KANSAS CITY – This summer’s busyness of camps, vacation Bible school, and even members on vacation claims the attention of most Missouri Baptist churches. While continuing to work on revitalizing churches, Resound Network also takes this summer opportunity to develop future church leaders.
“We had 5 students with the Missouri Baptist Convention’s collegiate intern program,” says Brandon Moore, Resound Network director. “The really unique thing is that they get paired with a strong church, a mentor pastor from that church, and a struggling church. So they can come alongside and see a bit of both worlds.”
Along with the 5 interns, Resound Network also hosted a summer cohort of 15 students who are already working in ministry. The students received 6 hours of credit from Midwestern Seminary, completed required reading and studying, and participated in a weekly Zoom call. There, they heard from various speakers from across the country who are working in church revitalization. “The whole point is to captivate people with a Biblical vision for church revitalization and replanting,” Moore said.
This fall, Resound Network is continuing to work hard on training church leaders.
Their first event this fall was called “Refocus Intensive.” During October 13-15, Resound Network prepared to walk with a church for the next 6-7 years. Churches were able to send their pastor and 5-6 other key leaders to the conference. Resound Network led them to rethink the vision for their church and begin to plan their next 5-7 years.
At the Missouri Baptist Convention’s annual meeting this October, Resound will host a workshop called “Taking Aim.”
“We want to equip pastors and leaders in churches to take aim at church health and community transformation,” Moore said.
To that end, Resound Network will provide every leader in attendance with a package of customized data concerning their church. “As people are walking in the door, we’re going to give them a chart that highlights their ACP numbers for the last 20 years, so they can get an idea of where their church is on attendance, worship, Sunday school, and baptisms,” Moore said. “We’re also giving them demographics for their church and community.”
ACP stands for Annual Church Profile. It’s a survey that’s completed by Southern Baptist churches across the country. The survey information is compiled into a database and is a useful tool for both individual churches and state conventions.
“In a workshop-style session, we’re going to teach attendees how to read their ACP and demographics, and how to use these tools,” Moore said. “It will allow them to have some coaching, and we’re going to talk about a variety of next steps they can take.”
Additionally, anyone who attends the Taking Aim workshop will receive the opportunity to schedule a consultation with a Resound team member at their booth the next day.
The workshop is open to anyone attending the Missouri Baptist Convention’s annual meeting. The workshop will begin at 9 P.M on Monday, October 24. To ensure the church and community reports are ready, Moore asks that attendees pre-register for the event at resoundnetwork.com/register.
While working with churches and training new leaders, Resound Network continues to keep the main goal in focus. “We want churches to know they’re not alone,” Moore says. “There are resources, there are leaders that care about them and their church.” Ultimately, Resound Network trains new leaders because of who God is. In Moore’s words, “Our God is a God of renewal. There is hope for your church.”