Missional Outreach Woodmont UCC Connecticut Conference UCC David Schoen, Congregational Vitality and Discipleship United Church of Christ.
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Transcript Missional Outreach Woodmont UCC Connecticut Conference UCC David Schoen, Congregational Vitality and Discipleship United Church of Christ.
Missional Outreach
Woodmont UCC
Connecticut Conference UCC
David Schoen, Congregational Vitality and Discipleship
United Church of Christ
Missional Church
“The Church exists to serve God’s Mission”
Mission as Missio Dei, UCC Committee on Structure, 1992
The church of Jesus Christ is the instrument
and sign of God’s mission and realm.
God’s mission is calling
and sending us,
the church of Jesus Christ,
to be a missional church
in our own societies,
in the cultures in which
we find ourselves.
Missional Outreach
Reclaiming the Biblical focus on
neighbors
Meeting your neighbors
Relational in outreach
It’s all about relationships
Conversational in witness
Get the church outside of itself
Talking about faith and life
Ministry thru Social Media
Missional focus on Neighbors
Hebraic Scripture focuses on neighbors
Ten Commandments and Torah
Leviticus 19:18
Jesus commandment -You shall love your God
with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind
and your neighbor as yourself. Luke 10:27
You shall love your neighbor as yourself
Love of God and love of neighbor combined
Jesus, Paul and James
extend ‘neighbor’ to all humankind (with some surprises)
No Matter Who You Are, or Where You Are on
Life’s Journey, You Are Welcome Here!
Who are they,
and where do they come from?
(Revelation 7:14)
MissionInsite Demographics
http://missioninsite.com/
flexible web based information system
comprehensive socioeconomic and lifestyle data
interactive mapping platform
strategic information resource for ministry
Meeting Your Neighbors
Study Area
Who are your Neighbors
Urban Commuter Families
Who Are they?
New Generation Activists
Ministry Applications for Mosaic
Lifestyle Portraits
Ministry Applications for Mosaic
Lifestyle Portraits
Getting MissionInsite Info
UCC and Connecticut Conference have contract
with MissionInsite
Participants in Workshop (thanks to OCWM).
Go to Connecticut Conference Website
http://www.ctucc.org/resources/pdfs/MissionInsite_How-To.pdf
Meeting your Neighbor
In Religious Practice
Unchurched USA
•Since 1991 adult population
in the US grew by 15%.
•During that same period the
unchurched population grew
by 92%! 75 million US
adults do not attend church
'Unchurched' Americans
say church is 'full of
hypocrites' consider
Christianity to be more about
organized religion than
about loving God and
people, …“unchristian”.
Generations and Religion
Religious Practice
Where is your Neighbor
in religious belief
Meeting your Neighbors
concerning LGBT Concerns
Meeting your Neighbor
In Politics
Liberal or Conservative
Meeting your Neighbor
In Community Service
Missional Outreach
New Generations
The urgency of our times should not be driven
by our decline in the United Church of Christ.
The urgency of our times should be a new
generation and population
attuned to the values of our
message and witness.
See Millenials report
Pew Research
Missional in Purpose
Relational in Outreach
The days of waiting for people to come to
church to welcome them are over.
Instead of waiting inside, we go outside
Bridge the gap by building relationships
Missional Outreach
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?
Relationship Building
‘Hang out’ with your neighbors
Meet neighbors where they gather
Spend Sunday morning with your neighbors
Pastors ‘office’ in a coffee shop, fast food, bookstore.
Have meetings outside the church.
Soccer matches, Lowes, Coffee Shop, Exercise
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 21st Century
Count conversations, not conversions
Brian McLaren, More Ready than You Think
Conversational Ministry
The postmodern world calls for disciples who
reach out to a world that is hungering for good
conversation about faith, values, hope,
meaning, purpose, goodness, beauty, truth, life
after death, life before death and God.
Engaging in everyday faith conversations will
not only help others become disciples, it will
help us become disciples, who know and love
the stillspeaking God more than ever.
If God is still speaking,
Shouldn’t we be?
Are You Ready to Talk?
Why do you love your church?
What impact has believing in God and
following Jesus made in your life?
What spiritual experience has made a
difference in your life?
Still Speaking Conversation and
Invitation with Neighbors
Informal moments at work, shopping or….
Be attentive for moments for a still speaking word
Become a Still Speaking Voice
Wear your still speaking witness
Home dinners with neighbors
First Welcomers
New Neighbors
Public Worship
Ashes to Go
Stillspeaking Witness!
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 Sunday
November 6, 2011
Friend–Raising Weekend
315 Congregations
4,200 visiting guests
6.2% increase in worship
St. Stephen’s UCC
Journey UCC
35 guests from 79
invitations
33 members - 36 guests
New Vision UCC
Guest still coming
God is still speaking,
Through you and
me!
Meeting your Neighbor
In Technology
Missional Tools Online
Missional Outreach on-line
Connecting with neighbors on-line
Church Website
Invitational
Interactive
Messaging
E.newsletter
Links
Facebook
Church fanpage
Your own
Links
Advertising
Outreach with new Technology
E-mail Blasts
Daily Devotional
Twitter
You Tube
Webinars
Go To Meetings
Apps
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
Thank you for your vital leadership and
stillspeaking voice
Missional Outreach
What
have you learned today?
Who are your neighbors?
How will you use this information?
What one thing will you do when
you return home to start?
Missional Outreach
Blessings as you discern God’s mission for
your congregation,
and discover what God is up to in your
neighborhood!
Thank You!
Thank you! Your financial support is
Changing Lives: That’s Our Churches’ Wider Mission
And Thank you for your contributions to
Strengthen the Church Special Mission Offering