The Fresh Expressions US Team is pleased to announce a new partnership agreement with the Oklahoma Conference of the United Methodist Church. New partnerships like these are evidence of the ongoing growth of this cross-denominational missional movement.
OKUMC covers the entirety of the state of Oklahoma and is made up of 480 churches. Chris Tiger, Director of New Faith Communities, said some of their churches are already experimenting with new forms of Church. For instance, one church in Oklahoma City has already opened a dinner church that gathers and feeds approximately 150 a week.
The conference has already begun to train cutting edge leaders to experiment with new expressions of Church. This past year they hosted an Academy for Innovative Ministry, an ongoing training experience which has involved other Methodist practitioners of Fresh Expressions, such as Dan Jackson from the Florida Conference. Besides five training sessions, students participated in a “Sparktank” where small grants were awarded to students based on their plans for a new faith community.
Tiger is excited to expand and strengthen their training through partnership with Fresh Expressions US. He has witnessed other conferences who have partnered with FXUS gain significant momentum. In particular, OKUMC is looking forward to hosting trainings such as Vision Days and a learning community because of the expertise FXUS trainers provide. Multiple events are already planned for early 2020.
If you’d like to hear more about the OKUMC and their new initiatives, contact Chris Tiger.
If your organization is interested in partnership with Fresh Expressions US, contact Chris Backert.
