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February 1, 2017
DS Tom Newsletter
Matthew 18:2-4 (NIV) 2He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them.3And he said:“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.4Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Sometimes ministry is tremendously complex. That isn’t any new news to you! Considering the words of Jesus as found in Matthew 19 “unless you change and become like little children” help provide some simplicity to what we are to do and be like. Seeking approval of others for recognition, a desire to exalt oneself for personal gain, limiting relationships because of status or the appearance of status, observing ways that limit building relationships and just being distant from others not like us will create a distinct void in our life.
God help me to be like a child in my trust in you, my relationship with others, and through my life walk!
TAKE TIME TO PRAY AND PRAISE FOR….
Pray that every church in NMD to have people come to know Christ every month in 2017.
Pray that every church in NMD has people baptized.
Pray that every church in NMD supports at least one Global Partner – missionary.
Pray that every church in NMD has at least one Made New Gathering, new outreach event in 2017.
Pray that every church in NMD has at least one person called to full time ministry!
Pray that every church in NMD has an effective discipleship ministry.
Pray that every church in NMD is financially secure to make greater ministry impact outside the walls of the local church.
Continue to pray for Bellaire Wesleyan Church and Ellsworth pastors Chris Wallace and Scott Hayes as they partnership in ministry to effectively reach the people of these communities.
Crystal Lake Community still is in search of the Lead Pastor to guide them. Pray for Assistant Pastor Charlie Bellinger, Leadership Chair Cornelius Bornman and Pastor Search Leader Brian Arnz as they continue to give direction. They continue to give excellent leadership.
Pray for the transition of elected President Trump and the new Cabinet and staff that will be serving USA.
Pray for Sault Wesleyan Church Ministry leadership as a new lead pastor is being selected. Pastor Brooks, Local Board of Administration ministry staff and others involved in this time of moving forward.
Praise God for a FABULOUS District Ministerial Retreat with speaker Santes & Nicole Beatty and music ministry led by Dan & Becky Miller. Give thanks for the 39 pastoral couples who attended!
Pray for the Holy Spirit to transform lives in our communities.
Pray for Gen. Supt. Wayne Schmidt, General Board, Department Leaders and staff at HQ.
Keep in prayers Pastor Ron and Carole Rickard as they retire this spring.
Be in prayer for the churches, pastors and staff that are involved pastoral changes this spring.
WHAT YOU WILL FIND In this DS newsletter:
1.Leader Connect
2.ENGAGE – District Women’s Retreat
3.Love Offering for ReachOut LaFond
4.SUMMER CAMP SCHEDULE at Whispering Pines (Family, Camp 180 & WK Camp)
5.NMD PRAYER CONNECT – Unity in Prayer emphasis
6.Review of the District Ministerial Retreat
7.2019 The Gathering
8.2017 Dates to Remember
9.Discipleship Video Series on February 14 with Steve DeNeff and Eric Crisp
10. .com website for excellent religious demographics
11.Instructions to connect to Zoom
12.Dan Reiland’s 3 Most recent leadership articles (also attached)
1.FebruaryLeader Connect via ZOOMis on February 7, 2017 at 9:00 am and 7:00 pm
Topic: Best Practices For Finances. Chad Brown facilitates Leader Connect Zoom sessions excellently. (How to connect to Zoom is at the end of the DS Newsletter.) Here are questions to consider:
1)How are the church's tithes/offerings handled in your church? From the time it is given to when it is placed in the bank.
2)How do you account for anything you need to be reimbursed for?
3) Where is your accountability when it comes to accessing money and spending?
4) Where do you see a weak area that compromise could take place? How can you strengthen it?
March Leader Connect on March 7 will include Church Multiplication and Discipleship General Director Anita Eastlack as the discussion will be on Membership in the Wesleyan Church.
2.ENGAGE – DISTRICT WOMEN’S RETREAT at Shoreline Inn, Muskegon on March 25
Gathering with other women at Engage is a fantastic way to deepen your walk with God. Contact Beverly Kimball, 616-540-3750 or for more information. Registration begins at 8am and ENGAGE concludes shortly after 3pm. If desired women can stay Friday night at Shoreline Inn. Registration for the day event $40 per person and includes lunch or register 5 or more for only $35 per person.
