New Church Development

The Mountain Sky Conference is committed to starting new faith communities, large and small. As the populations in our area change, one way we respond is creating new faith communities where new opportunities are present. Ranging from small, lay-lead, house churches, to more traditional clergy lead projects, we aim to create a diverse economy of churches that will meet the needs of the great cultural, ethnic, and age diversity present throughout our area.

New faith communities can be initiated by individuals, existing congregations, or the conference. They take a variety of forms but hold some basic things in common. 

• Are theologically Wesleyan
• Worship frequently and celebrate the sacraments
• Have effective systems for developing disciples of Jesus
• Teach and practice biblical stewardship
• Are missional and work toward community transformation
• Receive new members
• Will embed multiplying DNA in all ministries and plant other new congregations in 3-5 years
• Will remain connected and accountable to The United Methodist Church

New Faith communities take various forms and can be initiated in a number of ways.  The Mountain Sky Conference aims to use a variety of strategies including Partner/Parent Church and Multi-site expansion.  You can find a good overview of various strategy from Discipleship Ministries.

Grants

We currently have three grants available:

1. Exploration Grant. This is a grant up to $5,000 for people wanting to explore and assess the feasibility of starting a new church or faith community. We accept these year-round. Download application | View application
2. Implementation Grant. This is for funding related to starting a new church or faith community. This application is due each year by December 31st. Download application | View application
3. Ongoing Funding Request. This is for those new churches who currently receive funding from us and want it to continue. These requests are due each year by December 31st. Download application | View application

Each of the above requires a District Superintendent Advisory Form to be completed. 

For further information or questions, contact Patti Agnew, the chairperson of the Congregational Vitality Committee at pattiagnew3@gmail.com.

For existing churches interested in participating in a Parent/Child church plant or multi-site expansion we offer support to help discern your readiness for that project.  This includes a congregational survey utilized nationally by more than 700 congregations.  It can also include an onsite consultation.  If you are interested, please contact  vitality@mtnskyumc.org.

For individuals interested in exploring the possibility of being a church planter we offer scholarships to attend a discernment event.  We also have an evaluation process that helps you identify your strengths for church planting.  If you are interested, please contact vitality@mtnskyumc.org.