Download Ministry of the GLC Brochure [pdf]
The Ministry of the Great Lakes Conference
Through Shared Financial Resources and our Conference Staff Members
The Great Lakes Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church covers lower Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky,Tennessee, western Pennsylvania, western New York, western Virginia & West Virginia
Church Vitality
Strengthening Existing Churches
We help churches:
- Better understand their community demographics
- Identify strengths and weaknesses in ministry
- Develop a “vitality pathway” to regain missional traction
- Resolve conflict
- Revise organizational structures for more fruitful ministry
- Establish sound financial accounting and reporting systems
- Search for additional staff members
In addition:
- We speak in conference churches almost every Sunday to encourage, inspire and invite churches to go deeper in Christ and further in mission
- We visit conference churches and offer constructive “first impressions” feedback upon request
Church Planting
Starting New Churches
In Church Planting we:
- Aim to plant 2-4 new churches per year
- Recruit and train healthy missional churches to “parent” a daughter church
- Recruit, assess and train prospective church planters
- Coach the planter in all dimensions of planting for five years
- Guide churches through the process of acquiring their first facility
Adoptions:
- We cultivate relationships with leaders of potential church adoptions
- We assess churches that wish to affiliate with the Covenant to ensure a good fit both theologically and missionally
- We guide church leaders through the process of adoption
Church Outreach
Resourcing Churches to Serve Locally and Globally
- Equip pastors and lay leaders to raise the temperature for evangelism in their church
- Provide to churches both resources and equipping workshops focused on Evangelism, Outreach, and Compassion, Justice and Mercy
- Give financial support to Camp Mission Meadows, Portage Lake Bible Camp and Covenant Mountain Mission Bible Camp
- Coach churches through the process of purchasing property or buildings in order to expand or improve their ministry capacity
- Serve conference children’s ministries with The Lego Project
- Support the North American Japanese Outreach Ministry
Church Leadership
Developing Pastors, Staff and Lay Leaders
- Organize conference-wide, practical church leadership training events 2 times a year
- Lead workshops in local churches that equip lay leaders and pastors for their tasks in church leadership
- Supply administrative and logistical support for the Pastor’s Fall Retreat
- Mentor pastors serving in their “first call” as a Lead Pastor
- Provide care for our conference pastors
- Lend significant logistical support for pastors going through the credentialing process
- Guide Pastoral Search Committees through the process of searching for a new pastor or staff member
- Coach Church Chairs in the art of chairing a church