The Director of Mission Networking for the Board for Black Ministry Services focuses primarily on planting urban churches and the revitalizing flounderingcongregations for the sake of the new missions. Development and the sharing of mission resource information.

The Mission Networker works with districts and congreations to:

1. Plant new churches targeting African Americans and raising up mission leaders.
2. Provide revitalization workshops and resources for congregations
3. Relate to African Immigrant Ministries (AIM), providing assistance through the American transitioning process.
4. Relate to Board for Mission Services and ethnic leaders in order to reach new people with the Gospel.

Some Goals 2010 and Beyond:

• Plant 50 new churches targeting African Americans by 2010
• Conduct six yearly workshops on church planting and congregational revitalization focusing on new mission development.
• Identify, recruit and mentor 10 new mission developers.
• Establish 20 multi-ethnic mission partnerships between African Americans and other ethnic groups.
• Regularly meet with leaders in African Immigrant Ministry.

Focused Through:

• Lay Church Planters Conferences
• Congregational Church Planting and Revitalization Workshops
• Networking with N.A.M.E. and local mission facilitators
• Urban Ministry Institute and the Mission Planters Institute
• Onsite new mission visitations
• Black Ministry Church Planting Task Force
• Pentecost 2000
• Networking with mission societies, BCS, LWR, LINC and other Synodical entities pertinent to new mission development
• Networking with AIM Task Force and the Board for Mission Services

Various Types of New Missions

New Mission: A congregation that has originated and been in existence for five years; it has a leader and is conducting worship services as well as evangelizing in the community with outreach programs.

Cell Mission: A small group outreach holding weekly house meetings where people gather to study the word of God. The cell endeavors to develop a new mission with a leader and a location for worship.

Transitioning Church: An intentional mission adaptation occurs when to the surrounding community is changing from one ethnic group to another and the church is reflecting the changes. The transitioning may occur based upon socio-economic, generational and language changes.

Refocusing Church: The congregation has lost missional motivation and has been in existence for over five years. The leadership recognizes (in principle) its needs for change, and guidance and is actively seeking to develop ways of equipping the congregation towards missional growth.

Merge Congregation: The byproduct of two or more congregations that come together to become one congregation under the same faith.