Transcript Document 7364156

Vitality Report
A Church For Others
Healing and Growth Through Authentic Community
Heartfelt Worship & Prayer
Coaching-focused Pastoral Ministry
Commitment to Discipleship
Strengthening Emotional Health
Cultural Relevance & Visibility
A Church for Others
Clear Vision & Effective Government
Our Identity in the Evangelical Covenant
The Good News and Great Commission
Vitality Team:
Dean Collins
Doug Scheer
Phil Hakanson
Elena Shekleton
Carey Penney
Curtis Wiley
February 7th, 2012
Vitality Journey
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Veritas & EPIC seminars (Record attendance for denomination)
40 Days of Vitality
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Power of a Whisper
Sermon Series on Churches of Revelation
Series on Spiritual Disciplines, centering prayer,
testimonies, vitality moments
Conducted Pulse survey (Nearly 200 responses)
Vitality Team
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Created the Relational Covenant
Performed research, interviews
Held several Town Hall meetings (over 100 people attended)
Met biweekly over the last year to pray, discuss findings
and develop recommendations
Held Vitality retreat to focus and pray about
recommendations
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A Structure for Vitality
“Christianity, if false, is of no
importance, and if true, of
infinite importance. The only
thing it cannot be is moderately
important.”
C. S. Lewis
"God authorized and
commanded me to commission
you: Go out and train everyone
you meet, far and near, in this
way of life, marking them by
baptism in the threefold name:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Then instruct them in the practice
of all I have commanded you. I'll
be with you as you do this, day
after day after day, right up to the
end of the age.“
Matthew 28 – The Message
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One main goal is to
become a church
whose culture
emphasizes the
importance of
selflessness toward
those around us,
both outside, and
inside the church.
Central to achieving
both these goals is
the willingness of
individual members
to take up the cross
of discipleship.
Vitality Structure Components
The other main goal
is authentic and
challenging
Christian community,
essential to individual
growth. Christfollowers must not be
complacent about
growing through
community.
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Emotional health is
required for the personal
and relational growth
needed for a missionfocused church.
Our church must
remain relevant in our
culture and community.
This requires that we
are effective in using
communication
methods utilized by
those we want to
reach.
Vitality Structure Components
A stronger focus on
building up saints for
ministry will improve
involvement and a
sense of ownership
among the laity.
We will grow in unity as
our lives join together
pouring our hearts out to
God in heartfelt worship
and prayer.
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Vitality Structure Components
Upon the foundation
that Christ purposed
for the church stands
our uniqueness as a
Covenant church.
The six affirmations
inform what we do
and who we are. Our
own particular history
in Manchester, CT
and the collective
experiences of our
members, will season
our identity and our
future plans.
Resting firmly upon our
identity and supporting
all the pillars is a clear
vision that we can act
upon and a government
structure that is
streamlined and
effective at decision
making and appropriate
risk-taking.
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Vitality Structure Heat Map
(Suggested Focus)
Heartfelt Worship & Prayer
Coaching-focused Pastoral Ministry
Next “Warm”
Commitment to Discipleship
Immediate: “Hot”
Strengthening Emotional Health
Order of Focus
Healing and Growth Through Authentic Community
Cultural Relevance & Visibility
We recommend focusing on
the areas with the warmer
colors first, and those with
the cooler colors later.
A Church For Others
Clear Vision & Effective Government
Later: “Cool”
Our Identity in the Evangelical Covenant
The Good News and Great Commission
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Recommendations – “Hot” Topics
A Church For Others
A Church For Others
A Church For Others
Healing and Growth Through Authentic Community
Heartfelt Worship & Prayer
Coaching-focused Pastoral Ministry
Commitment to Discipleship
Strengthening Emotional Health
Cultural Relevance & Visibility
Clear Vision & Effective Government
Our Identity in the Evangelical Covenant
The Good News and Great Commission
Findings
1.
2.
3.
4.
We have a lot consumeristic thinking.
Our culture must shift more toward serving others.
The more mature must help lead the way.
Being others-focused means:
- Serving our broader community
- Serving humbly
- Serving others in our own congregation
Recommendations
1. Develop evangelism opportunities where we can
serve others and simultaneously invite co-workers
and friends to serve alongside us.
