This Month's Issue

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Seeking Relevance

Editorial by Frank Bondurant

First Chronicles 12:32 mentions the tribe of Issachar who “understood the times and knew what Israel should do” (NIV). We need Issacharian pastors today who understand the trends and changes in our culture, and who will reach out to and engage people for Christ in relevant ways. Evangelism isn’t a set of skills you learn once and then are universally and always applicable. Evangelism isn’t static because people aren’t static. Our culture and communities aren’t static. They are constantly changing.

Leaders Affirm Women Pastors

Images by Muriel Bello

In December Columbia Union Conference leaders held a luncheon to affirm and express appreciation to the women clergy who serve in the Columbia Union. About 40 attendees (pictured above), including 20 women pastors, several conference presidents and ministerial directors and union officers gathered to talk about the outcome and implications of the vote at the 2018 Annual Council meetings, how women pastors are being treated at their home churches, what questions they have and receive and how the union can help.

Evangelism Draws 1,287 New Believers in Columbia Union

The Columbia Union ended a two-year emphasis on evangelism in fall of 2018. Throughout this time, churches across the union hosted meetings and placed an emphasis on evangelism in our communities, celebrating 1,287 baptisms and professions of faith in 2018 alone.

As part of this emphasis, Columbia Union President Dave Weigley preached two series of meetings, one in Mountain View Conference’s Cumberland and Frostburg church district in 2017 and another in Chesapeake Conference’s Hagerstown (Md.) church in 2018. “It was so encouraging to see so many people from the community attend these meetings; there is a hunger for the Word of God in our world today,” he says.

Preparing for an Online Crisis

Story by Visitor Staff

If you’re trying to grow your online ministry, you may run into a crisis and need to act fast before the news spreads.

“The digital age has brought about a few realities that have impacted how we handle a crisis,” says Celeste Ryan Blyden, vice president for Strategic Communication and Public Relations for the Columbia Union Conference. “Social media has redefined
the term ‘breaking news’ because while it is happening, people have their cells phones going, recording video or are on Facebook Live. They will take you to the event or situation in real time.”

In the Center for Online Evangelism podcast, Blyden shares tips on how your organization can prepare for potential crises in our changing world.