The
Kerusso – July | 2025 Special Vision Edition – # 1 of 5
Over the next five weeks, look for a “Special Vision Edition” of the Kerusso. Each issue will delve into one of our current denominational priorities, which are the specific areas and initiatives through which we aim to further our overall organizational mission.
Each week will focus on our progress and future goals for our 5 current priorities.
The Evangelical Methodist Church: Who We Are, and Where We Are Going Max Edwards, IGS
Our faith family came into being to hold tightly to things that were being lost or jettisoned in other Christian movements. A clear belief in the inspiration and authenticity of the Bible is of non-negotiable importance. Along with that come a set of Wesleyan/Arminian theological beliefs expressed in our basic tenets of faith.
The MISSION of the EMC is laid out in the opening paragraphs of the Constitution of our Discipline. We’ll explore that more on page 2 Our mission drives and fuels our current denominational priorities. Through them, we help fulfill the mission by focusing on specific goals and targets.
The PRIORITIES for this quadrennium were established in late 2022 and early 2023, and can be expressed through the acronym P.E.A.C.E. - -
Planting Churches
Educating Ministers
Aspiring to Holiness
Connecting People and Churches
Equipping Leaders
It was a humble meeting of pastors and laymen in Memphis, Tennessee, on May 9, 1946, in which these fundamentals were firmly set. The prayers and conversations of that assembly led to a strong sense that God was ordaining the formation of the newly named “Evangelical Methodist Church.”
This next year, we will celebrate 80 years of ministry in the EMC. 80 years of preaching truth80 years of training disciples –80 years of serving the needy and the broken –80 years of sharing the gospel with others around the world –
Kerusso (Greek): “To publish, proclaim openly: something which has been done.”
The Mission of the EMC
Our founders envisioned a vibrant community where faith comes alive, people are transformed, and God's love is actively shared with our neighbors and the world. They saw a need for a place where fidelity is paramount, love is evident, and where Christian fellowship and discipleship are the tools to grow both believers and congregations. They saw then, and we still see today, a denomination deeply rooted in biblical truth, passionately committed to worship, and courageously dedicated to serving others. This is who we are, and it frames our ongoing commitment, both in our local communities and beyond.
These words describe the ongoing mission of the EMC: Worship, Discipleship, Holiness, and Evangelism!
Four components, each with a directional aspect:
Upward – Our relationship with God
Beside – Our relationship with Other Believers
Inside – Our internal walk with Christ
Outside – Our witness to the world for Christ
Promoting Worship! Our first calling is to worship God in spirit and truth. This is the foundation from which all other aspects of our mission flow. The adoration of the one true God is our highest calling and greatest privilege.
Fostering Discipleship! We are called to a lifelong journey of learning and growing in Christ. This means not only our own growth but also helping others to grow, nurturing them in their faith and understanding of Christ’s core teachings.
Modeling Holiness! We must always strive to live a life set apart for God, reflecting His character to the world Our people are to demonstrate holiness of heart and life, making our message more compelling and authentic to others.
Inspiring Evangelism! We are to share the good news of Jesus Christ with those who don't know Him through personal and corporate missions efforts, inviting people into a relationship with God, and into a safe and loving community.
Evangelical Methodist Churches across the country have united together with a shared commitment to these core values, and a shared burden for their communities.
Whether it is at Connections Community Church on the West Coast of Oregon …
Or at Elizabeth City EMC, which sits just minutes from the sandy beaches of the Atlantic Coast …
the Evangelical Methodist Church has a sold-out commitment to loving God, loving people, respecting the authority of the Scripture, and making disciples who will, in turn, make disciples
In Him. With You.
Church Planting
Think of a tree in a nearby park. If you scanned it from top to bottom, you’d probably see some dormant branches. It is quite natural for some limbs to lose their vibrancy and to eventually break off. If the tree does not sprout new shoots and new branches, the tree itself will eventually wither up and die.
If we think of the EMC as that tree, in the same way, we must always be sprouting new limbs, new buds, new branches. If that fails to happen, we will experience a plateau and eventual decline. We mustn’t allow that to happen. So, church planting must always be a priority!
Over the last few years, the General Council and Cabinet of Superintendents have worked to elevate this priority to an even higher level. Four things can be identified that have helped us arrest a decline in the number of EMC churches in the USA Conference, and hopefully set us on a new trajectory:
1. The creation of a new church-planting endowment, “The Legacy Fund.”
In September of 2019, the Council established it, with a determination that the majority of the proceeds from all future sales of denominational property would flow into the Legacy Fund, with the goal being a $1,000,000 endowment. With that in place, the Board of Evangelism could sustainably invest 10’s of thousands of dollars each year into new church plants without ever touching the principal. In the first few months of 2022, the million-dollar goal was reached! Praise the Lord! The current balance of the Legacy Fund is above $1,150,000.
