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2011 Assoc. Superintendent Report • Rev. Jason R. Condon • April 30, 2011 • pg. 1 of 4
A Family Adventure
Lisa, Jaron (13), & Bryn (10)
are thoroughly enjoying our move
to Connecticut. We’ve been
blessed with fast friendships
with Howard, Anne, & Terra
(12) (and Taylor when he’s
around), a wonderful new
church family and pastor (that’s
not me), and opportunities to
occasionally travel together.
Thank you for the
welcome, prayers, and
support we’ve received!
REPORTFinding a Rhythm
Family move, ministry
dynamics, making this “home”
Page 1
Planting a Movement
From “just” planting churches
to a church planting movement
Page 2
Vital Congregations
Purposefully pursuing God’s
Healthy Missional calling
Page 3
Closing Thoughts
Great challenges, greater
opportunities. God is at work!
Page 4
FINDING A RHYTHM, PUTTING DOWN ROOTSIt’s hard to believe my family moved to the East Coast Conference this past September.
What an incredible adventure so far!
It was barely one year ago when I stood before the congregation I loved,
pastored, and had planted over the previous six years and announced, “my
ministry at Artisan Church is coming to a close.” While they were sad to hear
the news (thankfully!), they knew God was calling us to a wonderful new work.
These brief months I’ve served as your Associate Superintendent have been
fast-paced, fruitful, and deeply rewarding. What other job can include everything
from hip-hop worship to hand-bells, “harvesting” chickens, hearing four
different languages, and collaborating with colleagues across the country?
Working with Howard has been a joy as well. I couldn’t ask for a better blend
of collaboration, mentoring, creative freedom and friendship from a
Superintendent. I’m grateful for the privilege to serve and lead in this ministry
role for the starting and strengthening of our churches across the ECConf.
Now that we’ve begun to settle into the rhythms of family life, friendships,
and the dynamics of a new ministry we’re looking forward to putting down
roots. Following our Annual Meeting we’ll close on a beautiful home in
Columbia, CT. We’re thrilled that this is where God has graciously brought us.
2 0 1 1 A s s o c . S u p e r i n t e n d e n t
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2011 Assoc. Superintendent Report • Rev. Jason R. Condon • April 30, 2011 • pg. 2 of 4
Regional Coaches & CohortsBecause of the blessings and
challenges of our anticipated growth,
we’re enlisting seasoned church
planters as Regional Coaches and
organizing our planting efforts into
Regional Cohorts:
• NY/NJ Metro: Peter Ahn will continue as our Sr. Regional
Coach here. Michael Carrion
joins Peter with this Regional Cohort, focusing on the Bronx
• Greater Boston/New England: Josh Throneburg will
serve in this Regional Cohort
• D.C./Baltimore: developing
We’ll meet in May for our first
strategy retreat outlining plans for our
monthly Regional Cohort gatherings where every
church planter is encouraged, equipped, and multiplied
for a sustaining church planting movement!
PLANTING A MOVEMENT
Equip, Encourage, MultiplyA Sustaining Church Planting Movement
We’re blessed to have incredibly gifted church planters
who take calculated risks at significant personal sacrifice
to see the Gospel break through in new contexts among
unreached people. I can confidently say that each church
plant has some level of growth in their reach and impact
over this past year. The struggles and joys are just as
present as with any established church, though sometimes
felt more intensely in these young congregations.
So far, I’ve been able to visit all our church plants still
in the 5-year coaching cycle and have nearly completed
the first round with those who’ve transitioned out of full
“church plant” status but are still in the 5-10 year range.
Building rapport and relationships, and early strategic
coaching have been the main focus thus far.
Along with the rewards of coaching individual church
planters, there’s a growing sense that God is birthing a
movement here on the East Coast Conference. Much is in
motion and taking shape. We’re entering an exciting
season of church planting throughout the ECConf !
Elements, a hip-hop church plant in the Bronx, will have a fall “Grand Opening” now that Pastor Efrain Alicea received a strong “Recommended” at our Regional Assessment Center!
Many Seeds, Good Soil, Great HarvestBlessed with an Abundance of High-Caliber Candidates
God continues to bring a huge influx of high caliber candidates for
potential church planting on the East Coast Conference. We just held a very successful regional Assessment Center where four candidates received a
“Recommended” or “Recommended with Conditions.” Another regional Assessment Center is coming in July where we’ll see four or five candidates.