2. Simple service ministries to engage simple abilities
in ministry.
3. Create a Community Development Corporation to
facilitate community ministry.
Cultivate a central focus of dying to self and living for Christ (Rom 12)
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Recommendations – “Hot” Topics
Healing & Growth Thru
Authentic
A Church Community
For Others
Healing and Growth Through Authentic Community
Findings
1.
2.
Heartfelt Worship & Prayer
Coaching-focused Pastoral Ministry
Commitment to Discipleship
Strengthening Emotional Health
Cultural Relevance & Visibility
3.
Clear Vision & Effective Government
Our Identity in the Evangelical Covenant
The Good News and Great Commission
Healing and Growth Through
Authentic Community
Community among Christians is vitally important and is the
best method for experiencing the life God intends for us.
20-somethings are an example of a group that we don’t
connect well with.
This is the primary vehicle for effective discipleship.
Recommendations
1.
2.
We recommend making strong and frequent statements
that Community Life groups are a core value and are the
primary way that growth happens at TCC. We need to
continually affirm this connectedness with each other
through Community Life groups. By increasing
connectedness with each other, we will become healthier
(more welcoming too, helping newcomers assimilate).
We should develop awareness, strategies and
communication to various stage-of-life groups (“20 somethings”/post-college, singles, elderly, etc.). Develop ways
to engage people in various life stages to feel welcome
and sense belonging, but not pigeon-holed.
Authentic community requires more than
what can happen on Sunday mornings
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Recommendations- “Hot” Topics
Commitment to Discipleship
Findings
A Church For Others
Commitment
to Discipleship
Coaching-focused Pastoral Ministry
Healing and Growth Through Authentic Community
1.
We need a renewed focus on discipleship at TCC, both
individually and culturally (a culture where discipleship is commonly
discussed).
Heartfelt Worship & Prayer
Commitment to Discipleship
Strengthening Emotional Health
Cultural Relevance & Visibility
2.
Clear Vision & Effective Government
3.
Recommendations
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2.
Our Identity in the Evangelical Covenant
The Good News and Great Commission
Particular focus on young people in between 15 and 30, which
is a critical age after adolescence for which the U.S. churchgoing population has shrunk drastically.
Discipling and mentoring should be accompanied by deep
understanding and practice of spiritual disciplines.
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Establish an ongoing culture of discipleship for those aged 15
to 30 which will encourage both giving back and provide a
reason for 20-somethings to stay connected to the church.
Found a discipleship program within TCC that will foster
growth, knowledge and spiritual insight for new Christians.
Formalize mentoring: the practices of the mentor will enrich
the experience of the disciple and provide spiritual
encouragement for the disciple’s upward, spiraling growth.
Discipleship costs time and demands personal sacrifice. We need
to become more disciplined and serious about spiritual formation
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Recommendations
“Hot” Topics
Clear Vision & Efficient Government
Clear vision and efficient government work together
Findings
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2.
A Church For Others
Healing and Growth Through Authentic Community
Heartfelt Worship & Prayer
Coaching-focused Pastoral Ministry
Commitment to Discipleship
Strengthening Emotional Health
Cultural Relevance & Visibility
3.
4.
Recommendations
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Clear Vision & Effective Government
Our Identity in the Evangelical Covenant
Clear Vision &
The Good News and Great Commission
Efficient Government
Lack of a clear vision has led to lack of focus in ministry.
Our current government cluster structure is sub-optimal:
a) Too many people are engaged in church government and
some aren’t clear on their role or value.
b) The cluster structure emphasizes specialization rather than
promoting all five ministry purposes.
Structure is confusing, decisions slow, overly cautious.
Those passionate about new ministries may have difficulty
engaging the support of the church.
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Create clear, cogent vision and mission statement for the
church so members can align their creativity, and channel their
passions accordingly.
Streamline church government.
Create constructs that allow the church to speed decision
making, and be prepared to engage in new external-facing
ministries (e.g. create a CDC).
