NEO Team Update

January 23, 2025

in NEO Team Update

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Is Evangelism on Life Support?

In our Cycle of Resurgence, the focus of 2025 is “Bringing People to Jesus”. Is your church ready for the challenge? One well known Christian leader recently said that “Evangelism is on Life Support”! He backed it up by saying that only 1% of churches report that they’re “Very Effective” at reaching new people. 1%!!

What do you think? If 10 was “highly effective” and 1 was “not effective at all” at bringing people to Jesus, what number would you give yourself? Your church?

The center for mission and evangelism is the local church. Although the task may be challenging, I am excited that we have some things to help you and your church get Evangelism off of life support in 2025:

1. M25 Gospel, Feb. 10 – 12, Kansas City M25 is a quadrennial USA/Canada Nazarene conference focused on evangelism, advancing the regional vision, the Cycle of Resurgence, and the 2025 emphasis on Bringing People to Jesus. Featuring plenary speakers, workshops, affinity group meetings, and worship, the conference will equip pastors, lay leaders, and students to engage in fresh approaches to evangelism. The District is ready to invest in you and your lay leaders by giving each person a post event scholarship of $50 to help with the registration cost. We already have 50 people registered and hope to have 100! If you need housing options, some on our district have room in an Airbnb rental.

M25 is a USA/Canada regional quadrennial Nazarene conference focused entirely on evangelism. It will further the regional vision, our CoRe Strategy (Cycle of Resurgence), and in particular our 2025 emphasis of Bringing People to Jesus. The agenda will include plenary speakers, break-out workshops, affinity group meetings, and corporate worship times. Pastors, lay leaders, and students will leave this conference encouraged, equipped, empowered, and ready to engage in new ways of Bringing People to Jesus.

Check out the excellent line up of exhibitors that will be ready to support you in ministry here!

2. The Preaching Collaborative.

We must move from the inspiration of a M25 event to training. The purpose of The Preaching Collaborative is “Creating more effective evangelistic preachers to transform communities.” I am glad to report it appears to be fulfilling that purpose!!

In Exit Surveys:

- 97% of participants agree that they are better preachers after completing a Preaching Collaborative cohort.

- 93% agree that their preaching is more effective at “Bringing People to Jesus.”

Participant Comments

- “The intentional learning and consideration has greatly impacted my ability to help connect people with Jesus in a positive way.”
- “Our church is more open to evangelism. We don’t want to be a church of Christians that know Christ; we want to make him known so that others can have eternal life.”

In 2025 Preaching Collaborative is shifting from regional to district cohorts so that many more pastors have access to this empowering opportunity. Pastors in our current cohorts are being trained to facilitate future cohorts on their districts. We have one NEO cohort that recently began and are looking to start another one in March/April. Another group may begin May/June.

Pastor, if you would like to be included in a cohort, let me know. The cohort involves two meetings a month for a total of 4 hours. If you would need the cohort to meet in the evening, please let me know. The cost for each pastor is $125 and they will receive the same experience and materials as the regional cohorts including $900 worth of bonus content from Carey Nieuwhof Communication.

3. Prayer.

I am encouraged by the number of churches calling their members to prayer and fasting as we begin 2025. I believe inspiration + training + prayer will result in passion. We don’t lack for tools and resources, but we often seem to be short on passion. May God hear our prayers and do something deep within each of us so that NEO Nazarene Churches will become centers of evangelistic fire in 2025.

Anticipating,

Dave McKellips, District Superintendent

NYI NEO Retreat RESCHEDULED, February 7-9, 2025

EVERYONE WHO WAS ALREADY REGISTERED IS STILL REGISTERED! Drew Dinnel (revdinnel@gmail.com) has sent out the previous registration list to each church; we need confirmation for EVERY camper! If a student is unsure, please don’t mark them as “confirmed.” If a student or adult can’t attend now, please mark them as so.

The schedule for the event that was originally sent out in the promotional materials will remain the same. Dinner on Friday, Feb 7th, will still be on your own!
Please pray for Winter Retreat! We are trusting that God is in control and is moving through this event to impact and shape our students and our churches. Pray for the speakers, worship team, adult leaders, and students, and that discipleship may be first and foremost!