Church Health Team and also is current Chairman of the EPC National Leadership Team. “Because Three Circles is simple, graphic, and adaptable, this tool is just what we needed.”

Over the past few months, two Family Church pastors have conducted Three Circles training with various groups in the EPC. These include nearly 150 attendees at the fall meeting of the Presbytery of Alleghenies, and the January meeting of the National Leadership Team at the Office of the General Assembly in Orlando.

Meyers attended both meetings and has since shared the Three Circles model with the congregation’s junior and senior high school students. He also plans to train church’s elders and deacons in how to use it.

“By training the entire church in the same evangelism model, we will have a shared language of evangelism—a vocabulary that translates across groups in the church,” Meyers said. “I hope this shared language will strengthen a culture of evangelism in the church.”

Stauffer noted that what’s true in one church can be true across the denomination.

“If churches embrace the Three Circles method and use it to actively evangelize, I believe an EPC denominational culture of evangelism will grow and flourish,” he said. “The best place to start is the Turning Everyday Conversations into Gospel Conversations book and Life On Mission app.”

Scroggins will lead an evangelism training session on Tuesday morning at the 42nd General Assembly, June 21-24 at Ward Church in suburban Detroit. Registration opens on April 1.

“I believe God is preparing us to be actively involved in the ongoing outreach of His gospel love, all to the growth and the glory of His Kingdom,” Meyers said. “The Three Circles are going to be a handy tool.”

by Megan Fowler
EPConnection correspondent

“In All Things” podcast episode 14 features Texas pastor Hector Reynoso, author of bilingual Shorter Catechism devotional resource

 

Hector Reynoso

Episode 14 of the EPC’s podcast, “In All Things,” features Hector Reynoso, Pastor of Genesis Presbyterian Church in Mercedes, Texas. This week, host Dean Weaver talks to Reynoso about his bilingual family devotional resource based on the Westminster Confession Shorter Catechism, Walking with Jesus: Family Discipleship. The book, along with a companion Practice Book, is available as a free download in PDF format at www.epc.org/walkingwithjesus.

Episodes are available on a variety of podcast platforms, including Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Podbean, Spotify, and others. Search “In All Things” on any of these services.

The audio recordings also are available on the EPC website at www.epc.org/inallthings.

EPC Teaching Elders named PIR Ministries regional representatives

 

Anne Horton and Jason Yum have been named Regional Representatives for Pastor-in-Residence (PIR) Ministries. Horton is as Pastor of Cedarville United Presbyterian Church in Cedarville, Ohio, in the Presbytery of the Midwest. Yum is currently without call but serving on the Nominating Committee for the Presbytery of the Pacific Southwest.

PIR Ministries is led by Roy Yanke, a Ruling Elder for Grace Chapel EPC in Farmington Hills, Mich. The ministry helps exited pastors navigate vocational transition by providing a proven process of restoration within a caring and restorative environment.

Jason Yum

“We are excited that the Lord has led Anne and Jason to become a part of our ministry family,” Yanke said. “Their individual experiences have made them both passionate about pastors’ health. Because we are a highly relational ministry, our volunteer Regional Representatives continue that emphasis through their natural connections with those in ministry, including those in crisis and transition.”

Horton said she is excited to work with PIR Ministries.

Anne Horton

“We work with pastors in crisis who have left or were asked to leave churches, but also with those in the pulpit who want a little help navigating day-to-day ministry,” she said. “Clergy coaches provide a confidential listening ear as they walk alongside a pastor who is struggling with such ministry realities as conflict, self-care, addiction, and stress. In my opinion, clergy coaching is the best gift a church can give a pastor—or we can give ourselves—especially as we continue to navigate these extra-stressful times.”

PIR Ministries offers a variety of services to ministry leaders and churches, including the Pastor-in-Residence restorative program for pastors in transition; Refuge Church, a place of protection and security for exited pastors; Clergy Coaching; Ministry Spouse Care; the Pro-D Assessment professional development assessment; and more.

Roy Yanke

“Anne and Jason are helping us put flesh and bones on the hope that the gospel and grace of Christ offers to those in vocational ministry for a healthy ministry life,” Yanke added. “They are good at listening, encouraging, and helping ministry leaders find the resources they need for renewal or restoration—many of which PIR Ministries offers. As Regional Representatives, they will be volunteering their time and effort to share information and the resources of PIR Ministries in their areas of influence.”

PIR is a commended resource of the EPC’s Ministerial Vocation Committee. For more information, see www.pirministries.org.

Heartland Seminary’s innovations benefit students and EPC congregations

 

TE Kent Mathews serves as President and Academic Dean for Heartland Seminary and School of Ministry in Kansas City. The school is a commended resource of the EPC Ministerial Vocation Committee.

