MOUNT JOY, Pa. — Christian Community of Fort Wayne, IN, a parachurch organization focused on research, resource development and a consultant to congregations, has been added as a partner in New Life Ministries, according to Paul Mundey, chairman of the board of trustees for New Life.

Christian Community brings to seven the total number of partners in the cooperative ministry of New Life Ministries whose focus is on evangelism and church vitality in the Anabaptist /believers’ church tradition. Other partners are: The Brethren Church, with offices in Ashland, OH; the Church of the Brethren, Elgin, IL; the General Conference Mennonite Church, Newton, KS., the Mennonite Church, Elkhart, IN; the Conference of Mennonites in Canada of Winnipeg, Man. and the Shalom Foundation Inc., publishers of Together, Harrisonburg, Va.

Christian Community and Shalom Foundation are the two parachurch partners in the cooperative ministry as compared to the other five denominational partners.

Steve Clapp, president of Christian Community, will represent the new partner on an eight-member board of Trustees for New Life Ministries. Kristen Leverton Helbert, outreach director, will serve on an eight-member management team along with Ron Waters from the Brethren Church, S. Joan Hershey, New Life coordinator, and Beth Sollenberger Morphew of the Church of the Brethren, Marilyn Miller of the General Conference Mennonites, Ed Bontrager of the Mennonite Church, Jack Suderman of the Conference of Mennonites in Canada and Dick Benner of the Shalom Foundation.

Christian Community, with offices in Fort Wayne, IN and Perrysburg, OH, works cooperatively with churches in more than 30 denominations including American Baptist Churches, the Brethren Church, the Church of the Brethren, Disciples of Christ, the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Mennonite Church, the Presbyterian Church, the United Church of Christ, and the United Methodist Church.

Extensive research has been done in church growth and decline, evangelism, church conflict, youth work, worship materials, Christian education, and church finances. Recent books resulting from this research include: The Desires of Your Heart: Financial Giving and the Spiritual Life; Widening the Welcome of Your Church; and Preaching, Planning, and Plumbing.

The Andrew Center, forerunner of New Life Ministries, worked cooperatively with Christian Community on many projects. "New Life Ministries and Christian Community have had a close working relationship since the start of New Life Ministries" says Clapp. "We are excited about this new partnership." Angela Zimmerman is research director for Christian Community and Holly Sprunger is editorial director.

Richard Benner — Aug. 18, 1999

 2000-2008 New Life Ministries (www.NewLifeMinistries-NLM.org). All Rights Reserved.
(see information on our copyright policy)

Top of Page