Meet Our Leaders: Madison Denton

Each month, we will feature a different Conference board, committee, council or team for the next year by highlighting a member and their connectional experience of serving beyond the local church.

Congregational Development Team
(Missouri Standing Rule 115.00)

The mission of the Congregational Development Team is to reach new people for Jesus Christ by starting new churches and transforming established congregations. The five key functions are to: identify people not currently being reached, provide resources to plant new churches in growth areas, help start new faith communities in established areas, assist established congregations to grow, and develop the spiritual leadership necessary to reach every people group in every area of the state.
(Membership: 12)

Featured Team Member: Madison Denton

Madison Denton is the Young Adult Pastor at The Gathering in St. Louis. A ministry leader and podcast host, she is passionate about engaging nextgeneration of church leadership in innovative ways. A graduate of the Iliff School of Theology, she has served on the Congregational Development Team since 2020.

What do you enjoy about serving on the Congregational Development Team?

As a team, we support the local church as it seeks new, innovative ways to share the Gospel with its community. Through relational and financial support, we get to celebrate the creativity of our Conference and all the new things God is doing in Missouri. I love that my service with

Congregational Excellence allows me to learn of all the innovation happening within our churches. As a creative, I pull inspiration from the stories shared at our meetings. I find new ministry initiatives energizing, and this group never fails to leave me excited about what God is doing in our state and beyond.

What might surprise clergy and laity about serving on the CDT team?

I think when we hear a phrase like New Places for New People, we can become overwhelmed. The assumption might be that starting anything new will require more people or resources than we currently have. But, in my experience with this team, the most impactful new ministries are shaped with a congregation’s gifts and talents in mind. It’s always so incredible to see what God can grow from, nothing more than what we currently have! We see this on the team all the time.

Why does the work on this team matter?

This team matters because it exists to help new local church initiatives succeed. From presentations and concepts-coaching to grants and funding, our team wants to offer that extra layer of support for congregations doing something new. We work to remove barriers that might prevent a congregation or individual from seeing a new ministry grow and thrive.