“Why is it,” Kent Mathews keeps asking, “that preaching is the only class in which seminary students are required to practice what they’re learning?” An EPC Teaching Elder who serves as President and Academic Dean of Heartland Seminary and School of Ministry in Kansas City, Mathews asks a long list of other questions related to seminary education in the 21st century:

  • Why are academics so often separated from application?
  • Does someone learn to become an evangelist simply by reading books and listening to lectures—shouldn’t he or she be required to actually “do” evangelism, or apologetics, or pastoral care?
  • Why don’t seminaries attempt to make traditionally academic subjects like theology or church history more practical?
  • Why are students not asked to reflect on how what they study might apply to their daily lives or their current ministries?
  • Why aren’t students required to identify and meet weekly with a mentor—someone who is resourced by the seminary to invest his or her life in the life of the student and whose purpose is to discuss the student’s failures and successes; patterns, processes, and learned behaviors; attitudes and approaches to ministry? In short, to take the student under his or her wing and impart the things that seminary doesn’t address?
  • Why is so little of what future pastors actually do in day-to-day ministry taught—or even talked about—in seminary courses?
  • Why is seminary education so expensive?

Mathews knows students are asking them too, along with this one: How will I pay off my exhorbitant student debt why working in my modestly paid pastoral position?

“According to a ten-year-old study, seminarians were asked if they could change anything about their seminary experience,” Mathews noted. “The top three answers were to reduce the cost of tuition, allow me to practice what I’m learning or make seminary courses more hands-on practical, and provide a mentor to invest in my personal development.”

Mathews explained that those answers are the basis for Heartland Seminary’s Master of Divinity program.

“Heartland is the first accredited MDiv program to make all three of these things non-negotiables,” he said, adding that the program meets all of the EPC’s educational ordination requirements for Teaching Elders and was recently recognized as a “Commended Resource” by the EPC’s Ministerial Vocation Committee.

“The MVC was very excited to commend Heartland as a resource for the EPC,” said Jerry Iamurri, Assistant Stated Clerk. Iaumurri serves as the Office of the General Assembly’s staff resource for the MVC. “As seminary education continues to evolve to meet the needs of the next generation, Heartland offers students a unique avenue for ministry preparation that will surely benefit the EPC and its churches.”

Heartland is firmly committed to conservative biblical scholarship, Reformed theology, and the Westminster Confession. Tuition for the 72-credit Master of Divinity degree is $500 per course.

“Typical seminaries charge between $1,500-$2,000 per course,” Mathews said, adding that each Heartland class is completely accessible online and incorporates a close mentor relationship for every student.

Heartland also maintains an in-person Master of Arts in Applied Theology program in the Kansas City area that has been pioneering its program since 2000.

“The plea for practical training has been proven in our program,” Mathews said. “Our second-most popular course is Cultural Analysis and Engagement, where we talk about the major issues that are currently polarizing both culture and the church. We discuss how to understand both sides and how to engage positively in the discussion and affect change.”

The most popular course? “How to Not Only Study the Bible, but Actually Apply It in Your Life.”

Mathews said the curriculum is also non-traditional in that “up to half of the books students are required to read are books that the student identifies for himself or herself—as long as they are approved by the professor—which allows each student to focus on areas of particular interest to him or her within the scope of the course curriculum.”

He added that assignments in all courses are geared toward application.

“For example, students read top-level, highly regarded texts on each of the three broad periods of church history, then are required to write research papers on the 25 most important people, events, and developments in each period and how they should affect both daily Christian living and effective pastoral ministry,” he said.

Julien de Leiris and Paulo Barros are “textbook examples” of the effectiveness of Heartland’s innovative approach. De Leiris has just begun his MDiv studies while Barros completed his this past summer. Both men are on staff at Colonial Presbyterian Church EPC in Kansas City, which hosts the in-person Heartland classes.

Paulo Barros

Barros, who serves as Colonial’s Director of Worship and Arts, has been a worship leader for more than half his life—the last 21 as a fulltime vocation. At 57 years of age, he was the oldest student in the program.

“I hadn’t been in school for a long time and it was tough,” he admitted. “But I always wanted to learn how to pastor others. I needed that knowledge and felt drawn to it, so this was part of my dream to be a better worship leader. When you work with vocal leaders and musicians, you develop relationships, you shepherd them. I can do that much better now.”

De Leiris, Colonial’s Executive Director of Ministry and Programs, also leads Called to Serve, a ministry intending to do no less than “energize and revitalize the Reformed Church that is slowly dying in France.”

Julien de Leiris

Two years ago, after two decades as CEO of major public works projects for the city of Leon (the second largest city in France), de Leiris felt God calling him “to serve Him, not just faithfully but fully.” To the consternation of his non-Christian extended family, he resigned his job and moved his wife and children across the Atlantic and half of the United States to be obedient to that call.