A clear vision and timely decisions will help people
to align their talents and channel their passions
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Recommendations - Warm
Strengthening Emotional Health
A Church For Others
Heartfelt Worship & Prayer
Coaching-focused Pastoral Ministry
Strengthening Emotional Health
Cultural Relevance & Visibility
Strengthening
CommitmentEmotional
to Discipleship Health
Healing and Growth Through Authentic Community
Clear Vision & Effective Government
Our Identity in the Evangelical Covenant
The Good News and Great Commission
Findings
Aspects of Trinity could be healthier and need healing.
Emotional reliability promotes emotional safety.
1. Unresolved conflicts leave wounds.
2. If injuries are ignored, the whole body cannot heal.
3. When wounds are received at TCC, we have no clear
process for conflict resolution.
Recommendations
1. Identify training on emotional health and emotional
intelligence for staff and membership.
2. Create safe conflict reconciliation and accountability.
3. Establish emotional safety through emotional stability.
4. Model emotional maturity to accomplish spiritual
maturity.
5. Community Life groups can incubate this process.
“ A healthy mind is the perfect
companion for a tender heart!”
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Recommendations - Warm
Cultural Relevance & Visibility
Findings
1.
A Church For Others
Cultural Relevance & Visibility
Healing and Growth Through Authentic Community
2.
Recommendations
Heartfelt Worship & Prayer
Commitment to Discipleship
Strengthening Emotional Health
Cultural Relevance & Visibility
Coaching-focused Pastoral Ministry
Internet-based social communities (e.g.Facebook), are as real as
physical neighborhoods and represent a missions opportunity.
In order to stay culturally connected we need to ‘speak this
language’. For today’s youth especially, communicating through
Facebook and Twitter are ingrained in their cultural DNA.
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Clear Vision & Effective Government
Our Identity in the Evangelical Covenant
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The Good News and Great Commission
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Develop materials in support of “Digital Evangelism” that are
made available online or personally delivered as digital ‘tracts’ to
present the Gospel of Christ in clear powerful ways.
Broaden access to Trinity’s worship experience/outreach by
leveraging the internet, social networking and digital media to
increase the reach of worship, teaching and preaching.
Expand Trinity’s response to prayer or service needs by taking
advantage of the speed and reach of social networking.
Enhance the reach of Trinity’s Youth Group by creating “Youth
Group designed and developed” structures of outreach,
evangelism, teaching and support using social media.
Train individuals in how to love others more effectively using
these additional tools (how to be a loving Christian on Facebook).
For our message of love and acceptance to reach the lost and hurting
it must be delivered it in a way so as to be recognized and heard
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Recommendations - Warm
Our Identity In the Evangelical Covenant
Findings
A Church For Others
Healing and Growth Through Authentic Community
1.
Heartfelt Worship & Prayer
Coaching-focused Pastoral Ministry
Commitment to Discipleship
Strengthening Emotional Health
Cultural Relevance & Visibility
2.
Clear Vision & Effective Government
Our Identity in the Evangelical Covenant
The Good News and Great Commission
Our Identity in the
Evangelical Covenant
We need a stronger understanding of who we are and
what makes us unique as a Covenant Church in the larger
Christian community.
We have an opportunity to reach people who would like to
explore the claims of Jesus, but who may be nervous
about or turned off by what they think they know about
evangelical churches.
Recommendations
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Sermon series on “Covenant Affirmations”.
Church-wide “Discovering Trinity Classes” for members,
long-time attendees, as well as newcomers.
Sunday School Class dealing with Covenant history.
Offering Covenant Affirmations a part of our Community
Life Curriculum.
Dissemination of Covenant position papers on the Bible,
human sexuality, abortion, etc.
Work with existing Evangelical Covenant ministries to
broaden our impact.
As Covenant people, we are uniquely positioned
to provide effective ministry to the world today
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Recommendations - Cool
Coaching-focused Pastoral Ministry
A Church For Others
Findings
Coaching-focused
Ministry
Heartfelt Worship &Pastoral
Prayer
Healing and Growth Through Authentic Community
Coaching-focused Pastoral Ministry
Commitment to Discipleship
Strengthening Emotional Health
Cultural Relevance & Visibility
Clear Vision & Effective Government
Our Identity in the Evangelical Covenant
The Good News and Great Commission
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2.
