Frequently Asked Questions

Please complete the FCF Assistance Request Form:

• For clergy and lay persons, click here.
• For Chief Missional Strategists only, click here.

Please complete the FCF Assistance Request Form:

• For clergy and lay persons, click here.
• For Chief Missional Strategists only, click here.

When you hear a story of a new kind of Church, one that looks different than what you already do on Sundays, it’s natural to want to put it in a category.

It’s easy for a church leader to look at a fresh expression and say, “we already have a ministry that does that.” Another natural assumption to make, especially when observing a blended ecology church with various expressions, is to categorize them as “ministries of a local Church.”

Ministries are an essential part of the life of an established Church. Churches of all shapes and size rely on those who provide childcare on Sundays, the age-specific teaching of youth ministry and the camaraderie of men’s and women’s ministries. Countless people have encountered the love of Jesus through “mercy ministries” like food and clothing banks. But these ministries are never intended to become a “church.”

Despite many similarities, a fresh expression of Church is not a “ministry,” and it can do things many ministries never can. So what is the difference, and why does it even matter?

There are four ways that Fresh Expressions are different from ministries.

Read more here >>>

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Yes! Anyone can start a Fresh Expression of church. What's your passion? Read more here...

Full instructions on getting started and using MissionInsite can be found at: https://www.mississippi-umc.org/missioninsitems

With the current pandemic, ZOOM has seen a huge uptick in usage - and unfortunately, some security issues. Zoom has built-in tools (see attachments) that can prevent Zoom bombings from occurring, and they're all remarkably easy to enable when creating a new meeting. These steps won't completely eliminate the chance that a bad actor crashes your Zoom call, but they'll go a long way toward making sure the host has control over what each and every person can do in their meeting.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us (contact info below). We will be happy to walk you through the steps and demonstrate how it works.

• Jason Zebert at jzebert@mississippi-umc.org or 769-243-7073
• Jane Horstman at jhorstman@mississippi-umc.org or 769-243-7072

If your church is not currently receiving the email reminder notification, please update your church’s VitalSigns Dashboard profile here.

For more information, visit our VitalSigns webpage at https://www.mississippi-umc.org/vital-signs

Complete a request form at https://mississippi-reg.brtapp.com/R360 or contact the FCF Office: Jane Horstman at 769-243-7072 | Jason Zebert at 769-243-7073

Please complete the FCF Assistance Request Form:

• For clergy and lay persons, click here.
• For Chief Missional Strategists only, click here.

Absolutely! Even though many of our resources work for churches of all sizes, specific resources for small and rural churches can be found at https://www.mississippi-umc.org/small-rural-churches. 

Journey to Transformation

From faith to faith (Romans 1:17), strength to strength and glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:16-18), the Bible reflects endless possibilities for elevation, transformation, glorification and empowerment that we, as the people of God, have available to us. Through us and for us, God continues to provide endless possibilities and opportunities to be “…transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

Transformation is the processes and methodologies of change for individuals, congregations and churches that lead to re-discovering what we are called to be as a church. Transformation is about listening and deepening our relationship with God and acting upon what we discern to be God’s will. Transformation is:

• God-centered change that re-connects us to being what we are called by God to be as a church in mission, re-connecting to God's will, changing first as people and in-turn, as congregations.
• A spiritual journey that has an intentional beginning and no end -- as we are always on the journey and never finished.
• A strategic journey, embracing proactive, intentional change, coupled with a clear vision that can be re-cast and/or adapted as needed.
• Systemic because transformation is about everything that a congregation is and does within the framework of God's mission and presence in our world today.

Our Mission:

Our mission is to assist the Mississippi Annual Conference in fulfilling its mission of "making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world."

Our Vision:

To work together to lead and assist in the development of vital communities of faith by:

• revitalization (transformation) of existing churches
• planting new faith communities