3.FEBRUARY LOVE OFFERING OR GIFT FOR HAITI REACHOUT LAFOND MISSIONS
How about considering a love offering or financial gift for ReachOut LaFond during February? The water cistern is being constructed at this time and needs an additional $2,000 to complete. $6,000 will finish the church building project following Hurricane Matthew. Or support the children at the school by sponsoring a child at $15 per month. A February mission trip is being planned or for more information contact Jayme Hazen or or by phone 989-600.2464.
Reachout LaFond support for the church or water project can be sent to District Ministries Treasurer Orson Deemer PO Box 39 15548 Spear Rd. Lake Ann, MI 49650 231-275-7763 .
4.SUMMER CAMP SCHEDULE at Whispering Pines
Family Camp – Two weekend dates to consider and attend – Revival Weekend Camp June 30-July 2 and
Family Weekend July 7-9. Attend between the two weekends for special inexpensive pricing.
Camp 180 for Teens – July 11-15 for Junior and Senior High.
WK Camp – Wesleyan Kids Camp July 17-19 for children ages 6-9 and July 19-22 for children 10-12.
Find our pricing, how to register and other pertinent information by going to the Whispering Pines website:
5.NMD PRAYER CONNECT
Being launched on March 8 is NMD Prayer Connect. The NMD Prayer Connect will be “live on location” at 7:15 pm every second Wednesday of the month. It is 15 minutes at 7:15 pm to pray for the people of our North Michigan District churches to have a relevant relationship with God and with their community. It is a prayer time that will be live via FB live and Zoom.
Praying for relevancy of ministry
Praying for revival
Praying for relationship ministry
Praying for radical outreach
How to be involved? Invite Pastor Tom to be “on location” for a NMD Prayer Connect during
a Wednesday night church event that is taking place at your church. It can be during any of the following: Youth Group, Bible Study, Small Group, Focus Group, Board Meeting or any other type of ministry gathering of your church. The time for the “live on location” will be 15 minutes and the prayers will be directed toward relevancy of people in North Michigan District and the local church to reach their community for Christ.
Contact DS Tom () to schedule your location for a “live on location” NMD Prayer Connect.
6. RECENT DISTRICT MINISTERIAL RETREAT AT THE SHACK and 2018 DISTRICT MINISTERIAL
It was awesome to be with 39 pastors and spouses at The Shack for last weekends District Pastor and Spouse Retreat. Santes and Nicole Beatty were fantastic in building relationships with us and providing applicable ministry messages. “Who do we invite to sit at our table?” should continue to call us to build relationships with other people not like me! Great place with great people!
Next year the DISTRICT MINISTERIAL dates are January 12-14, 2018 and tentatively scheduled at West Branch Quality Inn Forward Conference Center. Please mark your calendar for the event.
7.THE GATHERING 2019is taking place January 9-12, 2019 at Royale Caribe Resort in Orlando, Florida. Remember to pray for and save the date. The District Board of Administration is discussing ways to help every pastor and spouse who want to attend The Gathering with some funding from the District. This is the time for every local church to begin putting funds aside for travel, lodging and meals.
LIGHTHOUSE LEADERSHIP IMPACTS MEETINGS are being scheduled for this spring.
