Jesus gave the Great Commission and his disciples spread the good news of God’s love throughout the world.  But today, most American churches are in decline, and more and more people do not know the abundant life God intends.  The Church’s mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world is vital as ever.  But do we want the mission to succeed?  No, really.  That’s a serious question.  As Tom Bandy puts it, “Do you really want the mission to succeed? Are you prepared to stake everything, change anything, and do whatever it takes–even if it means altering long and familiar habits, redeveloping precious programs, and redeploying sacred assets?” (introduction to Winning on Purpose by John Kaizer)

Many churches have found that the United Methodist organizational structures established in the mid 1900s are not well-suited for the missional needs of ministry in the 21st century.  Is it time for a change?  Newberg FUMC has been on a year-long discernment journey about a modified organizational plan, permitted by Paragraph 247.2 of the Book of Discipline, called Simplified, Accountable Structure (SAS).  Professing members of Newberg FUMC will vote on whether to adopt SAS at a special all-church conference on July 10.  Please explore the resources on this page prior to voting.  Questions can be directed to Rev. Casey Banks or any member of the Church Council.