Transcript VITAL CONGREGATIONS PROCESS

UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
Mission Statement
Making disciples of Jesus Christ
for
The transformation of the world.
2011
A CALL TO ACTION
TO BE A FORWARD LEANING
CHURCH: THAT ADDRESSES THE
CHALLENGES OF OUR DAY
TO GROW VITALITY IN OUR
CONGREGATIONS SO THAT WE
MAKE MORE DISCIPLES AND
ENGAGE THEM IN THE
TRANSFORMATION OF THE WORLD
AN INDEPENDENT STUDY OF THE
UMC
Researched data from 32,000 churches
Researched 5,000 High vitality churches
to identify common factors in all
Concluded: What vital congregations have,
what disciples in those churches do,
16 Drivers in Vital Churches, Obstacles
the UMC faces
A VITAL CONGREGATION HAS
 Inviting and Inspiring Worship
 Engaged Disciples in Mission and
Outreach
 Gifted, Empowered and Equipped Lay
Leadership
 Small Group Ministries
 Strong Children’s and Youth Ministry
A DISCIPLE OF JESUS
Worships Regularly
 Helps Make New Disciples
 Is Engaged in Growing in Their
Faith
 Is Engaged in Mission
 Shares by Giving in Mission

OVERCOMING OUR SPIRITUAL
CHALLENGES
We Need More “turn around”
leaders
 We need to embrace metrics
and goals as a means of
accountability
OVERCOMING UMC SPIRITUAL
CHALLENGES
We need to build trust across the
denomination
We need to better connect with our
neighbors and community
members who have not been
invited to church and have not ever
visited a church
THE VIEW FROM OUR NEIGHBORS
When we talk to people who only
attend church for funerals or
weddings or just a few services a
year, these are some of the things
they say:
THE VIEW FROM OUR NEIGHBORS
I believe in God and I like the
teachings of Jesus, I just don’t see
the teachings of Jesus in action in
the church
• The Church tries to keep people
out rather than welcoming
everyone
•
THE VIEW FROM OUR NEIGHBORS
 I find greater peace and at oneness
with creation, others and God
when I do yoga
 I feel judged by church people,
rather than loved and accepted
THE VIEW FROM OUR NEIGHBORS
Church people act differently in their
church meetings than they do in worship
 I cannot relate to the worship and
ministries of the church I have attended
 The Church worries more about itself, the
institution, rather than serving people

FORMATIVE SCRIPTURE
Matthew 22:36-40
 “Teacher which commandment in the law is the
greatest. And Jesus said: You shall love the Lord your
God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and
with all your mind. This is the first and great
commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love
your neighbor as yourself. On these two
commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
The Vital Congregations Planning Guide
Invites churches to assess the
faithfulness and effectiveness
of whatever they do
Uses SMART Goals
Let’s Watch
GROWING
VITAL
CONGREGATIONS
TRAINING VIDEO
A BOTTOM LINE
Invites churches to assess the
faithfulness and effectiveness
of
whatever they do
VITAL CONGREGATIONS PROCESS
 Invites churches to measure progress in
key performance areas using
statistical information to learn and
adjust approaches to leadership,
policies and use of human and
financial resources.
ADAPTIVE CHALLENGES
Recognizes “adaptive challenges”
cannot be addressed by nor judged
by statistical information alone.
Knowing How many people participate in worship,
small groups etc is not nearly as informative as
knowing what happened to those people as a result of
their attendance
EVALUATING
Evaluating process of how you did
and what you did in serving our
ultimate purpose of making
disciples
Different Types of Evaluation
Substantive evaluation
Quantitative evaluation
Qualitative evaluation
GROWTH IN DISCIPLESHIP
How do we assess and measure this:
Quantitative example
Substantive example
Qualitative example
(For example use your VBS Ministry)
MY OWN DISCIPLESHIP
How do I measure my own growth as a
disciple of Jesus?
What are the points to measure or do
self reflection?
What does our Tradition offer?
Towards individual maturity,
growth, faithfulness, fruits
 Am I actively cultivating a relationship with God
through worship, prayer and Bible Study?
 Am I more loving than I was a year ago as
demonstrated by greater generosity and compassion?
 Am I aware of my faults and shortcomings and actively
working to transform poor habits into healthy ones?
A VITAL CONGREGATIONS PROCESS
 MISSION – What is God calling us to do?
To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation
of the world
 VISION – What will it look like when we get there?
What a disciple looks like when he or she is formed in
your community of faith
Local Church Process
 PROCESS OR FLOW
The defined pattern of how disciple making happens
in your time and place that reflects a progression of
faith maturity
(ie Reach Out -- Nurture -- Equip -- Send)
GOALS
 GOALS
What we want to accomplish through the activity of any
given area of ministry
*which works toward disciple making in each of
the flow categories
SMART GOALS
SPECIFIC
MEASURABLE
ATTAINABLE
RELEVANT
TIME FRAMED
Strategies
• STRATEGIES OR PLANS
How will we go about accomplishing those goals
• MEASURES
*The descriptors:
*quantify or qualify how well those goals have
been met
*how fruitful the specific activities have been in
accomplishing vision & mission of church
Telling the Stories
 CELEBRATING AND TELLING OUR STORIES
Can I Have a witness ? !
Our Kansas Area Process
*Every UMC Church in Kansas Invited
*Training Events for all clergy and key
leaders
*Training Video
*Website resources
www.umvitalcongregtions.org
VITALITY
WHAT WILL THAT MEAN FOR YOU AS A DISCIPLE
OF JESUS?
WHAT WILL THAT MEAN FOR YOUR
CONGREGATION?
WHAT WILL THAT MEAN FOR YOUR PASTOR?
PRAYER SENDING US FORTH