The Race to Reach Out: Connecting Newcomers to Christ in a New Century - Softcover

Coyner, Michael J.; Anderson, Doug

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0687066689 ISBN 13: 9780687066681

Publisher: Abingdon Press, 2004

Synopsis

Most church members would tell you that theirs is a friendly congregation, eager to welcome visitors and new members into their midst. Yet far too many of these same congregations have trouble translating this intention into action. Offering a friendly greeting to a new face is important, but it is only the first of many steps that congregations must take in order to turn visitors into members, and new members into committed disciples.

The authors believe that to assimilate newcomers into the life and ministry of the congregation, the whole church system must be involved. Anderson and Coyner demonstrate how to identify and respond to visitors in a nonthreatening, yet interested way; how to share information about them with the leaders of those ministries and programs in which they would be most interested; how best to help them in their decision to become church members; and how to help them understand and fulfill their own call to ministry in the congregation. They insist that churches be motivated, not by a desire for institutional survival or advancement, but by a passion for people and their place in the kingdom of God.

About this title

About the Author:

Bishop Michael J Coyner is the Bishop of the Indiana Conference of the The United Methodist Church.

“Bishop Mike” as most people call him, is originally from Anderson, Indiana. He served churches of various sizes, served as a District Superintendent of the former Lafayette District, and was also the Executive Assistant to Bishop Woodie W. White for the Indiana Area. He was elected a bishop of the United Methodist Church in 1996 and was assigned to the Dakotas Area where he served two terms as resident bishop. In 2004 he was assigned to serve the Indiana Area, and in 2008 he was assigned to a second term.

Bishop Mike and his wife, Marsha, live in the Indianapolis area. He oversees the life and ministry of over 1,200 United Methodist congregations in Indiana, including over 200,000 members organized into 10 districts. Under Bishop Coyner’s leadership, the former North and South Indiana Conference voted in 2008 to create a new Indiana Conference which was launched in 2010.

Bishop Mike and Marsha have two adult children and four grandchildren. Laura and her husband, Adrian Peace, are both engineers with GE in Louisville, and the parents of Brianna and Austin. Steve, a pharmaceutical salesman, and his wife, Jessica, live in Fishers, and are the parents of Ashlee and Leah.

Bishop Mike received his B.A. degree from Purdue, his M. Div. Degree from Duke Divinity School, and his Doctor of Ministry degree from Drew Theological School. Bishop Mike also has received honorary doctorates from Dakota Wesleyan University, the University of Evansville and the University of Indianapolis. He is the author of several articles and four books: Making a Good Move (Abingdon Press, 1999), Prairie Wisdom (Abingdon Press, 2000), The Race to Reach Out (Abingdon Press, 2004) and A Year With John Wesley and Our Methodist Values (Discipleship Resources, 2008). In addition to serving as a Trustee or Board member of various United Methodist agencies and institutions here in Indiana, Bishop Coyner also serves on the General Council on Finance and Administration for the denomination.

 

About this edition

• Publisher: Abingdon Press
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0687066689
• ISBN 13: 9780687066681
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 128