Called to Serve will bring French youth leaders to study a variety of successful churches in the Kansas City area for several months before returning to apply their newly acquired skills and knowledge in local French Reformed Churches,” De Leiris explained. “The FRC funds one-year of sabbatical for every pastor after his or her fifteenth year in ministry. We are developing a practical continuing education program for them over here as well.”

“Just like Paulo and Julien,” Mathews said, “all of our students gain invaluable skills and insights that will bless both them and their ministries. But the benefits to the EPC go further. EPC churches will be able to call new pastors who won’t make all of their initial mistakes at the expense of their first churches.”

Mathews emphasized that Heartland MDiv graduates “have acquired more than just information from their education. Churches will also be able to call pastors who don’t have five to ten to twenty years of student debt to pay off. And the denomination will begin to develop a growing subculture of ministerial leadership development—one that believes the current generation of pastors should be involved in the discipleship of the next generation of pastors.”

For more information about the Heartland Seminary and School of Ministry, see www.hsmkc.org.

by Craig Bird
EPConnection correspondent

“In All Things” podcast episode 2 highlights EPC benefit programs with Bart Francescone

 

Episode 2 of the EPC’s podcast, “In All Things,” features Bart Francescone, Executive Director of EPC Benefit Resources, Inc. This week, host Dean Weaver and Bart discuss the EPC benefits program for Pastors and church staff, including the medical benefits plan, wellness and preventative care programs, retirement plan, and more.

Episodes are available on a variety of podcast platforms, including Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Podbean, Spotify, and others. Search “In All Things” on any of these services.

The audio recordings also are available on the EPC website at www.epc.org/inallthings.

EPC launches “In All Things” podcast

 

The EPC has launched a new podcast, “In All Things,” hosted by Stated Clerk Dean Weaver. In each week’s 30-minute episode, Weaver and his guests discuss topics related to the EPC and the greater Church. In the first episode, three members of the EPC’s National Leadership Team (NLT) discussed the group’s scope and function. NLT Chairman Glenn Meyers; Brad Strait, Moderator of the 41st General Assembly; and Rosemary Lukens, Moderator-elect of the 41tst General Assembly), also provided an overview of the EPC’s four strategic priorities.

“I am very excited to talk to leaders throughout the EPC and tell our story in this long-form podcast format,” Weaver said. “We call this series, ‘In All Things’ because as the Apostle Paul wrote in Colossians 1, all things were created through and for our Lord Jesus—He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. So we plan to discuss ‘all things’ as they relate to the EPC. The Office of the General Assembly exists to serve our churches, and we are offering this podcast as a way for people to hopefully better understand some of the ways we do that.”

Guests in future episodes include leadership staff at the Office of the General Assembly, committee chairmen, EPC authors, and many more.

Episode 1 is available below, and also can be downloaded on a variety of podcast platforms, including Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Podbean, Spotify, and others. Search “In All Things” on any of these services.

The audio recordings also are available on the EPC website at www.epc.org/inallthings.

Noted leadership author Tod Bolsinger headlines annual Executive Pastor/Church Administrator gathering

 

Tod Bolsinger, Senior Congregational Strategist at Fuller Theological Seminary and author of Tempered Resilience and Canoeing the Mountains, explains the Adaptive Change Process to attendees of the first of two Executive Pastor/Church Administrator gatherings on October 21 in Denver, Colo.

At the first of two EPC Executive Pastor/Church Administrator workshops, noted church leadership expert and author Tod Bolsinger discussed the topic “From Surviving to Thriving: How Not to Waste a Crisis.” The event was held October 21-22 in Denver, Colo.

Bolsinger drew from his books Tempered Resilience and Canoeing the Mountains as he described the challenges of being a ministry leader over the past 20 months, noting that 2020 was like 1918, 1929, and 1968 all at the same time.

“We had a health crisis, an economic crisis, and a cultural crisis,” he said. “I don’t know anyone in ministry who isn’t exhausted.”

Bolsinger told the 20 attendees that in Crossing the Unknown Sea, author David Whyte said the antidote to exhaustion is not rest, but “wholeheartedness.”

“Many of us are doing our best, but we have fallen into half-heartedness,” Bolsinger said. “We didn’t go into ministry because we wanted to follow state or local ordinances, or whatever the shifting opinions are. We got into this because we love God and love people, and want to connect people to the God we love. We didn’t go into ministry to be in a place of conflict.”

Bolsinger outlined five steps for not simply surviving a crisis, but thriving within it:

  1. Identify adaptive challenges
  2. Refuel on trust
  3. Focus on the pain points of those you serve
  4. Find yourself a few Sacagaweas
  5. Try some aligned things

Regarding the idea of identifying adaptive challenges, he explained that a crisis has two phases: acute and adaptive.