8. 2017 DATES TO REMEMBER:
February 7 - Leader Connect by ZOOM 9:00 am or 7:00 pm – Topic is on Church Finances
February 15-16 – Unleashed in Atlanta
March 7 - Leader Connect by ZOOM 9:00 am or 7:00 pm - Topic is on Membership
March 8 – 7:15 pm NMD Prayer Connect via FB live or ZOOM
March 25 – North Michigan Women’s Retreat at Shoreline Inn, Muskegon
April 4 - Leader Connect by ZOOM 9:00 am or 7:00 pm
April 12 – 7:15 pm NMD Prayer Connect via FB live or ZOOM
May 2 - Leader Connect by ZOOM 9:00 am or 7:00 pm
May 5 & 6 - DBMD ministerial student and ordination candidate interviews
May 10 – 7:15 pm NMD Prayer Connect via FB live or ZOOM
May 18 – Retired Elders Assisting in Ministry Luncheon in Cadillac
May18-19 – Pastors Prayer & Fast at Whispering Pines Conference Center
June 14 – 7:15 pm NMD Prayer Connect via FB live or ZOOM
June 24 – District Conference is scheduled to take place at Houghton Lake
June 30-July 2 and July 7-9 – Making Memories Family Camp at Whispering Pines
July 11-15 – Camp 180 for students (teens) at Whispering Pines
July 12 – 7:15 pm NMD Prayer Connect via FB live or ZOOM at Whispering Pines
July 17-19 & 19-22 – Wesleyan Kid’s Camp (WK Camp) at Whispering Pines
August 9 – 7:15 pm NMD Prayer Connect via FB live or ZOOM
September 9 – Celebration of Ministry Banquet and Ordination
September 13 – 7:15 pm NMD Prayer Connect via FB live or ZOOM
9.DISCIPLESHIP VIDEO SESSION ON FEBRUARY 14, 2017 at Noon
Dr. Steve DeNeff and Rev. Eric Crisp of College Wesleyan Church will present anupcoming webinaron their model of discipleship based on the book,Soul Shift. Look for more information about thisFebruary 14 event hosted at 12:00 p.m. EST. Stay tuned for more details coming soon, including the link for watching! You can contact Rev. Kimberly Gladden at or call 317-774-7984.
10.EXCELLENT RESOURCE FOR DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
The Association of Religion Data Archives | Quality Data on Religion
The ARDAprovides free access to the most authoritative religion statistics, data and church membership reports from around the world. This is an excellent resource that provides the population in your region and the number of people who do not claim any religious affiliation in your ministry responsibility.
Praising God for His unending love, mercy and peace!
D.S. Pastor Tom
11.Instructions for Connecting on Zoom Meetings:
1. Go to
2. Look in the upper right hand corner and find where it says... JOIN A MEETING, then double click.
3. You will be asked for a MEETING ID. Our meeting ID is...9897790188. Please enter and double click, JOIN.
4. You will then need to install the Zoom software or click on Launch Application. Please follow all the instructions from Zoom.
5. Following installation, execute the software and open.
6. Or, there should be a Zoom Icon on your desktop. Double click.
7. Once you have double clicked the icon, this may take you right into the Zoom Online Meeting or you may have to reenter the MEETING ID.
8. Make sure your audio is unmuted and running through your computer.
Instructions For Zoom Meetings on cellular smart phones (Apple and Android)
1. Go to your app store.
2. Download Zoom
3. Select, Join A Meeting
4. For meeting ID, type in, 9897790188, and select JOIN.
5. You will now be connected.
Other information:
- Zoom can be used across all platforms, computers, tablets and smart phones.
- You do not need to create a user account to be a part of a meeting, but you may want to.
- If you are getting feedback from your speakers, you may need to turn the speakers down or your mic down. The best way to communicate without feedback is by using a headset with a microphone built in.
12. Three Dan Reilandrecent leadership postings:
JANUARY 23, 2017 by Dan Reiland
5 Ways Leaders Grasp Momentum
Next to God’s favor, there’s nothing a leader desires more than momentum.
Momentum is a force that is greater than the sum of all your leadership energy, effort and resources combined.
Momentum is not a mystery, it contains elements such as vision and competence, but it cannot be manufactured upon demand.
Momentum is the spiritual X-Factor that propels your church forward at a rate that is difficult to explain. You work hard, but God’s hand is evident in the momentum of any real substance.
The more we understand momentum, the better we can lead toward it.
5 thoughts to strengthen your leadership grasp of momentum:
1) Momentum is fueled by vision and activated by faith.
This is clear evidence of the partnership we all have with God for spiritual momentum in our churches.
