What is
Igniting Ministry?
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Igniting Ministry is a four-year national
media campaign spearheaded by United Methodist Communications (UMCom) in
Nashville that began in September 2001. |
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Television advertisements, or spots, created
by an advertising agency in Nashville and featuring The United Methodist Church, will be
placed on national cable channels — CNN, Lifetime, TBS, Discovery and others. |
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The theme of every spot is: "Our hearts,
our minds and our doors are always open. The people of The United Methodist Church." |
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The spots are designed to reach 25- to
54-year-olds who are unchurched and searching for meaning in their lives. |
Churches are
the key to success!
Members of United Methodist churches across the country are
the key to connecting people who see the advertisements to a local church near them. Your
Florida United Methodist Communications office has assembled a team to assist you in
participating in this effort.
Every church can
participate.
Your church can be part of the advertising campaign by
placing the spots on local channels in your community. Your church can also use a variety
of other resources created as part of the campaign in your media market — radio
spots, print advertisements, billboards, door hangers, direct mail postcards.
The heart of the campaign
is…
Making disciples of Jesus Christ. The publicity and advertising is a very important element of the
campaign, but it is not the most important one. The purpose of the campaign is to make
disciples of Jesus Christ. The most important thing your church can do is be welcoming and
inviting and disciple those who visit your church.
Invite, welcome, disciple.
Every United Methodist congregation is asked to:
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| invite people without a church home to visit their church; |
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| be welcoming — members preparing their hearts to welcome visitors and enhancing
church facilities so they are welcoming, too; and |
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| disciple unchurched visitors seeking spiritual meaning in their lives. |
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There are resources to help
you.
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| UMCom has developed a Web site
specifically for Igniting |
Ministry — http://www.ignitingministry.org. You can get answers to many of your questions there. |
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| Many districts in the Florida Conference have
recruited an |
individual to coordinate Igniting
Ministry initiatives for their district. For information about
initiatives planned for your district contact your Igniting
Ministry District Coordinator. |
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| Your Florida Conference Igniting Ministry team is working to |
develop training opportunities to help churches participate in
each year of the campaign. |
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UMCom has developed an extensive planning kit that includes detailed information about the campaign; tips on how to welcome, invite and disciple your guests; the advertising materials you can place in your community; and worship aids. You can purchase your kit online at
http://www.ignitingministry.org
, by calling toll-free: 1-877-281-6535, or by visiting your local Cokesbury store. Ask your pastor to check with staff at your district office to see if they have purchased kits in bulk for your district's churches. |
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There is a wealth of
resources available through the national Igniting Ministry Web site
at
http://www.ignitingministry.org. Included there is the
Media Warehouse, offering more than 350 of the latest Igniting
Ministry resources-everything from advertising for radio, TV and
newspaper to graphics and worship resources-at no charge.
Another available resource is "Beyond 30 Seconds: Developing a
Welcoming Congregation." It's a seven-session video curriculum for
small or large groups that invites us to look beyond the television
commercials to truly become people who understand what it means to
welcome newcomers and guests.
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UMCom will offer matching grants during each year of the campaign to help churches, districts and annual conferences place the television spots in their areas. You may request a grant application through the UMCom Igniting Ministry Web site. If you plan to apply, please let the Florida United Methodist Communications (FUMC) office know at 407-897-1134 or 1-800-282-8011 so staff may help in coordinating joint efforts among districts and churches. |
Questions?
Visit UMCom’s Igniting Ministry Web site or contact
your Igniting Ministry district coordinator (Igniting Ministry District Coordinators) or a
member of Florida’s Igniting Ministry Team:
What’s next?
If you haven't already, purchase your Planning Kit and ToolKit 1-2-3, prepare your church to invite and welcome guests during
the September United Methodist Open House Month and Back-to-School flight,
and get ready to participate in this exciting effort to ignite ministry across the country and the world!
Return to Igniting
Ministry Home Page
Return to flumc.org Home Page |
