M2C Mission Partners Retreat, Tapatio Springs Resort, Boerne - May 6-8

            "From the Planting Church's Perspective"

Pastor - You and at least one of your members are invited to participate at no cost!  Each congregation is receiving a $400 scholarship for two people (the Senior Pastor and one other leader of his choosing -- not the pastor's wife, although she may participate as an additional congregation member) to attend the retreat at no cost.  Additional people from congregations may attend at the congregation's expense. 

200 new congregations in Texas in the next 10 years!  Can it be done? Thirty-seven have been started since 2004. The Gospel is being spread!  Could your church be a part of that effort?  With this letter we are inviting you to join with 93 invited congregations at our second M2C Partners Retreat.  We invite you to this encouraging and inspirational learning experience.  Your congregation has been identified as a one with the capacity to partner with the Texas District to start one or more new missions in the next 10 years.  As such we encourage you to register.  M2C is shorthand for Mission 200 and we believe your congregation would benefit greatly by taking a prayerful and careful look at how leaders and members might be part of this movement.

This year's retreat will focus on what needs to happen in the life of "planting" congregations as they consider planting or prepare to plant.  Key note speaker is Rev. Phil Stevenson, author of The Ripple Church, who now serves as the General Director of Evangelism and Church Growth for The Wesleyan Church.  To say Phil is passionate about church multiplication would be an understatement! Two of his congregations parented seven new congregations! The Ripple Church is the finest book we have found to date to help a church move from thinking about planting to actually planting a church. 

At this retreat, you will also hear about four different models of missions from church planters, gain inspiration and information that will help your congregation make God-pleasing and Spirit-led plans, and network with other pastors and leaders who are considering or already involved in planting new missions.  We will also spend time in prayer for these efforts, knowing that Satan would like nothing better than to thwart the starting of new churches.  Finally, you will hear details about how the Board of Mission Administration of the Texas District partners financially with planting congregations to plant new churches.

Please make as many copies of this letter as necessary to share with the professional and lay leadership team at your congregation.
 

In order for a congregation to participate, the pastor and at least one lay person (not the pastor's wife) need to register.  Thanks to a generous grant, we will cover all retreat expenses for the first two people on your team ($400).  We encourage you to register additional lay or staff team members at $200 per person.  To register for the retreat, please complete the registration form found at by clicking here. You must be ready for your entire team to register at one time when you go to the web site.  Accommodations will be two to a room, so also be ready to indicate roommate choices.  You'll also find a hyperlink on the Texas District website (www.txdistlcms.org) that will take you to the SPORG registration site.  Participation in the retreat indicates that your congregation is willing to explore and pray over the possibilities of partnering in this exciting faith venture.  Please pray about your participation!