Becoming a Lighthouse Congregation
What are the steps to becoming a Lighthouse Congregation?
- Attend Lighthouse Congregation Training.
- Pastor(s) and at least two lay leaders must attend.
- Form a lay-led “Beacon Team” to drive local church mobilization and complete the Beacon Team Planning Document.
- Adopt the Lighthouse Congregation Statement.
- This is a simple majority vote of the Church Council or Simplified Accountability Board.
- Notify your District Office and enroll as a Lighthouse Congregation!
What is the time and energy commitment required to be an effective Lighthouse Congregation?
One half-day training session (currently a Saturday AM, with Zoom options under consideration for the fall too)
Recurring Beacon Team meetings in your local church, on a schedule you decide for yourselves (once a month? more frequently at first?). Now through June 2024 is the main season of emphasis (with an eye to people's first Advent/Christmas/Holy Week/Easter away from "home").
How do I access the training?
Our Lighthouse Design Team is currently working on building content and organizing in person and online training. Training will include an overview of the Lighthouse Congregation movement, equipping churches to provide Radical Hospitality, Trauma-Informed Evangelism, Empathy and Grief Care, Community Engagement, and UM Theology and Connectionalism.
Each will take place on a Saturday, from 9:00 am - 12:30 pm, with a coffee/gathering time beginning at 8:30am. We would like each church to bring a team of at least 3 people, and register each person individually.
August 5 - Dalton First UMC, NW District.
August 12 - St Paul UMC Marietta, CW District.
August 26 - St John UMC Augusta, SE District. Register by August 20!
September 16 - McKendree UMC, CE District. Register by Sept 10.
Sept 23 - Barnesville First UMC, SW District. Register by Sept 17.
October 7 - Douglasville First, CW District. Register by Oct 1.
Oct 14 - Salem UMC Covington, CS District. Register by Oct 8.
Oct 21 - Douglas Street UMC, NW District. Register by Oct 15.
November 4 - Cumming First UMC, NE District. Register by Oct 30.
Additional dates in early 2024 coming soon!
Training is specifically for Beacon Teams: Beacon Leader, Pastor, and then Beacon Team members (2-4), who among them ideally specialize in the following: Hospitality, Congregational Care, Community Engagement, Children, Senior Adults, Christian Education, etc.
Complete the Lighthouse Interest Survey to voice your interest, pose your questions, and receive the latest updates as they become available.
Beacon Team Resources
Sample Beacon Team Meeting Agenda
Lighthouse Church Enrollment Form
This form will ask you for your church's basic contact info, the members of your church council who voted to become a Lighthouse Congregation and the date of that vote, a copy of your Lighthouse Covenant, and a copy of your Beacon Team Planning Document.
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