Missional Church Consultation Report

Transcription

1 Missional Church Consultation Report August 22-24, 2014 Hartzell United Methodist Church Blue Ash, Ohio

2 The West Ohio Conference Missional Church Consultation Initiative (MCCI) weekend team would like to thank Pastor Will Leasure and the paid and unpaid leadership of Hartzell United Methodist Church for your hospitality this weekend and for the privilege of teaming with you. Our prayer is that God will use this process to focus and maximize the potential of this congregation for fruitfulness for Christ. Hartzell embodies numerous resources and strengths ideally suited for next-level transformational ministry, as well as some concerns that need to be addressed in order for the church to move forward. Strengths 1. Deep Missional Heritage. Hartzell has a heritage and legacy of mission that dates back to its namesake. Just as Bishop Joseph Crane Hartzell worked tirelessly around the world on behalf of making known the message and love of Jesus Christ, so today the members of Hartzell continue to serve the needs of their community and world in countless ways. Hartzell serves others through the Transformational Jail Ministries, the Interfaith Hospitality Network, Habitat for Humanity, Adoptive Family Christmas program, the Food Pantry and many other efforts. 2. Loving Relationships. Hartzell is characterized by close relational connections within the congregation. We heard many stories about how longtime friendships among the membership have sustained and supported through life crises, grief, joys and transitions. Some told us that the Hartzell congregation has truly become their family. Attendees genuinely enjoy being with one another, as was clearly evident to us and to the mystery worshipers, who felt warmly welcomed during worship. 3. Strategic Location. Hartzell s property is strategically located, sitting in the midst of a "mission field" demographic of more than 71,000 people living within a 3-mile drive of the church. According to demographic research, it is estimated that approximately 53,000 residents may not attend a religious service of any kind. More specifically, around 2,575 children ages birth through 17 live within a 1-mile drive of Hartzell. The church's location offers great potential to reach and disciple many more persons of all ages, potentially positioning it as a true "community" church. 4. New Pastor. Church members throughout the MCCI weekend have told us how happy they are to have Pastor Will and his family at Hartzell. Pastor Will's ability to preach, to lead and to cast a compelling vision for the church s future has brought hope to the congregation for its next season of fruitfulness. His youth, energy and creativity are helping reenergize the faith of all ages. 5. Committed Leadership. A core of committed leaders habitually steps up to make certain that key Hartzell initiatives happen every week, month and year. The Hartzell annual "Fish Fry" is renowned throughout the city of Cincinnati. The Christmas musical production provides another signature Hartzell contribution to the community, along with several others such as the sauerkraut festival. Faithful unpaid leadership also makes certain that committee work is carried on to honor the work of the church. 2

3 Concerns 1. Organizational Efficiency to Fulfill the Mission. The structure of the congregation, with its numerous committees, does not allow the church adequate nimbleness to quickly mobilize around decisions, sometimes causing people to spend hours each month in meetings rather than in ministry service. Time spent serving on committees has not resulted in new disciples for Christ. 2. Failure to Reach New Families and Their Children the Next Generation. A young population of around 7,629 married couples/single parents with children under age 18 in the home all of whom need the message of Jesus live within a 3-mile radius of Hartzell. Only a small number of these children and their families are presently being served by Hartzell's ministry efforts. 3. Newcomer Follow-Up and Connection. No intentional discipleship pathway exists for new guests (as well as current members/attendees) to become deeply committed, spiritually mature followers of Christ. Hospitality for newcomers is not currently connecting all of them into church involvement and discipleship. 4. Guest Readiness. Members commented that the church website, while improved, needs additional work to become more useful to prospective attendees. Mystery worshipers pointed out that updates are needed for signage outside and inside, as well as freshening of church décor. Communication inadequacies, as well as a need for better marketing of Hartzell to the community, were additional concerns often shared with us. 5. Worship Music. Hartzell has been without a music director for part of the summer. Leaders and other members expressed an urgent concern about hiring a talented new person to pair with Pastor Will's capable preaching and to position music and worship to reach out effectively to the younger unchurched demographic of Hartzell's neighborhood. Prescriptions 1. Streamlined Leadership Structure. Upon acceptance of this consultation report, Hartzell will take as its sole mission statement, "To make new disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world." Guided by a prescription coach, Pastor Will will oversee a process for selecting 12 persons to serve on a new, streamlined Leadership Board within 45 days of the acceptance of this report. For the next three years, the Leadership Board will be given full authority to begin and lead work on the prescriptions outlined in this report. 3

