Rediscovering Your Missional Context

David Schoen Congregational Vitality and Discipleship United Church of Christ

Reclaiming the Biblical focus on NEIGHBORS

 Hebraic Scripture focuses on neighbors  Ten Commandments and Torah  How to treat our neighbors, their family and livestock  Wisdom and prophets  Assist your neighbor to your best ability  Be merciful and just to them  Leviticus 19:18  You shall love your neighbor as yourself

Jesus’ Commandment

  You shall love your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind and your neighbor as yourself. Luke 10:27    Love of God and love of neighbor combined “You are not far from the Realm of God.” “Who is my neighbor?”   The one who showed compassion The Samaritan Jesus, Paul and James  extend ‘neighbor’ to all humankind (with some surprises)

Neighbors and the Church

  Churches do not know their neighbors or neighborhood.  Many congregations are commuter churches.

We call the folks outside of church   ‘unchurched’, ‘unfaithed’  Sounds a bit like ‘Samaritan’ ‘lost’   We are the lost if we don’t know and reach out to our neighbors.

We’ve lost our purpose and calling.

Change or Opportunity

    Meeting your neighbor will mean changing your program but just program change is not answer Meeting your neighbor will call for change of mindset and understanding of church Making the missional shift from focusing on church itself to asking what God is up to in the neighborhood Change = Opportunity

Vital congregations discern God’s call and mission

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The greatest characteristic of a vital congregation is the ability to articulate and live God’s purpose. “The Church exists to serve God’s Mission” What is God calling this church to be and do at this time, in this place, with the gifts we have on this corner of God’s realm that we are placed?

Does your church love your neighbor (as it loves itself) ?

Rediscovering your Missional Context

 Missional in purpose  Get the church outside of itself  Relational in outreach  It’s all about relationships  Conversational in witness  Talking about faith and life

Missional in Purpose Relational in Outreach

 Ministry in 21 st Century is Relational  Build community with those outside the church  Get to know your neighbors and neighborhood  This means Get out of the church!

Relational in Outreach

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Bridge the gap by building relationships

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The days of waiting for people to come to church to welcome them are over.

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Instead of waiting inside, we go outside

Meeting your Neighbors

 Walk or Drive your neighborhood  Watch for where God is at work    Take notes, make a map, collect contact data    Who lives where What are community needs Who are allies and good neighbors Do this again and again Talk to your neighbors   What are the hopes and challenges of neighbors How can the church be a good neighbor?

Getting to know your neighbors and neighborhood

  Invite Neighbors to focus group discussion Invite civic leaders, neighborhood planners     What is happening in neighborhood?

What are future trends and plans?

What are physical/spiritual needs?

How can church be good neighbor?

 Study Demographics   MissionInsite http://missioninsite.com/

MissionInsite Reports

MissionInsite Reports

Socio-Economic-Consumer Types

Ministry Applications for Mosaic Lifestyle Portraits

Getting MissionInsite Info

 UCC has national contract with MissionInsite  Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Penn Southeast, Ohio, Michigan, Southeast, Wisconsin, Southwest and Southern California Nevada Conf ’s  Participants in this Webinar in another Conf.

 Go to http://www.ucc.org/newchurch/gallup/MI How-to-Register-UCC-National-8-09.pdf

Meeting your Neighbors

   ‘Hang out’ with your neighbors    Meet neighbors where they gather  Spend Sunday morning with your neighbors  Soccer matches, Lowes, Coffee Shop, Exercise Pastors ‘office’ in a coffee shop, fast food, bookstore.

Have meetings outside the church.

 Bible/book studies in coffee shop, book store  Council meetings in neighborhood context Engage in conversation, build relationships, Collect data of names/addresses/e-mails

Relational in Outreach Conversational in Witness

 Conversational ministry is central to the future of the church in 21 st Century  Count conversations, not conversions  Brian McLaren, More Ready than You Think

Love Your God and Neighbor

   The Evangelistic Love of God and Neighbor: A Theology of Witness and Discipleship, Scott. J. Jones, Abingdon Press, Nashville, 2003

If we love our neighbor and our God

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We will share our still speaking faith and community with them.

If we love our neighbor and our God

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We will share our faith in appropriate ways and time.

E. Word = Elbow

 “The e.word today is elbow.”  Jim Griffith  Still today the way most folks find a community of faith is when they are invited to come and brought by a friend or neighbor.

Friend–Raising Weekend

      315 Congregations 4,200 visiting guests 6.2% increase in worship St. Stephen’s UCC  35 guests from 79 invitations Journey UCC  33 members - 36 guests New Vision UCC  Guest still coming

God is still speaking,

Through you and me!

Go Forth….

Into the Virtual World.

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In Asia, Europe and North America—an entire generation has experienced the Internet as a means for maintaining relationships with family and friends.

The Internet is a lifeline for users whose mobility is limited by disability, chronic illness or advanced age.

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The Internet is where we can find and engage our neighbors (and the world).

Costs are nominal or FREE!

Meeting your neighbors Reclaiming the Biblical focus on neighbors

 Missional in purpose  Get the church outside of itself  Relational in outreach  It’s all about relationships  Conversational in witness  Talking about faith and life

Meeting Your Neighbors

        Get started Pray, Pray for your neighbors and congregation This takes time, strategy and work.

Get a team of ‘bright-eyed’ people together Study and conversation with congregation Takes support of congregational leaders Just get started. Do one thing. Start with strength

Meeting Your Neighbors

 Thank you for your vital Leadership  Blessings as you meet your neighbors  and discover what the still speaking God is up to in your neighborhood!

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Thank You!

Thank you for Your Support of  Changing Lives: That’s Our Churches’ Wider Mission  Thank you for Your Support of  Strengthen the Church Special Offering