FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                              November 5, 2007

Contact:  Rev.  James V. Heidinger II – 859-858-4661
                Rev. Tom Lambrecht – 920-757-5101

 GOOD NEWS AFFIRMS FOUR AREAS OF FOCUS PRESENTED BY BISHOPS, UM CONNECTIONAL TABLE, AND GENERAL SECRETARIES

Wilmore, KY –  The Executive Committee of the Good News board of directors, meeting in Memphis October 25-26, voted to strongly affirm the “Four Areas of Focus” vision based on “living Wesley’s principles,” coming from the Council of Bishops, the UM Connectional Table, and the General Secretaries of the Church.

How might the church fulfill Wesley’s principles and its own mission “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world?” The answer offered by our bishops and others is found in the following Four Areas of Focus: 1. Developing principled Christian leaders, especially young people who will answer the call to Christian ministry; 2. Create new places for new people by starting new congregations and renewing existing ones; 3. Engaging in ministry with the poor, working to alleviate suffering as happened during the Wesleyan awakening, and especially reach out and protect children; and 4. Work to stamp out killer diseases such as malaria and HIV/AIDS and work to improve health conditions globally.

“All of us should be excited about a vision for our church’s future that includes ‘living Wesley’s principles,’ principles which always reflected a proper balance between faith and works,” said James V. Heidinger II, President and Publisher of Good News, an evangelical renewal ministry within the United Methodist Church.

 “Wesley was first of all concerned about saving faith, which he described as ‘resting upon Christ as our atonement and our life—a savior who gave himself for us and lives in us,’” Heidinger added. “Wesley made it clear that he meant ‘a faith that is the foundation of all good works and of all holiness.’ He was careful to avoid faith without works as well as works without faith.”

“It would be an exciting General Conference in Ft. Worth if the United Methodist Church would put aside the endless controversies on sexuality and focus, instead, on these four areas of ministry,” said the Rev. Tom Lambrecht, pastor of Faith Community United Methodist Church in Greenville, Wisconsin and chair of the Good News board. “A vision that includes evangelism, church planting, seeking a new generation of young pastoral leaders, and vigorous ministry with children and the poor, with attempts to stamp out killer diseases is really a vision that is authentically Wesleyan. All of these were concerns right at the heart of the Wesley brothers’ powerful, transformational ministry,” Lambrecht added.

“We must be careful not to do evangelism just so we can quickly move on to an agenda for social change,” said Heidinger. “We do evangelism because people are alienated from God and are in need of redemption, of new birth, and of reconciliation with God through Christ. The late Bishop William R. Cannon reminded us at a national conference that Wesley did not view himself as a social reformer but as first and foremost, an evangelist, trying to win souls to Christ. But as in the case of Chuck Colson, when people come to Christ, it’s amazing how concerned they become about social conditions around them,” Heidinger added.

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