Vision is the source and fuel of momentum, and faith activates God’s hand toward momentum.
Without a clear and compelling vision, there is no direction to follow. Without faith, there is no invitation for God to provide a power larger than human leadership can muster.
It takes both large vision and great faith to see momentum catch traction.
Momentum is not magic; it’s available to all leaders and their churches.
Momentum is fueled by vision and activated by faith.
2) Momentum is sustained by competence.
When vision and faith are part of your culture, the stage is set for momentum. God is not obligated, but He is now invited. Leadership competence is then required to build and sustain momentum for as long as God’s hand is upon it.
This leadership competence comes in the form of strategy. The strategy helps sustain the momentum that vision and faith support.
Don’t over-complicate the idea of strategy. Strategy is your simple and clear written plan. That’s it. Do you have a plan? Is it clear? Are you working it? Are you adapting as required?
Stay focused on:
- Vision
- Faith
- Competence
- Strategy
Momentum is sustained by competence.
3) Momentum, or the lack of it, might skew your perspective.
When you don’t have momentum, and you’re struggling to grow, it’s never as bleak as it appears.
When there is no momentum, that doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong. It does not mean God has abandoned you. Sometimes (to borrow a phrase I love), you are waiting for God’s next “fresh wind and fresh fire.”
Keep praying, working hard, and making the best leadership decisions that you can.
When you’re experiencing great momentum resulting in rapid growth, it’s never as good as it appears.
Momentum covers a multitude of flaws and problems!
When things are going great, and the “big mo” is with you, it’s tempting to think that you made it happen and “this is the way it always works.” It’s easy to forget that without God’s power the momentum is over, or you begin to think that you now have all the answers.
Remember where you came from and how you got momentum. Keep at it.Momentum doesn’t remove the hard work, it multiples it.
Thank God daily, because you didn’t do it all yourself, and keep working hard.
4) Momentum can take an unexpected twist toward entitlement.
Momentum and entitlement seem like unlikely partners. Here’s how it happens.
When your church is experiencing tough times, everyone is in the same boat. You are trying to survive. There is no surplus. There are no perks to compete for. There is no fame or notoriety. It’s all-hands-on-deck to keep the ship afloat and moving forward. Everyone hunkers down and works hard for solutions.
When a church finds success, it can take a very different turn. Favor brings rewards, and soon many want a piece of the proverbial pie. It might be desired recognition – a new title, a place on the org chart, more staff, a new building with nice offices. It doesn’t really matter what it is; the point is that it can cause leaders to lose focus on what got the momentum going.
Leaders can become distracted by potential rewards. This always kills momentum.
(There is nothing wrong with rewards, it’s when those rewards become the focus.)
Gratitude and hard work are the only appropriate responses to momentum.
5) Momentum never lasts forever – keep your foot on the pedal.
The natural response to things going your way is to let off the gas and coast a little.
When you experience momentum, it’s not the time to coast. It’s time to push the pedal to the floor. Take full advantage of the favor God is granting. God delivers the favor, but you fan the flame!
When momentum fades, don’t panic. Focus on the small wins.
Momentum comes in different seasons and different ways. Don’t try to copy the momentum you once had. Let God grant His favor how He chooses.
Keep leading with fervor for the vision and faith that God is with you!
JANUARY 26, 2017/by Dan Reiland
5 Steps Toward Regaining Momentum
Momentum is a leader’s best friend.
If you’ve led in a local church for any length of time, you’ve probably experienced seasons of high momentum and seasons when momentum has faded.
Good leaders possess the ability to navigate both in seasons of strong momentum and low momentum; each have their unique challenges.
In the previous post, I addressed “5 Ways Leaders Grasp Momentum.” It will provide helpful and needed context for this post.
Let’s continue the topic with a focus on regaining momentum.
5 Steps to help regain momentum:
1. Take responsibility for the lack of momentum.
If you are the pastor, on staff, or a board member, own the reality of your church’s situation. Tell the truth. If you are in a decline, you are in a decline.
Everyone knows it, so just say it.