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This week’s team update is a guest post by Rev. Carla Working, DBMD Chair and Director of Clergy Care and Development. What an honor it is to serve The Wesleyan Church! As many of you know, I am blessed with the opportunity to serve you in multiple ways within TWC. I serve as the Director of Clergy Care and Development at headquarters, and I also have the amazing opportunity to continue to serve the Crossroads District as the Chair of the District Board of Ministerial Development. District Board of Ministerial Development The District Board of Ministerial Development (DBMD) met for the fall interviews on October 20th at Brookhaven Wesleyan Church in Marion. I am very thankful for the space the church made available to us. We had 31 wonderful interviews with women and men in our district. Some students were meeting with the DBMD for the first time, while others are nearing the end of their journey towards ordination. It is such a privilege to walk alongside men and women who sense a call to vocational ministry. If you would like to know more about the ordination process, I would love to hear from you! As a reminder, the next interview date is April 26, 2024. This fall was the kickoff of our new system within the Crossroads DBMD. Instead of utilizing Zones and Regions, as was done previously, the DBMD has combined into one large group of 32 people. This group of 32 is divided into teams of 4; each team will meet with the same candidates every year, allowing both the DBMD members and students to develop intentional and meaningful relationships. In addition to the annual interviews, students are partnered with a member of their DBMD team for additional communication and development. Our hope is that this will foster mentorship relationships for the purpose of increasing effective communication, providing growth opportunities, and creating a culture of connection within the Crossroads District. Our DBMD team holds a special place in my heart. The team is comprised of laity and clergy, male and female, English and Spanish speaking individuals who value the importance of developing leaders for the church. I want to take this moment to thank each one of them for their dedication and service to The Wesleyan Church by serving this committee. Thriving Clergy I love our Wesleyan pastors and the churches they serve. My goal is to elevate and celebrate our pastors in order to strengthen their families and the ministries they serve. Our Wesleyan headquarters diligently works to provide resources for our pastors that will equip them for ministry and invest in their well-being. Healthy pastors are more likely to have healthy churches. God created us to thrive! I encourage you to check out some of these links as you have the time:
October is nationally known as Pastor Appreciation Month. This year, The Wesleyan Church has been promoting the theme: “We See You!” For the pastors reading this update, I want you to know how valued you are! The Wesleyan Church sees you – we see your family. We are thankful for your service and faithfulness, and you are prayed for regularly. Please connect with me to let me know how I can continue to serve you and pray for you in the future. Joyfully serving with you and celebrating God’s work through you, Rev. Carla Working  It's always inspiring to hear how God is at work in our district churches. This past Sunday, the team at Eastview Wesleyan Church celebrated the baptism of young Eli. His father, who serves on the praise team, can be seen sitting on the edge of the platform watching as his son is baptized. Praise God for another life #MadeNew!  Registration is now open for the 2024 Heartland Gathering, April 2-5, 2024, in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee! The DBA has approved one $300 scholarship for each district church, designated to cover a significant portion of the registration cost for one pastoral family per church. Details regarding the scholarship, including the registration discount code, will be sent to lead and solo pastors later this week. For more information and registration, visit: gathering.heartlandregion.org  Please place the Follow Conference on your church’s prayer calendar. We’re believing God for a powerful move among our next generation students and their leaders. You will want to attend and bring as many teenagers as possible for this life-changing experience!  