4 Qualifications for potential board members will include: A vital spiritual maturity and passion to reach new people for Jesus Christ A consistent personal history of regular ministry service and worship attendance A track record of generous financial giving (proportional to income), which represents personal investment in Hartzell's mission Board members will be identified through an application/interview process. The Nominations Committee will select six board members, and Pastor Will will recommend the additional six, with final board member selection to be approved by the District Superintendent and prescription coach. A selection and board rotation process will commence in stages after the first three years with the guidance of the prescription coach. The first assignment for the Leadership Board will be to read/study together Winning on Purpose by John Kaiser and to structure itself, within our United Methodist context, to follow the Accountable Leadership Model principles the book espouses. The prescription coach will provide training for the Leadership Board. By or before January 2015, the board will assume governance oversight of all areas of church administration and resources across all groups, to align with and support Hartzell's new mission statement. All other existing traditional committees will then be transitioned/redeployed as operations, mission or ministry teams. The prescription coach will help guide all transitions as described above. The introduction and consecration of the new Leadership Board will take place on a special "Congregational Commitment" Sunday at all worship services as scheduled by Pastor Will. The entire congregation will pray for the new Leadership Board s servant leadership to guide the implementation of the prescriptions outlined in this report and will also fully commit to accomplishing the new mission statement together as a church. Pastor Will and the new Leadership Board will work with the prescription coach to carefully audit and strategically allocate the 2015 church budget in order to prioritize accomplishing the prescriptions, and to position the church to function through its general operating budget rather than continuing to depend upon the diminishing Erion Fund. In addition, the coach will help guide the Leadership Board and pastor with implementation of Pastor Will's 12-month "Growing Generous Givers" churchwide financial plan he has created as part of the MCCI pastor training. 2. Reaching the Next Generation. Pastor Will, in consultation with a prescription coach, will implement a Family and Children/Youth Ministry Strategy Team upon the acceptance of this report. The team will participate in the West Ohio Conference's fall 2014 "All in the Family" Training Cluster. This year-long intensive training will help Hartzell create a new fruitfulness plan for vital, growing ministry, with implementation steps (and dates) to create entry points for reaching and discipling new families (parents) and their children ages birth through 18. All in the Family guidance, training and prescription coaching will be provided by RaNae Street, nationally recognized children and family ministries specialist. The new Leadership Board will champion the urgency and needs of this new plan to reach children, youth and their families, and will ensure that it receives primary financial, space and schedule priority in the missional focus of Hartzell. The steps of the fruitfulness plan will be implemented according to dates and deadlines set by the prescription coach. 4