“The goal of the acute phase is to stabilize, protect, and buy time,” he said. “Think of a medical triage situation, like a hospital emergency room.”

In the adaptive phase of a crisis, leaders should address root issues that they may not have had the will to confront before the crisis.

“You thrive in the acute stage through relationships,” he said. “You survive in the adaptive phase by learning to face losses and addressing the underlying issues that keep you from moving forward. An expert can solve technical problems, and those solutions serve a really important purpose. However, adaptive challenges require people to make a shift in values, expectations, attitudes, or habits.”

Concerning trust, Bolsinger noted that people don’t resist change, they resist loss.

“When trust is gone, the journey is over,” he emphasized. “We need to continually grow our trust account and wisely invest it in what will truly transform. People won’t judge us on intentions; they judge us on impact.”

In focusing on the pain points, Bolsinger described a fundraising effort among a group of potential donors for Fuller Theological Seminary, which he serves as Vice President and Chief of Leadership Formation.

“They told me that nobody cares if your institution—which of course in our case here is our church—stays alive. They only care if your institution cares about them,” he said. “You have to go out and talk to people and know their pain and how you can help with their problem. Nothing will change the more we focus internally. The way to move forward is to ask how we can meet the pain points.”

In explaining the need to “find yourself a few Sacagaweas,” Bolsinger related the story of Sacagawea, the Native American teenaged nursing mother who helped lead the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery across the Rocky Mountains.

“She had no voice, no privilege, no power whatsoever, but she became the key to their being able to continue,” he said. Among other contributions, Sacagawea interpreted for a meeting with a tribe they encountered—and discovered that the chief was her brother. Bolsinger emphasized that the episode was critical to the survival and ultimate success of the Lewis and Clark expedition.

“We need to find some Sacagaweas who can interpret a culture that may be foreign to the one we know.”

In trying “some aligned things,” Bolsinger emphasized the importance of prototypes that align with existing core values.

“Try some experiments that are safe, modest, and aligned,” he said. “Don’t launch the ‘first annual’ thing, just do a one-off thing. And afterward, don’t ask, ‘Did it work?’ Ask ‘What did we learn?’ It’s not failure if we are learning.”

Bolsinger earned MDiv and PhD degrees from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif. Prior to being named Vice President at Fuller in 2014, he served as Associate Pastor and Senior Pastor in two Presbyterian churches in California. He is author of Tempered Resilience: How Leaders Are Formed in the Crucible of Change; Canoeing the Mountains: Christian Leadership in Uncharted Territory; Leadership for a Time of Pandemic: Practicing Resilience; and It Takes a Church to Raise a Christian.

The gathering, now in its eighth year, is a two-day event for EPC executive pastors and directors, church administrators, and others in senior operational leadership positions.

Twenty EPC church leaders attended the workshop. In addition to discussing recent challenges and opportunities in their ministry settings—particularly related to changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic—participants shared best practices on a variety of topics related to church administration and operations, technology systems, personnel, vision and strategy, finance, and more.

“There are a lot of conferences out there that you can go to and get something out of,” said attendee Mark Eshoff, Executive Minister for Fremont Presbyterian Church in Sacramento, Calif. “But the things we talk about here are the things I work with every day. Minute-for-minute this is absolutely the best use of my time.”

The workshop is a resource of the Office of the General Assembly. The second roundtable, which also features Bolsinger and has the same format as the October 22-22 event, takes place November 11-12 in Orlando. For more information or to register, see www.epc.org/xpadmingathering.

41st General Assembly recordings available

 

Video recordings of the 41st General Assembly are available on the EPC website at www.epc.org/ga2021recordings. Included are the Leadership Institute plenary sessions, worship service messages, committee verbal reports, dinner programs, and more.

The videos feature Ligon Duncan, Chancellor and CEO of Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Miss.; D.A. Carson, Emeritus Professor of New Testament for Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Ill..; George Robertson, Senior Pastor of Second Presbyterian Church in Memphis, Tenn.; Rufus Smith, Senior Pastor of Hope Church in Memphis, Tenn.; Jeff Jeremiah, EPC Stated Clerk; Glenn Meyers, Moderator of the 40th General Assembly; and more.

In addition, audio recordings of the Leadership Institute seminars “Chaplains Workshop,” “Creating Church Planting Networks and Partnerships,” and “The Israel of God” are available. These also are available in podcast form on the EPC’s podcast channel at www.podcast.epc.org as well as Spotify and iTunes—search for “Evangelical Presbyterian Church.”

Audio recordings of numerous Networking Lunches will be available soon.

#epc2021ga