This week’s team update is a guest post by Rev. Dr. Chris Williams, Assistant District Superintendent. Climbing Higher: Taking Your Church to the Next Level The Church in the United States is perceived to be underperforming. One research study conducted by Lifeway predicted a seven-year period of decline that includes 55,000 church closures and a drop in church attendance from 17% to 14% of the total United States population (1). And that research was conducted before any of us knew anything about COVID-19. There is no doubt that COVID created unprecedented challenges for the Church. However, I am not sure that it is accurate for us to blame COVID for some of the losses the Church has experienced over the last couple of years. We must confront the glaring truth: COVID did not harm the church's ministry. Instead, it magnified existing vulnerabilities, revealing areas where our churches were already faltering. I do not think that there is any merit in looking back on previous years of church ministry to find who or what is to blame for the church’s current state. Rather, I think the current season we are in is a call to church leaders, pastors and laity, to take collective responsibility for what we do next. The mission is clear – guide our churches towards renewed spiritual health and missional effectiveness so that we can fulfill Jesus’ Great Commission to make disciples of all nations! This is the impetus behind the creation of the Next Level Church Experience. Reimagining Church Growth Rather than thinking about Next Level as a workshop designed to help your church become a “big church,” we invite you to reimagine church growth as the faithful pursuit of the next steps in your journey to become a church that is spiritually alive, outward focused, and committed to the transformation of lives for the sake of the Kingdom. The primary outcomes that Next Level continues to emphasize are:
To ensure churches are effectively armed with the tools and knowledge necessary to take the next steps in their journey, the Next Level Church Experience features modules such as Climbing Higher: Becoming a Next Level Church and Making Disciples Who Make Disciples. Beyond just imparting knowledge, the emphasis is on action – after each module, guided coaching conversations help leaders strategize concrete next steps. Recognizing the challenges that accompany implementation, we go the extra mile. We not only provide pastors and churches with coaches for six months post-event but also offer $1,000 implementation grants to resource their actionable plans for community outreach. Go to the Next Level It’s undeniable that our churches in the Crossroads District face challenges. My church faces challenges and so does yours. But with these challenges come unmatched opportunities. The Next Level Church Experience is not merely an event; it's a commitment – a commitment to the mission of Jesus, a commitment to pursue renewal in our churches, a commitment to see God’s Kingdom work move forward in our communities. The next session of the Next Level Church Experience is scheduled for Saturday, November 11, 9 am to 4 pm, at Lakeview Wesleyan Church in Marion, Indiana. This is more than an invitation—it's a clarion call to lead your church forward. Click here to register today. Let's take that collective step and commit to leading our churches to the Next Level! (1) J. D. Greear, Gaining by Losing: Why the Future Belongs to Churches That Send (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2015).  Please place the Follow Conference on your church’s prayer calendar. We’re believing God for a powerful move among our next generation students and their leaders. You will want to attend and bring as many teenagers as possible for this life-changing experience!  Please save the date and begin making plans to join us for the 2024 Heartland Gathering in Pigeon Forge, TN, on April 2-5, 2024. The DBA has approved one $300 scholarship for each church to help cover the majority of the registration cost. More information and registration is coming soon at gathering.heartlandregion.org. By the time you’re reading this update, I will be gratefully enjoying the first of six weeks of my sabbatical. This extended leave for renewal is graciously provided by our DBA in response to the provisions of The Wesleyan Church. Pastors in The Wesleyan Church are eligible for a minimum of 30 days of sabbatical leave after 7 years of service in a local church. The DBA generously provided a similar leave for me and I’m thankful for their investment in strengthening our ministry together. If all went as planned, we worshiped the Lord this weekend at Winchester Cathedral (completed and dedicated in 1093).  Before I left, I had the privilege of participating in some special occasions. The first of those was on Monday evening as Wesley Seminary honored Rev. Wayne and Dr. JoAnne Lyon with the John and Vera Mae Perkins Co-Laborer with Christ Award. This was a moving tribute to the original power couple of The Wesleyan Church. Congratulations to both of these servants of the Lord and His Church!  