ANNUAL REPORT 2013
Director of Congregational Vitality
Rev. Kreig Gammelgard
In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you
the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving
others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be
encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the
responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.
Romans 12:6-8 (NLT)
LOVING THE ADVENTURE
I love my job! Last year at the Annual Meeting I was installed as the new (and first) Director of
Congregational Vitality for the East Coast Conference. It has proven to be everything I hoped
and imagined it would be as I have the privilege of exercising my gifts every day for Kingdom
purposes among the many churches and leaders of our conference.
Over 28 years in ministry I have either been a part of or led churches of various sizes, contexts,
and states of health. Such experience has fanned a passion in me to help churches be Healthy
and Missional, regardless of their current reality… and this position allows me multiple
opportunities to fulfill that passion of serving churches by encouraging and equipping them to
grow deeper in Christ and further in mission.
I have the privilege of working with talented colleagues, coming alongside gifted pastors, and
walking through the difficult depths of discernment with congregational leaders. I am blessed
with an incredibly powerful team of people whom pray for me during every trip and encounter,
and God is answering our prayers. We are seeing a fresh blowing of God’s Spirit through many
of our churches and He is being honored and becoming known as local Body’s of Christ are
walking in sync with the Lord’s purposes and priorities for the world.
BLOCK OUT…
When Kreig is not travelling across the East Coast Conference he is doing one of two things:
travelling across the country to rendezvous with his wife, Sandy or working on a home project for
his own revitalization opportunity, a beach cottage in Old Saybrook.
CHURCHES INVLOLVED IN THE CONGREGATIONAL VITALITY PATHWAY
“The church doesn’t have a mission, the MISSION has a CHURCH” Donald Bloesch
When I first heard the above quote, it literally captured my attention to the point that I could
not get it out of my head. The phrase rang in my head for days, and its vision has rung in my
head and heart for years. It has become a driving mantra of my work and ministry, and the
clarifying focus of the opportunities I offer our churches.
The following is a menu of the Vitality resources that are available to all of our Conference
churches and those currently engaged in one step or another of the journey toward Healthy
Missional Change. (By “healthy” we mean pursuing Christ, by “missional” we mean pursuing
Christ’s purposes and priorities in the world, and by “change” we mean following the Spirit
wherever the Spirit leads.)
LOGOS ARE AVAILABLE FOR MOST OF THE FOLLOWING “OFFERINGS”. ASK KREIG
VITALITY BREAKFASTS- An Introduction to the Vitality Pathway
Thomaston, CT
Nashua, NH
East Bridgewater, MA
Hopkinton, MA
Riverside, RI
VERITAS-Telling the Truth about Congregational Vitality
Thomasville, PA
Thomaston, CT
Harleysville, PA
Essex Junction, VT
EPIC- Empowering People, Inspiring Change
York, PA
Springfield, VA
Thomasville, PA
Harleysville, PA
Halifax, PA
Hilltown, PA
Essex Junction, VT
ONE- A Unified Approach to Strategic Ministry Planning
York, PA
Harleysville, PA
Springfield, VA
Halifax, PA
Hilltown, PA
Jamaica Plain, MA
Lexington, MA
West Peabody, MA
PULSE- Congregational Assessment
West Peabody, MA
Jamaica Plain, MA
Lexington, MA
Springfield, VA
Halifax, PA
CONTINUED COACHING AND CONNECTION
Cromwell, CT
Indian Orchard, MA
East Hampton, CT
Change Happens! Whether we recognize it, acknowledge it, ignore it, or deny it… change is
happening all around us. Within our churches there are two great fears about change: 1) That
change will be too much, too soon… or 2) that it will be too little, too late. The Congregational
Vitality Resources that are offered to our churches have proven to be valuable tools that are
helping our churches manage the change they are experiencing as well as creating the change
they desire.
For some, that change is coming from outside sources such as the economic decline that
happens in a community that has a decreasing employment rate. For others, they are watching
their community become more ethnically diverse and they wonder how they can engage their
new neighbors. Congregational leaders are experiencing higher and more intense levels of
expectations as demands for ‘success’ increase. Pastors and congregants alike are scratching
their heads as they wonder why fewer and fewer people are coming to them for care,
connection, or community.
Because of all of the changes that affect a church, we must acknowledge that we cannot
continue to do the same old things over and over again and expect different results. We all
know better than that. The dilemma comes when we realize that we’re not sure what to do to
get back on track with the mission God has called us to.
