UNITE National Day of Prayer was held on May 5, 2016 at Mariucci Arena. Thousands of believers in the Twin Cities came together, regardless of generation, denomination or background to UNITE under the banner of heaven. In the spirit of this youth movement of prayer, we are excited to share PULSE’s summer prayer event in Washington D.C. called TOGETHER 2016, a national campaign to bring 1 million people to the National Mall for a day of worship and prayer on Saturday, July 16. Find out how your church can cover this event in prayer and join the prayer movement.

As some established churches find themselves dwindling in numbers, lacking energy or stalling out at status quo, it's important for church leadership to do the hard work of revitalizing a church before it's too late. We look into a number of examples of slipping churches who have either merged with other churches, gone through leadership counselling or embarked on a vitality process, in order to reboot their church with energy, health, and a passion to honor the legacy of the Gospel, and reach their community. Read how every church could use a Holy Spirit shake-up to keep or redirect their church on a healthy mission-minded path.

We are happy to celebrate one of our network churches as they reach a milestone that is among a first for a local immigrant congregation. Ebenezer Community Church will be the first predominantly Liberian immigrant congregation from Africa to build a building in the U.S. The $2.8 million building project is nearing completion, and the congregation plans to move into its new home in Brooklyn Park at the end of May.

In early April, Transform Minnesota and Bethel University hosted a church summit called “Holy Sexuality in Today’s Society.” Our Holy Sexuality in Today’s World Church Summit was so popular at Bethel University, it reached capacity, so we hosted a second summit in Cambridge, MN and had over 100 attendees. Evangelical scholar and psychologist from Regent University, Mark Yarhouse presented on how to unpack LGBTQ, how to understand gender dysphoria in our culture, and sexual identity from a Christian perspective. Biblical scholar Dr. Paul Eddy of Bethel University, presented on the Biblical theology of human sexuality, and the emphasis God puts on covenant relationships.

Transform Minnesota is deeply saddened by the recent passing of our founding Executive Director Rev. Quinten Alfors. Quint’s leadership and faithfulness in prayer, was a driving force in the founding of this evangelical network, formerly called the Greater Minnesota Association of Evangelicals, which still exists 50 years later. We are eternally grateful for the ways God used Rev. Quint Alfors to connect and equip the Church through GMAE. We hope to continue to honor his name and legacy with the work we do at Transform Minnesota.

On Good Friday, 80 Christians gathered together at Wooddale Church to pray for Muslims, and for opportunities to minister to Muslims. Friday afternoons are typically a holy time for Muslims, as they attend Jumaa prayer in the Mosques. This past Friday was Good Friday for Christians, when we embrace the power of Jesus’ crucifixion on the cross. We recognize that prayer is essential to reach our Muslim neighbors. Here’s a starting guide as to how to Pray for Muslims.

Transform Minnesota hosted a training at Gray Plant Mooty Law Firm on employment legal standards for faith-based organizations, churches and businesses. Esteemed attorneys Sam Diehl, Principal at GPM and Meghann Kantke, Associate at GPM, as well as a Transform Minnesota board member, shared what the legal landscape of religious organizations is like in today’s world.