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Moving Forward as NEXT Church

Friend,

We are living through a time of significant change in Christianity in the United States. This is not a surprise to you. The systems and strategies we have inherited are no longer working; digital communications have connected us in unprecedented ways but also left us more isolated than ever. And our recent elections have clearly revealed the division and disconnection in our country. This is a time in which we need a strong relational fabric within our church so that our congregations are strong and healthy enough to be a sustained, effective, and moral voice that is engaged in the transformation of our communities.

NEXT Church plays an important role in the PC(USA) as we move into the future while holding onto the best of our Reformed tradition. Over seven years we have grown from a conversation to a movement that is known in the denomination for creating a new kind of connection.

Here’s how.

Over the last seven years, NEXT Church has hosted six national gatherings, with almost 3,000 people in attendance and another 3,000 who have joined us online. These gatherings create space to build bridges, to learn from one another, and to discover God’s transformative power at work. We are looking forward to our 2017 National Gathering, March 13-15 in Kansas City, where we will explore Wells & Walls: Well-Being in a Thirsty World.

We are working hard to support the next generation of pastors by partnering with the Board of Pensions to develop a website and partnered widely to offer Trent@Montreat, a conference to work closely with new pastors on their practice of ministry.

In the winter of 2016, we held a denomination-wide listening campaign to talk about transformational mission, which modeled for the church a new way to come together. We have received grant funds to explore accountability in leadership and how we assess the faithfulness and success of ministry. We are excited to begin sharing the fruit of this learning at the 2017 National Gathering.

Going forward, we see our work coalescing in three main areas – leadership development, equipping and strengthening congregations, and engaging in systemic work to strengthen our denominational connections.

We are able to do this work because of the generosity of 30 congregations and 74 individuals who have supported our lean operating budget of $160,000. We need you to join in offering that financial support so that this important work of moving forward as a church, in hope, can continue. Please consider making a gift today.

You can do so online or by sending a check payable to “Village Church” with “NEXT Church” in the memo line to:
Village Church
6641 Mission Road
Prairie Village, KS, 66208

Together, we can move into God’s future in hope and with confidence.

Thank you for being part of what’s NEXT!

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Jessica Tate
Director, NEXT Church