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PRESS RELEASE
UNITY FELLOWSHIP OF CHURCHES, INC. OUR VISION An inclusive fellowship of interdenominational and non-denominational churches: 1) Utilizing our collective resources to implement and develop community-based programs and solutions designed to enhance the spiritual, physical, social and economic well-being of citizens throughout North Carolina and beyond. 2) Networking, empowering and mobilizing Christians and churches, helping them address the complex moral and social issues of our day The Organizers Dr. John H. Grant, Dr. Thurman B. Everett, and Dr. Archie D. Logan are seasoned and veteran leaders, who collectively, represent more than 100 years of leadership and pastoral experience on the local, regional, state, and national levels.[1] I. TROUBLING OBSERVATIONS 1. Serious Decline Unless denominational churches and conventions (white and black), make some drastic changes, their future looks bleak. There is widespread concern that if present trends continue, sixty percent of all existing Christian congregations in America will disappear before the year 2050. To survive and thrive, traditional congregations and conventions will be forced to restructure and redefine their ministries. Over a four-year period, churches, districts, conventions and religious bodies across the nation have experienced decreased support and minimum growth. 2. Not Listening and Responding Many constituents of religious bodies feel their voices are not being heard and their needs and concerns are not being addressed by “the Church.” 3. Silence Rewarded In some religious bodies, we have witnessed the cultivation of an atmosphere where silence is rewarded, while those who verbalize concerns and different perspectives are ostracized and labeled as arrogant, prideful, self-willed, disloyal, or “unpatriotic.” II. FROM THE POLITICS OF EXCLUSION TO A FELLOWSHIP OF INCLUSION Something is seriously wrong when religious bodies spend inordinate amounts of time and energy in overt political activity that results in exclusion and division. Such activity requires an unwise investment of time in beating people or trying to beat people, or discrediting one side to make the other side attractive. Our Lord Jesus declared that the world would know we are His disciples, not by discrediting each other, but by loving each other (John 13:35). Local Districts, associations and denominational conventions should be “missions delivery and fellowship systems” they are not meant to become idols. What we have organized is a new instrument to enhance the Kingdom of God and edify the Body of Christ with an emphasis on a fellowship of inclusion and not on politics of exclusion. III. MORE INCLUSIVE LEADERSHIP PROFILES The history of some existing religious organizations shows that pastors and parishioners with certain profiles—from larger churches in larger metropolitan cities, paying large sums of money—tend to dominate leadership positions. Pastors and laypersons not fitting this profile—without regard for their competence, experience or service to the organization—have been generally marginalized. Unity Fellowship of churches will expand opportunities for missions, training, support and upward mobility for all, and financial contributions will not be either the sole or dominant criteria. In the Unity Fellowship of Churches movement, we see the hand of the Divine Who transforms human experiences into the spiritual seed and fertilizer that give birth to new life. Our Lord did say in John 12:24 (NKJV), Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. As in the death of Jesus on the Cross, God often brings victory and new life in unexpected and unanticipated ways. He also spoke of new wine that bursts out of, and cannot be contained within, the old wineskins of outmoded traditional systems and structures. (Matthew 9:17; Mark 2:22; Luke 5:37-38). IV. CONCLUSION: MOVING FORWARD AND MAINTAINING TIES The organizers of Unity Fellowship of Churches envision the cultivation of new ground while not necessarily relinquishing old ground. None of us is asked to sever our individual and collective ties with other associations and conventions with which we may be affiliated. We will move forward doing something we’ve never done to have something we’ve never had. At our individual and collective discretion, we will maintain any existing ties that bind our hearts together in Christian love. If you want to Join the Fellowship, go to www.UnityUFC.org and click on the
JOIN THE FELLOWSHIP link
[1] Dr. John Grant is pastor of the historic Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church of Asheville, NC. Dr. Thurman Everett is pastor of the Bryant Swamp Missionary Baptist Church in Bladenboro, NC. Dr. Archie Logan is former pastor of Johnson Chapel Church, Elm City, NC. |
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