Change for the sake of change is not wise, nor strategic. Change that compromises the Gospel is
unacceptable. Change that buys into the latest ministry fad will be short lived. Change that is
effective and Christ honoring is that which promotes missional health. Again, Healthy Missional
Change is what we encourage in our churches and it is imperative that the churches we lead say
YES to the promptings that come from the one who gave His life for the fulfillment of His
mission. Seven times in Revelation 2 and 3, the local churches being addressed are encouraged
through the revelation of Jesus through the Apostle John by the words, “He who has an ear to
hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
The good news is that Congregational Vitality offers guidance to answering the questions that so
many churches and church members are asking as they discern what the Spirit of God is saying
to them. I invite you to begin the journey, for as the Chinese Proverb proclaims, “The journey of
one thousand miles begins with the first step”!
The seventeen churches listed above are in various stages of the Vitality journey, and many of
them are experiencing God at work in a fresh way in and through their congregations. I believe
that their intentionality is what the Lord is honoring as they humbly pursue His will for the
churches they lead. PLEASE BE PRAYING FOR EACH OF THESE CHURCHES AND FOR MANY MORE
TO JOIN THE JOURNEY.
BOX IN THE FOLLOWING QUOTE…
“It is Christ who determines our purpose and mission in the world, and then it is our mission that
must drive our search for modes of being-in-the-world. Start with the Church and the mission will
probably get lost. Start with mission and it is likely that the church will be found.”
P. 143 THE FORGOTTEN WAYS by Alan Hirsch
STORY OF GOD AT WORK
A New Type of Mission Month
St. Peter’s Covenant Church
Hilltown, PA.
Pastor James Fox
Our church began during Thomas Jefferson’s first term as president. Over that span of time, we
have definitely learned to do tradition well. Each October, as long as most folks could remember,
we faithfully observed – “Missions Month” - one of our familiar traditions. Our Mission and
Evangelism Committee did a great job each year with displays, and speakers. We had a “show
and tell” of the missions we supported.
At St. Peter’s we are traveling along the “Revitalization Pathway”, as we seek to be a church that
is healthy (seeking Christ), and Missional (about the work of Christ). As our Mission and
Evangelism Committee began to plan for October 2012, we asked, “What would it look like to
have a Missional Month instead of a Missions month?” We looked at our recently adopted
Congregation’s Strategic Ministry Plan and we began to a plan a new way of doing things. The
Mission and Evangelism Team came up with the name – “A Hundred Acts of Kindness” for our
new October venture.
We made contacts with many local ministries, and found what their needs were, and how we
could partner with them with volunteers from our church. In September we put out a sign up
table, listing ministries, clear job descriptions, and asked people to sign up. We encouraged
everyone to find ways to “be missional” during the month. We told people to seek ways to be the
incarnational presence of Christ in the world. Dozens of our people gave their time, talent, and
care to the needs of our community, from construction and home repair, to preparing and
distributing food, to providing transportation to doctor’s appointments. Whether folks could
volunteer for particular opportunities or not, the congregation took the challenge to heart as we
sought to simply and humbly fulfill our calling to be the hands and feet of Jesus to our neighbors.
Mission month at St. Peter’s has always been a form of show and tell. This year it was as well.
But this year we are learning what it is to be the ones showing and telling.
We are now looking for partnerships to continue - not just during mission month, but also
throughout the year. I cannot stress enough how important the process of congregational
vitality, and particularly the work of our strategic ministry planning team, and my pastoral
coaching, and the cohort have been for me personally, and for us as a congregation. I believe
that we are at a hopeful place predominantly because of what the Lord has done through the
resources for Congregational Vitality within the Covenant. I cannot imagine where we might be
as a congregation if we had not been adopted into the Covenant in 2007, and we had not gained
the insights and direction afforded through Congregational Vitality.
WHAT’S NEXT
 Meet with and Serve more East Coast Conference Churches
 Recruit, Develop, and Deploy Vitality Champions who can help coach and care for a
growing number of churches walking the Vitality Pathway
 Connect, Collaborate with, and Convene our Cohorts of Church Planters and Established
Church Pastors for the benefit of mutual, missional ministry.
 Pray for every church in the East Coast Conference to discern the mission of God in their
context as they follow the Spirit wherever the Spirit leads.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
kreig@eastcoastconf.org
860.316.4978
760.445.7960