As church planter agreements are signed and projects become official, we’ll share more details through the website and Covenanter. High-potential areas
include Providence RI, Bronx, Queens, So. Maine, Northern VA, D.C. and Greater Boston. I believe we’re on target to sign over a half-dozen church
planter agreements in 2011, with as many again on the radar for 2012.
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2011 Assoc. Superintendent Report • Rev. Jason R. Condon • April 30, 2011 • pg. 3 of 4
God’s Words of Vitality
One of the great privileges of this
part of the role are opportunities
to preach God’s Word. The
challenge and encouragement I’ve
shared with each “vitality” church
is to enter these new waters
together as pastors, leaders, and
congregations, following the
leading of God, “so that you
may know the way you
should go, for you have
not passed this way
before.” (Joshua 3:4)
V I T A L C O N G R E G A T I O N S
The largest Veritas & EPIC gatherings from any single Covenant congregation happened right here on the ECConf at Trinity Manchester with Rev. Phil Hakanson!
Our “Navigate” ChurchesPilot Program for Churches Intent on Healthy Missional Ministry
I get to share with Howard in the significant
work of Congregational Vitality. One of the
newest developments in the Covenant and
across the various Conferences is the launch
of “Navigate.” This 12-14 month framework
guides Critical Moment or Stable churches
toward Healthy Missional. Features include a
large national gathering, regional cohorts,
monthly pastor “triads,” and two retreats.
Our Three Pilot ChurchesI’ve enjoyed coming alongside our three pilot
churches and their pastors, with preaching,
consulting, and collaborating together. Pray
for much fruit and that other pastors and congregations would follow the great
example of these churches: 1) Haddam Neck Covenant Church, Rev. Shelly
Timber, 2) Hilltop Covenant Church, Rev. Scott Jones, 3) Orchard Covenant
Church, Rev. Nancy Ebner. Though still early in the process, the pastors and
vitality teams report great encouragement from being in it together!
Veritas & EPIC at Trinity ManchesterA “Stable” Church Pursuing the Vitality Pathway
Another encouraging development across the Covenant and here on the
East Coast Conference is the willingness of pastors and leaders of “Stable” congregations to boldly engage the Vitality Pathway. Rev. Phil Hakanson and
Trinity Church (Manchester, CT) are seeking to be more Healthy and Missional even though by some measures of success things may appear “fine.”
I believe that the earlier a church examines its own healthy missional markers, the greater its chances for even greater faithfulness and fruitfulness. If
you’re part of a Stable church, now is the time to address missional change. Please don’t wait until you’ve reached Critical Moment when the challenges
are far more daunting, or At-Risk when the issues are often insurmountable.
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2011 Assoc. Superintendent Report • Rev. Jason R. Condon • April 30, 2011 • pg. 4 of 4
A Panoramic ViewWhat God Sees (and We Get a Glimpse of)
Sudanese ECC (Manchester, NH) block party for friends & neighbors
Metro Hope ECC (Harlem, NY) worship gathering
St. Paul’s Wolf’s ECC (York, PA), oldest church in the Covenant, est. 1763
Worship Frontier ECC (Brookline, MA) Korean congregation
Twice-monthly community lunch at New Sweden ECC in Northern Maine
www.facebook.com/jasoncondon
Feel free to connect with me and follow along as
I post highlights from church visits and events.
www.flickr.com/photos/ecconf/
You can also find hi-res images from church visits
and events at our ECConf Flickr photo sets.
CLOSING THOUGHTSLiving Into Our Calling
Though these are often
turbulent times we find ourselves
in as pastors, leaders, and
congregations, we know who
Captains the ship. Ours is to
faithfully ride out the storms,
hold fast to Jesus and one
another, and offer rescue to all
we’re called to reach.
I bring with me a seed verse
that profoundly shaped my last
ministry; it continues to serve well:
“ For we are God’s
masterpiece, created in
Christ Jesus to do good
works, which God
prepared in advance to
be our way of life.” – The Apostle Paul (Eph. 2:10)
Let us live into that calling,
though we may never live up to it.
Much grace,Jason R. CondonAssociate Superintendent