The Rio Texas Black Church Development Design Team (RTBCDDT) was organized in 2015 to help revitalize, strengthen, and support historic and predominantly African American United Methodist congregations across the Rio Texas Conference. The team of lay and clergy seeks to fulfill its mission: “Equipping congregations with resources and tools to create a greater missional impact that reaches every generation”, initially with our denominational initiative called “Strengthening the Black Church for the 21st Century” and now through direct support to RTC African American congregations. This refreshed initiative for 2022 and beyond will offer training, resources, and coaching for congregations that help establish and achieve S.M.A.R.T. goals while learning new strategies for leadership and missional effectiveness.
Black Church Development Grant Program
The RTBCDDT expands its work with a new Black Church Development Grant Program. The program offers “seed” grants to qualifying predominantly and historic African American congregations to help enhance their witnessing and evangelistic efforts in this unique season of ministry. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic and its resulting social stresses, the changing religious climate in our nation, evolving dynamics in most mission fields, and historic and enduring barriers to resourcing (inside and outside the Church), many congregations are struggling against waning vitality or significant decline.
Our grant team identifies five areas that affect the vitality of the Black Church and targets these as areas through the grant program. These areas include Leadership Development, Ministry within the Community, Ministry with Younger People, Technology Upgrade, and Building Maintenance. We hope these seed money grants will incentivize and support creative efforts of churches in any one of more of these areas to achieve greater effectiveness and fruitfulness in ministry.
What sets this new program apart from previous financial offerings is that the Grant Support Team will provide technical and other resources in addition to funding. Through this extended support, recipient congregations will have a much better chance to meet their missional goals. By pairing congregations with persons, congregations, and organizations with experience or expertise in the target areas, congregations will be able to achieve fruitfulness with the least amount of wasted time and resources.
Application Process
The application, which is available as a fillable form or a printable document, for the first of two 2022 grant opportunities is accessible through the links below, or by contacting Reverend Marcus Freeman (mfreeman@riotexas.org) or Ralph Thompson (ralphthompson@live.com). A total of five seed grants (maximum of $3,000) will be awarded in 2022. The deadline for summiting grant applications for 2023 is Tuesday, August 15. Applications submitted after August 15 will have to be resubmitted for the next round, which will be announced later in the year. Applications will require the signatures of your District Superintendent and District Strategy Team Chairperson.
For more information regarding the Rio Texas Black Church Development Design Team, Reverend Mae Fletcher (pastormae2003@yahoo.com) or Todd Hardee (ddothr1261@gmail.com). For information about the Grant Program, contact Reverend Freeman or Ralph Thompson.