5 3. From Door to Core. The new Leadership Board and Pastor Will will identify a new "Door to Core" Deployment Team by or before December With the guidance of a prescription coach, this team will develop and deploy a new step-bystep process and follow-up system for moving a newcomer from excellent hospitality efforts as a first-time visitor through becoming a fully engaged and serving disciple. Pastor Will will identify one key leader who will be accountable for the effectiveness and oversight of the "door to core" system and for recruiting and building teams of volunteers to staff and lead each step of the process. The "Door to Core" Deployment Team will ensure that whenever an activity or event is held, the hospitality elements of the new system will be in place and activated. The prescription coach will help establish a timeline and benchmarks for implementation. A key element of the "door to core" process will be the ongoing practice of the Breakthrough Prayer Initiative. New persons moving through the "door to core" process will be trained and included in prayer walking along with the rest of the congregation as Hartzell continues to ask God for breakthroughs and new possibilities both as a congregation and as individual followers of Christ. 4. Getting Guest-Ready. The Leadership Board and the pastor will identify four "newcomer readiness" work teams by or before the end of January 2015: A First Impressions Team, with the guidance of a prescription coach, will declutter and freshen the interior appearance of all areas in the church building that are frequented by visitors and newcomers. The goal will be to bring an updated, relevant appeal to Hartzell as it reaches out to welcome a younger demographic. Special attention will be given to designating a safe location for placing key historic Hartzell photos and memorabilia. The First Impressions Team may create additional sub-teams of workers to assist as needed, and all work will be completed by Lent An Inside Signage Team will develop simple, updated and readable signage inside the building so guests feel welcome and able to navigate the building quickly and efficiently. All eventual new signage will first be vetted with "outsiders" who have never been to the church facility before any signage is permanently placed. Inside signage will be hung by or before Lent An Outside Signage Team will assess and propose creative, updated and effective signage both outside the building and within the neighborhood. The team's goal will be to help begin reinventing Hartzell's "image" in the neighborhood as open and inviting. The team will work with appropriate local and city officials for proposed new signage. New signage on the outside of the building will be hung by or before Lent 2015, and permanent or portable neighborhood signage by or before fall A Website Improvement Team will continue to enhance appearance, usability and technical capability of the Hartzell website, hiring short-term professional assistance if needed. This team will also ensure that Hartzell's presence on Facebook, Twitter and other social media is kept current and sharp. The pastor will oversee and guide the work of this team. 5

6 5. Music and Worship. Inspiring, uplifting worship and music is essential for Hartzell's ministry and outreach. Upon acceptance of this report, district superintendent Brian Brown and the Ohio River Valley District will provide Hartzell an $8,300 grant, payable in monthly installments from September 2014 through December 2015, to initially help underwrite the salary for an outstanding new music director who has expertise in both traditional and contemporary music. Pastor Will and the outgoing SPRC committee will move immediately to find, interview and hire the right candidate as soon as possible. A prescription coach will assist Pastor Will in writing the job description for the new music director, which will include key specific fruitfulness goals. The goals may include teaming with Zach Riggins and others for additional creative music outreach events specifically designed to connect new people to the Hartzell congregation, teaming with Pastor Will to design and launch a new alternative worship service targeting the younger demographic in Hartzell's neighborhood, or implementing other new strategic efforts and ministries. Addendum The Leadership Board will assemble a Master Facilities/Property Planning Team that will submit a proposal for additional property development and facility additions, first to the Leadership Board and then to the congregation, when the following criteria are met: 1. Worship Attendance Increase: Worship has reached 225 in one or the combination of all services weekly. 2. All in the Family : Implementation of this initiative has created such an abundance of children and families that current space can no longer sustain continued growth. 3. Discipleship: A door to core process has enabled newcomers to integrate into the body of Christ called Hartzell UMC and closed the "back door." 4. Financial Stability: The general fund covers all ministry/mission expenses and is yielding annual yearend overages that can be prayerfully deployed. Immediate Governance Decision Steps The congregation will hold at least three Town Hall Meetings within the next 30 days to discuss these prescriptions: Sunday, August 31 at 12 noon following the worship service Sunday, September 7 at 12 noon following the worship service Wednesday, September 17 at 7 p.m. Facilitators for these Town Hall Meetings will be identified by Pastor Will in conjunction with the MCCI Consultation Team. 6

7 The congregation will vote on this report to either accept or reject it at an official church conference led by district superintendent Brian Brown on Tuesday, September 23 at 7 p.m. If approved by a 70% or more vote of the official membership present, the West Ohio Conference will designate prescription coaches and team with Hartzell to implement these prescriptions. If the prescriptions are rejected, the West Ohio Conference MCCI partnership process will cease. Respectfully Submitted by: Rev. Sue Nilson Kibbey, West Ohio Conference Director of Missional Church Initiatives Rev. Dr. Joseph Bishman, Missional Church Consultation Initiative Consultant Rev. Dr. Derek Russell, First United Methodist Church, Hillsboro Rev. Steve Judson, Church of the Cross United Methodist, Toledo 7