Ministry Academy

Growing Capacity for Fruitful Ministry

The Ministry Academy is focused on equipping targeted, strategic churches to build upon their capacity for fruitful ministry. Participation is limited to churches that have been identified as having potential for ministry and whose viability is essential to the United Methodist witness in the Cookeville District.

The Ministry Academy will be offered in four retreats, from Friday evening until Saturday evening, at Beersheba Springs Assembly. The sessions and topics are as follows:

Sept. 25-26  Spiritual Leadership

  • The Wesleyan Way
  • Leadership as Sacred Trust
  • The Nature and Purpose of the Church

Nov. 20-21   Discipleship and the Discipling Community

  • Wesleyan understanding of Discipleship
  • Congregational structure for Discipleship formation
  • Age-level Discipleship

Feb. 5-6     Evangelism & Missions

  • Reaching Out and Receiving In
  • Engaging the neighborhood

May 6-7     Vital Worship

  • What are the components of vital worship?
  • How to cultivate vital worship

Each congregation will send a leadership team, which includes the pastor and at least three key leaders. The leaders may include staff but should include laity. Participants must be able to attend all retreat sessions.

This will be a research based learning experience. By surveying members of the congregation in each area, leaders will discover the current reality and be equipped to imagine and implement future possibilities for fruitful ministry. Leaders will also engage their community in ways that build understanding of their immediate missional context. Participating leadership teams will identify, develop, and implement at least one strategy in each area following the weekend retreat.