2. A Church Planter’s Bootcamp was held at the Heritage Learning Center in 2019. We hosted an event that brought experienced planters, academic experts, and those interested in church planting together for three days. It was amazing! Speakers included Dr. Jay Moon, Dr. Jim Halbert, Dr. Don Moon, Rev. Mike Whitney, Rev. Steve Miller, Rev. Kevin Cain, Rev. Wes Mackey, and a few others. The feedback we received was outstanding, and 28 people attended. Of those, fully six men and women have become involved in a church plant, either as a planting pastor, or as pastor of a hosting church, investing in a daughter or sister church plant. That is tangible evidence of the Holy Spirit’s leading and blessing in this effort!
3. Since January of 2020, 12 Churches have been planted and affiliated as EMC churches! Praise the Lord for folks like Bethany and Jeff Stockett, Tiffany Barber, Jon Tellifero, Lynn Malone, Rick Stackhouse, Trey Harris, Jonathan Reece, Debra Miller and Luis Magallanes, Steve Miller, Stephen Housewright, Brian Gordon and Howie McKinney, Jun Mateo and Aaron Valencia, and Kelly Carner! Actually, a total of 17 churches have been launched by EMC’ers in that time, but not all of them have survived to full affiliation. These wonderful churches, planters, and pastors should be in our daily prayers as they seek to transform their communities in the name of Christ.
4. Significant investment has been made in our existing church plants. The General Board of Evangelism serves as the governing agency with fiduciary responsibility concerning grants and other kinds of investments in church plants and church revitalization. Churches desiring to “daughter” a congregation are encouraged to talk to Pastor Russ Cochran, chairman of that board, as well as planters who have a desire and a vision for establishing a new EMC congregation somewhere. Since 2018, the Board of Evangelism has invested $265,605 in church planting efforts. It is only by the grace of God that our small denomination has been blessed to be able to invest that level of resource in our plants and planters.
What’s on the Horizon for Church Planting?
Wouldn’t it be great if we could just wipe away the fog of time and clearly see what lies ahead? Well, we can’t! But we can do our best to ply the resources we have and to attempt to anticipate some opportunities and maybe create new ones.
First and foremost, it should be said that the Legacy Fund will continue to yield interest, so that over the next four years, we hope to be able to invest somewhere in the neighborhood of $250,000 - $300,000 in new church plants without ever touching the basis of the asset. That is exciting, and what the Legacy Fund was established to do.
In late May, the Superintendents met to prayerfully brainstorm regarding our current priorities. Church planting was certainly a top-shelf subject. We know that we must continue to birth new congregations if we hope to grow. And the focus of the Superintendents AND the Board of Evangelism is not ONLY on new plants, but also on the revitalization of existing churches that have stagnated for one reason or another.
We have identified 3 things that we hope to accomplish over the next several years:
1. Scholarship prospective planters to an “Exponential” conference. What is Exponential? “Exponential is a growing community of leaders committed to accelerating the multiplication of healthy, reproducing faith communities. We equip movement makers with actionable principles, ideas, and solutions. We are passionate about accelerating multiplication through Multipliers!” (from their website: https: //exponential.org/about/)
The next Exponential Conference will be held on March 17–19, 2026, at First Baptist of Orlando (3000 S John Young Pkwy Orlando, Florida). The registration cost is $299. The Cabinet of Superintendents has committed to providing up to 8 registration scholarships per year for EMC Credential holders who demonstrate a real interest in church revitalization and/or church planting. Ask a Superintendent about it, and make plans to go in March of 2026!
2. We plan to establish a recruiting presence in our trusted colleges and seminaries. We know that some tremendous young pastors are coming out of academic institutions such as Asbury University, Asbury Theological Seminary, Wesley Biblical Seminary, Ohio Christian University, and others that have a passion to reach their generations for Christ. We plan to reach out to Alumni of each of these institutions to formulate a plan for how to present the EMC as a viable place of service, so that some of the young women and men who will be entering the ministry in the next decade might consider planting a church in our fellowship. If you know someone in one of these academic venues who is pursuing a call to ministry, please contact a Superintendent and alert them so that we can contact them.
3. We are laying plans now to host another Church Planters Bootcamp. The event that we hosted in 2019 was very successful. We want to build on that experience and success and host an event of our own, probably somewhere between 2026 and 2028. It takes significant planning to get on speakers’ calendars that are busy and in strong demand. We have already spoken with a potential coordinator who has agreed to take this on with passion and purpose. Look for more information in the coming year or so. We hope to identify and inspire 10-15 church planters in whom we can invest both time and resources. Pray with us for the persons, yet unknown, who will make up our next corps of church plant pastors.