My last stop before heading out was the World Changers’ Award presented to Dr. Jim Lo in the Friday morning chapel at Indiana Wesleyan University. Dr. Lo also brought the morning message which concluded with an object lesson and closing challenge to servant leadership drawn from John 13. Dr. Lo continues to bless the campus and our churches through his anointed ministry. The World Changer Award was a well-deserved honor for our brother.  We love receiving updates on how God is moving throughout our district churches. This past Sunday, Rev. Jeff Luedtke and the team at Fairmount Wesleyan Church celebrated five baptisms. Praise God for these lives being #MadeNew!  While I’m away for 40 days and 40 nights, Dr. Chris Williams will be chairing the DBA. He can convene the board as needed in case of emergency. For routine questions or administrative help, please continue to reach out to Michael Wood at our office phone number or email. You’ll be treated to a series of articles in the weekly Crossroads District Team Update from our circuit riders and others while I’m away. Here are some upcoming events that you won’t want to miss!  Pastors, you along with your team are invited to attend our upcoming Next Level workshop being held on November 11, 2023, at Lakeview Wesleyan Church. Next Level is an intentional training and planning day designed for pastors and a core team of 2-6 lay leaders. Each church will be trained in five key growth engines and will receive coaching for six months following the training day to develop customized action plans for your local church. Click Here to register your team.  Please place the Follow Conference on your church’s prayer calendar. We’re believing God for a powerful move among our next generation students and their leaders. You will want to attend and bring as many teenagers as possible for this life-changing experience!  Please save the date and begin making plans to join us for the 2024 Heartland Gathering in Pigeon Forge, TN, on April 2-5, 2024. The DBA has approved one $300 scholarship for each church to help cover the majority of the registration cost. More information and registration is coming soon at gathering.heartlandregion.org. Meanwhile, keep on making a difference in the cause that counts for eternity. Know that I’m thankful for the privilege of serving the Lord and this amazing team! Your servant in Christ, Mark Gorveatte Crossroads District Superintendent Sunday morning, October 8, Rev. Greg Holmes and the congregation at Sonlight Fellowship in South Bend welcomed me. Meeting Daisy, Pastor Greg’s 7-week-old granddaughter, was a highlight of the visit. Pastor Holmes has served this congregation for the past 20 years and the congregation had a special recognition for him last Sunday. While there have been ups and downs, the church family is united and has welcomed some new attenders in recent months. After the morning service, I enjoyed sharing lunch with Pastor Greg and Cheryl Holmes.  Sunday afternoon, I was blessed to drop in and bring greetings at The Bridge Urban Church, now meeting in Mishawaka. Pastor Terry and Lennaire Vaughn are doing amazing work in leading this new congregation to reach out to their community. The Bridge is focused on making fully committed disciples. I’m grateful for the impact that they are having.  Sunday evening, I was able to join Rev. Jerome Bell and the team at Autumn Hills Church, near Pendleton, for their worship service. The church meets on Sundays at 5:30 with music, preaching, Bible discussion at tables, and the sharing together in a fellowship meal. They continue to connect with new families through their monthly Art Camp outreach. I’m grateful for Pastor Jerome and Lanita’s heart to lead this new church in reaching this growing community.  Last Monday, I was in Marion to meet with staff meeting and then closed out the day meeting with Dr. Jim Lo as he led a “prayer walking” training and first experience for Rev. Jerry Alexander’s team who are working to relaunch Living Hope Church in Anderson. Dr. Lo has been prayer-walking this downtown community for the past few months and it was encouraging to see early signs of spiritual progress.  Some of you may know, but in addition to teaching at Indiana Wesleyan University and serving as the campus intercessor, Dr. Lo has been teaching spiritual warfare and prayer seminars for our Crossroads District churches. Indiana Wesleyan University is having a special chapel service on October 13 to recognize Dr. Lo’s significant impact on the university and through his wider ministry in global missions and local church ministry. This honor is well-deserved and I hope some of you will be able to attend this special World Changers Homecoming Chapel service on Friday, October 13, at 10:05a.  