About 100 people gathered at Clinton, S.C., earlier this month to learn more about cooperative ministry among small-membership churches.
The Linking for Ministry event, June 2-4, evolved in response to a renewed interest in cooperative ministry that can enhance the work and mission of churches with fewer members.
Embracing the event was worship that included uplifting music from local church musicians. Participants attended workshops on topics like practical ideas for enhancing existing ministries or initiating cooperative ministries, both locally and globally. Keynote speakers spoke about partnership in the gospel and congregational transformation.
The event was hosted by the Laurens County Cluster of Smaller Membership Churches. It was co-sponsored several other organizations:
- Small Church and Community Ministry office of the General Assembly Mission Council
- Presbyterians for Renewal’s Wee Kirk Ministry
- The Outreach Foundation
- Presbyterian Frontier Fellowship
- Trinity Presbytery
As the event concluded, participants were challenged with a question: “What is God calling you to be and to do?”
The Rev. Lawrence Peebles, a pastor in the cluster, described the biblical and theological underpinnings of cooperative ministry. The Rev. Herb Codington, another cluster pastor, offered eight practical steps to help churches take the first steps leading to cooperative ministry and mission ventures.