Historically our culture is one where the laity expect staff to
do things, rather than to focus on the coaching and building
up of others (Eph 4:12). A consumer (client) mentality
pervades the church, more than a servant mentality.
Growing into our vision will best be accomplished with an
upward spiral of a) leadership setting a vision; b) the saints
doing the work of the ministry; c) the saints discovering their
gifts/passions; d) the saints eagerly envisioning new
ministries; (full cycle back to a) leadership re-forming the
vision based on the saints’ newly found gifts and passions.
Recommendations
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Clarify staff positions to reflect or add a coaching focus.
Pastors plays a key role both in helping to form and groom
the passion individuals have, and also in being aware of
these passions when making directional decisions for the
body as a whole.
Inspired and enthusiastic church members
draw energy from their passion-led ministry
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Recommendations - Cool
Heartfelt Worship & Prayer
Findings
A Church For Others
Heartfelt Worship & Prayer
Coaching-focused Pastoral Ministry
Commitment to Discipleship
Strengthening Emotional Health
Cultural Relevance & Visibility
Clear Vision & Effective Government
Our Identity in the Evangelical Covenant
The Good News and Great Commission
Heartfelt Worship and Prayer
Healing and Growth Through Authentic Community
1. Trinity is a stable church known for having a strong music
program. As we move and grow into a more healthy and
missional church we believe that this involves some
changes in our worship experience.
Recommendations
1. Become more intentionally eclectic – broadening the format
or style of worship. Incorporate other means of worship
(art, spoken/written word, dance, meditation, prayer, etc.)
ancient and modern.
2. Provide more opportunity to include all of the congregation.
3. Practice awe at the character, wonder, power, love, beauty
of God.
4. Leave more room for the Holy Spirit to breathe; as in the
Old Testament the stones for the altar were uncut stones
versus finely finished.
5. Promote a culture of permeating worship where worshiping
God is not confined to Sunday morning (or even narrower:
music on Sunday morning) but seen in everything we do.
Variety in worship and spiritual practice will enrich
and add fullness to our experience of God
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A Structure for Vitality
We believe that with God’s help, by
prayerfully addressing these areas,
we can begin to move from being a
stable church, becoming the healthy,
missional church God desires us to
be. This will take courage and hard
work.
“So let's do it—full of belief,
confident that we're presentable
inside and out. Let's keep a firm grip
on the promises that keep us going.
He always keeps his word. Let's see
how inventive we can be in
encouraging love and helping out,
not avoiding worshiping together as
some do but spurring each other on,
especially as we see the big Day
approaching.”
- Heb 10:24-25, The Message
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Resource List
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To learn more about the Vitality process: http://www.covchurch.org/vitality/
“Introducing Trinity Covenant’s Media Ministry” - Len Smith put together this excellent study
which also has more suggestions for further reading. Copies available through the office.
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What is a Community Development Corporation?
“Community development corporations are non-profit, community-based organizations that anchor capital locally
through the development of both residential and commercial property, ranging from affordable housing to
developing shopping centers and even owning businesses…No sector of the expanding community wealthbuilding economy is more celebrated for its success …the CDC movement today has grown to an estimated 4,600
CDCs spread throughout all 50 states…[CDC’s are] typically neighborhood-based, 501(c)3 non-profit corporations,
with a board composed of at least one-third community residents, that promote the improvement of the physical
and social infrastructures in neighborhoods with populations significantly below the area median income. Many
CDCs perform a wide variety of roles, including housing, commercial, and retail development, as well as leading
community planning, assisting with community improvement programs (improved lighting, streetscapes, and the
like) and providing social services.” http://www.community-wealth.org/strategies/panel/cdcs/index.html
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Here a Minneapolis CDC that has many good qualities http://sanctuarycdc.org/index.php/about/
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Here is a West Los Angeles example: http://www.westa.org/ministry_cdc.html
Another in Columbus, Ohio http://www.4allpeople.org/index.html
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Peacemakers International http://www.peacemakersinternational.com/about.html
Peter Scazzero’s site on Emotional health: http://EmotionallyHealthy.org
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