Tale of Two Churches

Church Vitality – Tale of Two Churches

I would like to tell the story of two very different vital churches in the Capitol Area North District. 

North Lewisburg United Methodist Church in Champaign County worships about 65 on a Sunday morning.  When Pastor Karen Montgomery arrived there in July, 2012, she found a kind hearted church in the middle of town that knew how to raise up strong families.  Pastor Karen set about getting to know the congregation and the community.  She discovered three important facts:  1) the demographics of the community was shifting, 2) the church had very little interaction with their active pre-school, 3)  the outreach of the church centered around fundraisers.  After careful prayer and discernment, North Lewisburg decided they needed to make sure that all of their ministries were designed to make room at Christ’s table for all people.

Slowly over the last 7 years, they have let go of any program that did not meet their vision of...continue reading