By Scott Pattison
January 25, 2022
When we embark upon a journey with family, friends, or colleagues we almost always have a destination in mind. And as important as that destination is, along the way we have the opportunity to strengthen existing relationships and build new ones.
Last year, a small group of members from the Wesleyan Covenant Association’s Church Revitalization Task Force created a pilot program called the Nehemiah Journey. It is a 52-plus week experience to help churches prepare for what is next. It helps congregations get prayed up, pastors healed up, and leaders and people suited up to be disciples who make disciples. It launches local churches on a journey to discern and live into the vision God has for them in this new season.
The Nehemiah Journey takes its name from the Old Testament Book of Nehemiah and its central character, Nehemiah, who led a remnant of Jews in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. Despite opposition and hostile enemies, Nehemiah led the people in rebuilding the city’s walls within 52 days.
We too are a remnant people in turbulent times. Divisions within and challenges without have at times made us frustrated and discouraged. And yet, we are called to rebuild and renew. So we invite your local church to join the Nehemiah Journey, a program designed to equip your church for the “rebuilding” process. Over the course of 52 weeks our journey will help you rebuild your part of the wall as we dedicate ourselves to making disciples of Jesus Christ who worship passionately, love extravagantly, and witness boldly!
There will be four phases in this second generation Nehemiah Journey. During these phases, we will come alongside you and your congregation.
Phase One includes an essential 12-week strategic prayer training for intercessors and a 10-week clergy covenant group for pastors to process where they are, how they are doing, and how to lead in this new season. In Phase Two, participants experience a pragmatic and shareable model of being, making, and multiplying disciples rooted in Scripture and the transformative teachings of the Christian faith. Phase Three helps congregations understand the imperative of moving forward in these unprecedented times. We will learn together the key components of church revitalization, evaluate our congregations, and confront post-pandemic realities. Finally, in Phase Four, participants will discern God’s vision for their congregations as we plan to move forward with Ministry Action Plans (MAP).
You’re invited to enter into the Nehemiah Journey, a ministry of the Wesleyan Covenant Association, starting the week of March 1, 2022. If you would like to join us, please contact the Rev. Dr. Scott Pattison by February 15, 2022, for an application to participate in the journey. You can email Dr. Scott Pattison at nehemiahjourney@wesleyancovenant.org or mail your request to: Rev. Dr. Scott Pattison, ATT: Nehemiah Journey, 700 E. Southway Blvd, Kokomo, IN 46902.
The Rev. Dr. Scott Pattison served on the WCA’s Church Revitalization Task Force, and he is a member of the team that created the Nehemiah Journey. He is an elder in the Indiana Annual Conference and the Lead Pastor at St Luke’s United Methodist Church in Kokomo, Indiana. He is partnering with others to create a cooperative parish called the ConneXion. Its mission is to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with the people of Kokomo. Pattison is also President of the WCA’s Indiana Regional Chapter.