Tuesday morning, I met for breakfast with Dr. Wayne Schmidt, our General Superintendent. It’s always a blessing to spend time with Dr. Schmidt. We’ve worked together in various capacities since I was first elected as his district superintendent in 2000. It was a privilege to have him as my assistant DS for seven of those 10 years in Michigan and now to have him as my GS. He carries a heavy burden and counts on our prayers! Tuesday afternoon, I was in Indianapolis to meet with Rev. Ervin and Karen Webster. They lead the ministry of St. Stephen’s Church in Warren Park. In addition to our conversation about a potential new daycare ministry, we also celebrated Pastor Ervin’s 70th Birthday!  I finished up the day with a trip to Bryant. Pastor Paul and Angelyn welcomed me for supper and then I met with the LBA at Bryant Wesleyan Church for their extended call review. The LBA celebrated Pastor Paul’s 20 years of faithful ministry to their congregation and voted to unanimously affirm Pastor Paul’s extended call.  Wednesday was an office day and then I traveled to Detroit that evening. On Thursday morning, I worked with Pastor Nathan Kingsbury and the team at Stoney Church using the CliftonStrengths resources that we are offering to our district churches. Thursday afternoon, I was in Fort Wayne to connect with Pastor Mike Henry for prayer and an update on the ministry at Level 13 Church. My last stop of the day was with Pastor David Dignal and the team at Edgerton Wesleyan Church. This is another healthy rural church that is faithfully making disciples. The LBA voted unanimously to affirm Rev. Dignal’s extended call.  Friday morning, our team hosted the Crossroads District Retired Pastors and Spouses for a fall fellowship at College Wesleyan Church. We enjoyed hearing some great stories, singing together, enjoying delicious snacks, and praying together. We heard inspiring presentations from Rev. Mark Atkinson and Rev. Matthew Trexler. This is a great group and I’m looking forward to connecting with them again for our spring gathering, April 12. Our district office staff met again on Friday afternoon in preparation for my time away on sabbatical (October 15-November 30). Sherry and I had the privilege of hosting another Friday fellowship for lead pastors and their spouses on Friday evening. It is always encouraging to see how God is building these connections and a stronger district team.  Saturday morning, I joined Pastor Jon Noggle and the leadership team at Elwood Central Wesleyan Church for a vision discerning workshop. We were blessed to have Rev. Mark Atkinson join us to share the revitalization story of Gas City Eastview. we completed our first vision draft with action steps after lunch. Pastor Mark will be assisting me with follow-up coaching as Central Wesleyan begins implementing their action plan for revitalization. My last stop on Saturday afternoon was in Carmel at Iglesia Amistad Wesleyana where Dr. Norman Wilson was teaching the FLAMA course on intercultural ministry. It was good to connect with Dr. Wilson and our students. Rev. Grace Lopez does a wonderful job coordinating these classes and assisting our Spanish-speaking ministerial students.  Pastor Noah Farmer and team at Gas City Eastview Wesleyan Church had the joy of celebrating an unexpected baptism. This one wasn’t on their schedule but they were delighted to welcome another new member into God’s family. Praise the Lord!  Congratulations to Rev. Seth and Kassidy Bye on the safe arrival of Sonora Rose! Mother and baby are both home and doing well. Pastor Seth is doing all he can to grow the congregation of 317 Church in Avon and Sonora is the most recent wonderful addition to their congregation. Rev. Tony & Amy Bye (Brookhaven Wesleyan Church) are very proud grandparents!  Please save the date and begin making plans to join us for the 2024 Heartland Gathering in Pigeon Forge, TN, on April 2-5, 2024. The DBA has approved one $300 scholarship for each church to help cover the majority of the registration cost. More information and registration is coming soon.  Keep on making a difference in the cause that counts for eternity! Your servant in Christ, Mark Gorveatte Crossroads District Superintendent The team at Arise Wesleyan Church welcomed me on Sunday morning, October 1, to bring greetings from the district and a message from God’s Word. Roanoke Arise, located in the southwest corner of Allen County, is one of our newest congregations.  Pastor Aldean Pablo, Jesse, his wife, and their three sons, stepped out in faith to launch this new ministry three years ago with support from their pastor, Rev. Mark Atkinson, and with Gas City Eastview Wesleyan as their sending church. They also received support from Fort Wayne area churches and others across the district. Last year they averaged 65 in worship with 12 professions of faith. Pastor Aldean and the team at ARISE have celebrated 4 baptisms in the past few weeks!  