Become an active Free Methodist by hearing messages, and reading articles and statistics on your church and conference. Then talk with your pastor, local church delegate, and General Conference delegate about what we should do next to obey Christ. http://fmnetwork.org Some of these approvals or rejections will bring you joy, while others bring sadness and drive us to our knees to pray for our leaders and our denomination for not fully obeying Christ's command (Matt 28:18-20). http://fmcna.typepad.com/gc07 http://fmcna.typepad.com/gc07 Here are audio messages you need to grow spiritually, so you can lead others in discipleship relationships. http://www.fmnetwork.org/Free%20Methodist%20Network%20Audio%20Home%20Page.htm http://www.fmnetwork.org/Free%20Methodist%20Network%20Audio%20Home%20Page.htm Do you want to grow spiritually, and lead others in a discipleship relationship? Here are links to resources for 1-2 years of personal growth. http://www.fmnetwork.org/Discipleship.htm http://www.fmnetwork.org/Discipleship.htm Would you love to not just plant one church, but a network of reproducing churches that can reach vast territories for Christ? And do this without spending enormous amounts of money like normal church planting does? Your church CAN afford to plant another thriving church, and build your own people up spiritually in the process! http://www.fmnetwork.org/Patterson/New%20Connection.doc http://www.fmnetwork.org/Patterson/New%20Connection.doc What Spiritual Agendas are advanced by different ways of measuring church growth? http://www.fmnetwork.org/Files/Spiritual%20Agendas.doc http://www.fmnetwork.org/Files/Spiritual%20Agendas.doc Are you a math lover? We need you to solve some hard problems to help grow churches http://www.fmnetwork.org/Files/Advanced%20Analysis%20for%20Math%20Lovers.doc http://www.fmnetwork.org/Files/Advanced%20Analysis%20for%20Math%20Lovers.doc The Trust Deed Clause in Free Methodist church property deeds was never meant to be used to close living churches against their will. But now it is being used that way against some of the 348 churches that were closed in the past 10 years. What can be done to fix this problem?. http://www.fmnetwork.org/TrustDeedAbuse.htm http://www.fmnetwork.org/TrustDeedAbuse.htm Free Methodists have expelled many people. Unlike U.S. courts, those punished often had no effective recourse to appeal bad decisions. Hearsay evidence, personal subjective opinions, or conflicts of interest not allowed in U.S. civil trials entered into many of the decisions to expel pastors. Read a proposal on how to fix these terrible problems. http://www.fmnetwork.org/Files/Free%20Methodist%20Judicial%20Reform.doc http://www.fmnetwork.org/Files/Free%20Methodist%20Judicial%20Reform.doc How can Free Methodists deal with decades of Judicial Injustice and Trust Deed Abuse. Read one proposal for a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to hear these stories, weep with those who weep, and reconcile the denomination with those it harmed and pushed aside. http://www.fmnetwork.org/FMTRC.htm http://www.fmnetwork.org/FMTRC.htm Here is a spreadsheet detailing 348 churches closed between 1996-2005 http://www.fmnetwork.org/Files/ClosedChurches.xls http://www.fmnetwork.org/Files/ClosedChurches.xls Lessons from the chosen Apostle Matthias can teach us about how not to select leaders today. Matthias was selected by a process eerily similar to the "momentum voting" and "voting without knowing the candidates" process Free Methodists use to select Bishops and Superintents. And like Matthias, the fruit from their ministry is limited, with churches closing and conferences forced to merge. Read a proposal on how to select leaders based on their results, and not just randomly. http://www.fmnetwork.org/Files/MatthiasBishop.doc http://www.fmnetwork.org/Files/MatthiasBishop.doc Is your church growing, or stagnant, or declining? Check this spreadsheet to see 2005-2006 results! http://www.fmnetwork.org/Files/2005-2006%20Church%20Results.xls http://www.fmnetwork.org/Files/2005-2006%20Church%20Results.xls