Barnabas Ministry Group - Linked Congregations A Linked Congregation in the Barnabas Ministry Group is a church that has decided to become part of a Barnabas Ministry Group in their area. This group is comprised of up to four to five congregations, linked to an Anchor Church. The advantages to participating in this ministry as a linked congregation are the shared financial responsibility, logistical considerations and the wonderful new friendships will be created among members of all the churches in the group, which will provide a powerful support network. This support will motivate and inspire the laity in each church to pursue excellence in ministry. To qualify to be a Linked Congregation in a Barnabas Ministry Group generally, a church would have less than 200 in Average Worship Attendance and a budget under $300,000. Linked Congregations also need: - A teachable Pastor – willing to learn new and effective ways of doing ministry in the local church and community
- Teachable leadership - desiring spiritual growth inside the congregation
- A passion for reaching out to others beyond the walls of the church
The first step of demonstrating this is hosting an Envisioning Experience. The next step would be a positive vote by their Board or Church Council to participate for two years in a Barnabas Ministry Group. The financial requirements for each Linked Congregations will be calculated based on the number of Linked Churches in a Barnabas Ministry Group, their total church budget, their average worship attendance and their current congregational realities – which we discern during the Envisioning process. The full explanation of financial requirements takes place during the Envisioning experience. | 