Sunday evening, the congregation at New Castle Memorial Wesleyan Church hosted a pastoral installation service for Rev. Mark and Pam Wooten. Rev. Mark Wooten comes back to The Wesleyan Church after serving for the past 19 years as senior pastor at The Church of the Nazarene in Crothersville, Indiana. Following the installation service, Pastor Mark and Pam were warmly welcomed by their new church family with a reception and a shower of gift cards. I commend the pastoral search committee for their prayerful persistence. We're looking forward to great days ahead as Pastor Mark leads the team at Memorial Wesleyan!  Last week's schedule included the office staff meeting on Monday. On Tuesday, I traveled to Cincinnati, Ohio to connect with our Heartland Region district superintendents. Rev. Les Crossfield (Greater Ohio), Rev. Doug Preston (Indiana South), and Rev. Aaron Sherman (Kentucky-Tennessee) continue to provide effective leadership to their districts. It was exciting to hear their reports of church planting and revitalization projects. We're also blessed to partner with them in hosting the Heartland Region Gathering in Pigeon Forge, TN next April.  I met with Rev. Jacob Gibson, senior pastor at LifeSpring Church in Fountain City/Richmond, on Wednesday for our coaching conversation. Pastor Gibson is starting strong in his new leadership role. He is grateful to be building on the effective ministries of Pastor David Anderson and Dr. Steve Bray. Following our meeting, I accepted the generous invitation of Rev. Claudia Ruiz (lead pastor for the Casa network of churches) to enjoy a meal at Carlos' Kitchen, a new restaurant that she started with her campus pastors in Richmond, Carlos and Yesy Cruz. Carlos and Yesy are both preparing for ordination through the FLAMA program.  Thursday, I took in a webinar from Tony Morgan's Unstuck Group on "Structuring Your Staff to Develop Next Gen Leaders" before heading to Carmel to meet with Chris and Tammy Granados. Chris is assisting Rev. Grace Lopez at Monte de Sion Iglesia Wesleyana while he resumes his ministerial student coursework through FLAMA. Saturday morning, supply pastor Jerry Smith and the members of Ash Street Wesleyan Church hosted a celebration of life service in memory of their former pastor Rev. Logan Westrick who passed away on August 28. Mrs. Jocelyn Lynch, long-time church treasurer and neighbor that Pastor Logan discipled, organized the service. Sister Nancy Westrick and her family were able to attend and the service included tributes and memories from friends and ministry colleagues. I represented the Crossroads District expressing our sympathies to his family and our gratitude for Rev. Westrick's 32 years of service to Ash Street Wesleyan.  Saturday afternoon, I met with Rev. Grace Lopez and another couple who are preparing for ministry through the FLAMA course of study that Pastor Lopez coordinates. I first met Walter and Diana Martir, originally from El Salvador, when they were helping with another Hispanic church that met in our Westfield building. Thank God for the leaders He is raising up to work in His harvest field!  October is Pastor Appreciation Month for churches across America. Harvest Church in McCordsville took the first Sunday of October as their opportunity to bless their new pastor, Rev. Scott Ferguson. We are also celebrating with Harvest Church as they baptized another new believer yesterday!  The River Church hosted a revival night at Marion High School on Saturday, September 30, led by Zeb Nelson and partners in the community. We were excited to hear that 23 students prayed to receive Christ and 11 new believers were baptized. Praise God for lives #MadeNew!  Breaking news! The early bird registration for FOLLOW has been extended to Friday, October 6, so please take advantage of this window to register at the lowest price. Please invest in your students to be part of FOLLOW and make this event a matter of focused prayer support!  I’m looking forward to hosting our retired ministers and their spouses for our annual fall fellowship this Friday, October 6, 10:00 a.m., at College Wesleyan Church in Marion. Dr. Joe Harmon will be our guest speaker. You may still RSVP by emailing [email protected] or by calling the district office at 765-674-8593. Rev. C.K. Chitty is leading our Crossroads District Senior Adult Ministry (SAM). He and his team have planned a special event on December 1st at the Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre in Indianapolis for our seniors. Here’s the link to register (only a few spots remaining): https://crossroadsdistrict.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/1933896 Thank you for making a difference in the cause that counts for eternity! Your servant in Christ, Mark Gorveatte Crossroads District Superintendent |
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