There is a reason so many people are talking about mental health in the middle of the current pandemic. This pandemic is taking a toll on us. The exact toll can be difficult to gauge. On the one hand, we are facing a daily dose of bad news and anxiety-producing […]
Mental Health – An FM Perspective Read More
The Free Methodist Church in Canada (FMCIC) typically meets for General Conference (GC) every three years. This is the only gathering of ministers and lay delegates from all of our approximately 140 churches and so it is a time of connection. We greet old friends and meet new ones. As
Preparing for General Conference Read More
“Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it.” 1 Corinthians 9:24 (NRSV) It seems to me, based on conversations I’ve been having with people lately, as well as my own
We’re In A Marathon, Not a Sprint Read More
Being free is an opportunity, a command, an invitation, an experience, a responsibility, a promise and what we celebrate in Christ. Jesus-freedom is both about being free from and being free for. The from list includes: power over sin, hell, prevailing culture, bad habits, wrong thinking, hurts, fear, loneliness, shame,
I am going to ask a question that may ruffle your feathers, frankly, this question has ruffled mine: “why have some very gifted pastors in the past couple of years transitioned out of healthy churches into church planting? Why have they chosen not to transition into another established church?” To
Two “study teams” have been launched and will be bringing reports to our General Conference 2020. Included in the “FMCiC 3 Year Ministry Plan” is a description of these two initiatives: “Inspiring Women into Leadership in the FMCIC”: The BOA has formed a high caliber study commission that would create
When the Board of Administration discussed this statement as the Free Methodist Church in Canada’s focus for this ministry season, we considered each word carefully… “Accepting” was chosen over “taking” because we understand that God has entrusted us with authority and therefore responsibility for our communities. “Taking” might sound presumptuous.
Accepting Responsibility for your Community Read More
Inspired by this question from IF:Gathering Founder and Visionary, Jennie Allen, the “IF” team includes over 7,000 IF:Local leaders around the world who are dedicated to reclaiming the priority of discipleship as God’s method to changing the world. I was so captivated, that first time I heard Jennie declare that
“IF God is Real… then what?” Read More
For us, the Free Methodist Church family in Canada, to expect anything different from 2017 we would really have to posture ourselves differently, act differently, pray differently, spend differently… otherwise, we should expect pretty much the same outcomes. Our Sunday attendance and membership statistics have been decreasing. In fact, most
What to Expect in 2018 Read More
When we asked Dale Harris, Pastor of The Freeway in Oshawa, ON, to share his experience with burnout and clinical depression he did not hesitate. The following is an excerpt from his May 2015 blog, Notes from the Ashes (Part 1): Some Reflections on Pastoral Burn-Out. It was just over
A Pastoral Health Story Read More
