Welcoming new pastors and spouses to the BIC Church

In late October, forty-nine leaders who are new to ministry within the Brethren in Christ Church gathered in Grantham, Pa., for the annual New Pastors and Spouses Orientation. Six of our seven regional conferences were represented in that number (with one couple traveling 1,195 miles to attend), and the age of persons in the group ranged from 26 to 62 years old. But despite the geographic and demographic differences among them, all are determined to have maximum impact for Jesus Christ and His Kingdom. And that’s good news for the future vitality and effectiveness of the BIC Church.

To insure their maximum contribution to the church, however, it’s important that our new leaders be provided with a solid orientation to BIC theology, values, and polity. And that’s the purpose of the two-day orientation. Through a variety of instructive presentations, round-table discussions, and interactive small group sessions, participants in the orientation had the opportunity to talk with each other and with General Church leaders about the BIC Church’s vision, leadership, and network of support. The orientation schedule also included interaction with staff from the General Church office; with Kim Phipps, the president of Messiah College; and with members of the pastoral staff of other churches.

A few evaluation comments from this year’s New Pastors and Spouses Orientation

• “The most helpful interaction/fellowship took place in both the initial sharing where we talked about ‘what attracted me to the BIC.’ I love hearing other’s stories and working together.”
• “It was great to hear a bit of each person’s stories.”
• “Seeing our bishops in a role (together) as servants to their pastors is so encouraging! This is true community.”
• “The time showed how excited new leaders are to be a part of this family.”
• “Helpful to hear BIC priorities and goals. Nice to have our perspectives and opinions valued in a time of shaping vision – really encourages ownership of denominational priorities.”
• “It was good to have some informal times together and realize that we are just ordinary people desiring to serve an extraordinary God.”
• “It was exciting to discuss and experience others’ views and interpretations on Vision 2010 priorities.”

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