The Administrative Council of the CGGC (the highest governing body in the denomination) convened Tuesday, March 14th through Wednesday March 15th. Elected representatives, regional leaders, advisory members, and staff traveled from around the United States to be here in Findlay, Ohio. From California to Pennsylvania, and from numerous states in between, they all came to do the business of the Churches of God, General Conference, and to help steer the denomination toward more potent kingdom impact.
It’s been awhile since we’ve talked about the “business” of the CGGC. If we don’t count the announcement of our partnership with Fresh Expressions (article here, by the way), it was just after Triennial conference in 2022 since we've given a substantial update. That being said, we think a lot of positive information came out of this most recent meeting of the Ad Council.
As has been stated, the Ad Council is made up of numerous different people, each representing their region, church, or other auxiliary ministry. This is important to recognize because it means that, like many governing bodies, the CGGC Ad Council has people with diverse opinions, which can sometimes require careful, long discussion to navigate. But you should know that this most recent meeting was run smoothly, efficiently, and with a profound sense of unity, despite not always having total consensus. Fundamentally, all those present on the Ad Council have the same desires, namely, to see the denomination flourish, to help our churches succeed in their ministries and their communities, and to see people reached for Christ. So, let’s talk about some of the relevant decisions with actionable results.
First, the CGGC is redesigning the annual Ministry Review, pastor and church leaders rejoice! As a document that is intended to both gather metrics on church success, and to function as a tool for church self-assessment, the Ministry Review was often despised for the amount of time it took to fill out, and it’s apparent usefulness (or lack thereof). While we do still believe the old Ministry Review remains a useful and prudent tool for assessment, the Ad Council also recognized that our metrics for church success are changing as we strive to be a more authentic expression of God’s church, and that the old Ministry Review probably had a high barrier to entry.
One of the driving motivators for revamping the Ministry Review was a desire to clarify who the review is for. Given the CGGC’s structure, the Ad Council has made the decision that the review is primarily to help build the relationship between a local church and their regional leadership. For the local church, the review serves as a self-assessment and self-reflection, and for regional leadership, the review will help them come to understand the local church so that regional leadership can help shepherd and resource their churches.
Second, the Ad Council is supporting the Uptick initiative, with the goal of developing young, high-potential leaders in the Churches of God, General Conference for significant Kingdom impact. Through the Emerging Leaders Cohort, we hope to facilitate a number of significant outcomes not only for the benefit of the individuals, organizations, and churches involved but also for the betterment of the broader culture, the Kingdom, and the Church.
Aiming to inspire and disciple young adults from the ages of 23-32, Uptick wants to help young leaders find their calling, discern their God-given giftings for ministry, and develop as leaders in their own right. Uptick’s first cohort is starting in August of 2023, but applications and resumes are due in the CGGC office by May 31st. More information, and step-by-step instructions, will follow soon. If you or someone you know may be interested in joining a community that seeks to help develop new leaders for the church, then stay tuned for more information about Uptick.
Third, a new Micro Grant for Innovation is being put into place to help churches in the CGGC find ways to de-risk their new innovations. We all know that trying new ministries and reaching out to the community can be both difficult and expensive, especially for small churches. The Micro Grant for Innovation has been set up to offer matching funds for innovative new ideas for reaching out, and bringing people to Christ while helping to keep the financial risk low.
The Micro Grant process doesn’t just provide matching funds. We will also see cohorts of grant recipients work together to learn, innovate, and debrief their experiences in a small community of mutual learners who want to grow and develop, not only their ministries, but help other ministries grow too.
Fourth, and perhaps finally for this debrief, the CGGC office is putting out the call for contributors for stories. One of the goals of the denomination is to create an intentional story-telling culture, one that encourages and celebrates successes, and learns from mistakes and failures. Stories are fundamental to how we learn, grow, and experience community, and so the CGGC wants more stories, and importantly, a diverse group of story tellers.
One obvious truth is that God is always working and active, but it doesn’t always feel like it in our own lives or ministries. Stories from other churches and other ministries are an unbelievably valuable tool when we struggle with doubt. We were, after all, meant to be in community with each other, mutually benefiting from each other’s knowledge and story. So if you have a powerful story to tell, please get in touch with the CGGC office by emailing me at .
By no means does this capture all that transpired at Ad Council. In fact, we’ve really put the word “brief” in “debrief.” Regardless, we hope this bit of transparency and insight into the business of the church is as exciting for you as it is for the Ad Council. The CGGC strives to support our churches with useful tools, exciting opportunities for development, grant support, and by being a platform to share stories and build community. We will continue to communicate future news through our various channels like this blog, our physical and digital magazine The Global Advocate, and other in person events, so please, stay tuned for more soon.
May God bless you and your ministry,
CGGC eNews—Vol. 17, No. 11
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