New Beginnings was first used at St. Mary church in Wilmington, North Carolina, which was experiencing a downturn in membership, attendance, and giving. After an extensive informational program, initiated by lay people in conjunction with a new pastor, 256 people signed up for the program. New Beginnings 101, 201, 301 was held on three Sundays in Lent. By Pentecost Sunday, nearly 80 people had indicated their interest in specific ministries, both existing and new. At least half of those people had not been involved in parish or community ministry. Still others came forward later to serve in ministries, and they continue to do so.

Here's what people are saying...

"The purpose of New Beginnings, according to Paul Wilkes, is 'to assist in the formation -- through ministry -- of 21st Century Christians...' That's a great purpose -- and New Beginnings is a great way to do it. Like Paul, the curriculum is full of contagious Christian enthusiasm. It's simple (in the best sense of that word), direct, and hopeful. And the best part is that each congregation that uses it can mold New Beginnings to fit its particular tradition and needs. I happily recommend it to you."

J. Brent Bill
Executive Vice President
Indianapolis Center for Congregations

“New Beginnings is so incredibly simple that any church can use it without a lot of hassle. You don't have 30 lessons, just three! And pastors look for stuff that won't overwhelm their congregations, but will empower them. With this simple approach, I think every lay person could (and should) take on New Beginnings. It would change a church. And I think that's what every pastor is shooting for.”
 
Pastor Bill Geis
Lutheran Ministries of Southwest Oklahoma
Lone Wolf, Oklahoma

“New Beginnings is a practical, user-friendly tool that will help congregations large and small move people into more active participation in the life of the church.  Based on spiritual gifts, this three-Sunday format takes people’s busy schedules seriously, yet opens the door to a deeper life of faith and service.  It will attract long-time members as well as newcomers, building community and sparking new ministries.  Here’s a way to let the Spirit in!”

Rev. Patricia Farris
Senior Pastor
Santa Monica First United Methodist Church
Santa Monica, California

“New Beginnings is amazingly well designed for adaptation by individual churches no matter what their ecclesiastical traditions and theological profiles. Paul Wilkes has an uncanny gift for making large, complex projects and processes simple, straight forward, and, above all doable. He really "gets it" when it comes to facilitating the crucial business of spiritual maturity of Christians and community formation of local churches. What he has developed in "New Beginnings" is attractive, sharp, engaging, and ready for use. It is an excellent foundation upon which to build a full fledged assimilation process. What a great step forward for the entire Kingdom-of-God-building enterprise!”

Dr. Bill Elder
Senior Pastor Mountaintop Community Church
Birmingham, Alabama

"Paul Wilkes has done what he always does. He has produced quality stuff for the church that 'works'. Most folk in our churches love God and love the church, but many do not have time for a twelve week course of study to engage and enhance those loves. They often long for 'something more', but seldom know exactly what the 'more' is. New Beginnings curriculum holds the potential to unlock that truth for your members, to change their lives and, in turn, change your church. New Beginnings is just that...an opportunity for believers to 'begin again' their walk with Jesus."

Dr. Mike Queen
Senior Pastor
First Baptist Church
Wilmington, North Carolina

"New Beginnings powerfully assists your church to move traditional non-participants into committed discipleship and service for Jesus Christ." 

The Rev. Dr. Nils C. Friberg
Professor Emeritus of Pastoral Care at Bethel Theological Seminary
St. Paul, Minnesota & Minister of Care at Salem Baptist Church in New Brighton, Minnesota

"Engaging! Effective and efficient! In 3 short sessions, Paul Wilkes brings the BEST of hi-tech and hi-touch learning to open the concept of CALL for everybody. It's fun and infectious in a good way. And it will work with both seasoned believers and seekers in any-sized church!"

Marjory Zoet Bankson
Author of Call to the Soul &
Editor of Faith@Work magazine

"The New Beginnings kit arrived a few days ago, and I'm so impressed with its user-friendly format! I love the emphasis it places on tailoring it to the individual congregation, looking at its history and its community. I also love the way it is geared to helping ‘the person in the pew' find ways to channel God-given gifts and interests into real ministry! So often people's interests and talents don't quite match up with check boxes on forms — leaving them wondering whether they really fit in at all. Still worse, they try to fit into places that just don't work, and they still feel that frustration of having gifts with no way to share them. The New Beginnings kit has ready-to-use resources to make this process easy to plan; and it also offers wonderful suggestions to make it a creative, freeing experience for each participant."

Celie Addy
Communications Coordinator
South Carolina Synod
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

“I am so excited about this curriculum! Recently our congregation, pastors and leaders have all been led to return to the Ephesians 4 concept that the pastors' job is to "equip the saints for the work of the ministry." We have been looking for ways to help people understand that ministry is their birthright, not something reserved for the ordained. We have been hoping to find a way to help people discover and work within their giftedness. New Beginnings has done it! Helping people understand their God-given gifts and talents and helping them understand that their ministry can occur within the church or outside its walls — through New Beginnings — is a tremendous step in understanding how God works through all believers.”

Rev. Happy Foster Kinnear
Associate Pastor
First Presbyterian Church
Asheboro, North Carolina

1413 Hawthorne Road | Wilmington, NC 28403 | Toll Free 800.936.0363
Please feel free to email me at paulwilkes@nbontheweb.com