Pastors, We Love You Excerpt from the letter of the Board of General Superintendents to pastors and leaders on Oct. 16 Love one another. It is this love that should define the Christian community. This is the month of October and the time that we celebrate pastor appreciation. I think that holy love ought to be seen in the ways in which we love and appreciate our pastors. This year has probably been the most challenging year in ministry that our pastors have ever faced. In a brief period of time, everything about how we “do” church changed. Our pastors had to learn how to minister without getting to see their congregations face to face. Week after week, they have had to preach into a camera lens, wondering whether God was using them to touch the lives of their people. Even as we have gathered again in worship, your......

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Dear NEO family,  “I have to confess, it has been hard for me to pray for revival in America with faith. It seems like we are too broken and too apathetic about the things of God.” These were my words to the men gathered for the Promise Keepers Virtual Event a few weeks ago. It is not that I don’t long for revival, but I honestly have not been confident of a third great awakening sweeping across our land. But revival sure is needed! Your District Advisory Council affirmed that the number one priority for the NEO District for this year is corporate and individual repentance, which is always a prelude to revival. Little did we know how that emphasis would be sweeping across our world in the upcoming months. “The Return”, a call for 120 cities and 120 thousand believers to be a part of a Global Upper Room......

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The Call to Repentance I have been reading Our Watchword & Song: The Centennial History of the Church of the Nazarene this week. The Texas Holiness Association, which later merged with the Church of the Nazarene, issued the following statement applying holiness to the most deplorable social situation facing the nation, race. Read More More About Repentance The Benham Brothers (Jason and David) shared these insights that relate to repentance at the recent Promise Keepers’ Virtual Event: Boldness without Brokenness makes a Bully. Brokenness without Boldness makes a Bystander. Brokenness with Boldness makes a Bridge between heaven and earth. Mark Bane, Evangelism and New Start Director, USA/Canada CON shared on a recent visit to our district: “In many areas, the church needs to repent for the sin of omission – we have been guilty of neglecting the lost. We are content speaking to the church and not upset about......

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The Call to Repentance An attitude of repentance is crucial in our initial coming to Christ for salvation. The New Testament apostles called both Jews and Greeks to respond in “repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). To become a Christian, a person must repent – turn away from – an old way of life and turn to Christ for forgiveness and salvation. Yet repentance does not end there. Read More The Return Your District Advisory Council affirmed that the number one priority for the NEO District for this year is corporate and individual repentance. That is also the heart of many church leaders around the world. “The Return” is a call for 120 cities and 120 thousand believers to be a part of a Global Upper Room and pray, fast and wait on the Lord for 10 days, Sept. 19–28. During 10 days of a......

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The Call to Repentance The role of repentance can be seen in every revival movement in history. One such revival happened in Romania in the 1970s. Christians were once ridiculed as “Repenters” by their fellow countrymen, based on the emphasis given to repentance as being essential to conversion. There was a church in the town of Oradea, which had been languishing for a long time. Then God called a godly pastor to the area who was deeply committed to prayer. He began to preach on the theme, “The Repenters Must Repent!” God began to move in their hearts, and the Christians entered into a “covenant of repentance.” Read More The Return Your District Advisory Council affirmed that the number one priority for the NEO District for this year is corporate and individual repentance. That is also the heart of many church leaders around the world. “The Return” is a call......

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Promise Keepers launches first-ever Global Virtual Gathering Promise Keepers is calling men back to courageous and bold servant-leadership by sparking a movement that will mobilize millions of men to follow Christ into today’s broken world as changemakers for their families, churches and communities. On July 31 and August 1, men all across the globe will gather via livestream in their homes, with their men’s groups, and at simulcast locations hosted by churches to experience the Promise Keepers 2020 Global Digital Experience. This 2-day event will feature everything that men have come to know and expect from a Promise Keepers event – an authentic, Christ-centered experience with amazing keynote speakers, worship artists, and special guests – all selected to offer a timely message of hope, unity, and transformation directly to the heart of men. You won’t want to miss the opportunity to be refreshed, inspired, and re-ignite your passion for......

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What One Thing Needs the Greatest Attention as a District? That question consumed your District Advisory Council for over an hour on Monday, June 1. The idea drawing the greatest support was “Repentance, Individually and Corporately”. This week my (Dave McKellips) Bible reading has taken me to the Book of Revelation. There is a recurring call for the church to repent in this revelation of Jesus Christ to his servant John:   Read More Fueling the Nazarene Movement with Love I was privileged to work with my friend, Larry McKain, and a great team of leaders, to present a missional account of the Church of the Nazarene as an amazing multiplying agent for Jesus in the world. The book is encouraging, inspiring and challenging. I hope to include some quotes from the book in the Team Updates in 2020: Every time you hear the words Church of the Nazarene, we ......

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A Prayer of Lament for Racial Division in the Church By Mark Vroegop, lead pastor of College Park Church in Indianapolis, Indiana I think most believers agree that biblical unity is something to pray for and work toward. You probably know that reconciliation between a diverse group of people is a beautiful dream. But is the church marked by a compelling ethnic unity today? Do you know how to make progress toward racial reconciliation? Unfortunately, the kind… Read More ABC’s of Church Change As you think about your local church’s annual goals (due August 15), let me share a few insights from Karl Vaters in Small Church Essentials from the chapter, “Starting, Changing or Stopping a Ministry”. Vaters speaks of the ABC’s of Church Change (Always Be Changing Something). “Messing around with the foundation doesn’t bring change; it causes collapse. Everything except our biblical essentials must be subject to change. Just......

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Dear NEO Family, Our District Advisory Council has called upon us to a year of focus on repentance, individually and corporately. One area which calls for our repentance is our failure to read, meditate on, and memorize God’s Word. We have settled for crumbs of God’s Word when a feast is available. 187 countries have designated 2020 as the Year of the Bible. If ever we need guidance from God’s Word, it is now. Anxiety, fear and division are widespread.  The call to be alert and sober minded is aided by feeding ourselves the Word of God, meditating on it, and memorizing it.  Psalm 1:2 says the person is blessed who delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on it day and night. We must continue to promote and model this within NEO churches!   Read More Making 2020 the Year of the Bible in NEO As we......

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NEO Report for 2019-20  –  Part 3 What One Thing Needs the Greatest Attention as a District? That question consumed your District Advisory Council for over an hour on Monday, June 1. Eight thoughtful  ideas were proposed, including “Helping our pastors and leaders discover a God-ordained dream for their local church”, “Evangelism, Outreach and Church Planting” and “Progress in the Use of Digital Technology”. The idea drawing the greatest support was “Repentance, Individually and Corporately”. In what way do you believe God is calling his people to repent? We discussed repenting for what we have allowed the church to become, for not keeping our focus on Jesus, for being more political than biblical at times, for settling for crumbs of God’s Word when a feast is available and for racism that persists within the church. We discussed the need to hunger for intimacy with God, to eliminate what we......

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