MINISTRY ASSESSMENT PROCESS FOR TRANSITIONING CHURCHES During a time of pastoral transition, a church s entire session (or a selection of session members it appoints) plus other church leaders, including deacons, trustees and others with particular knowledge, will be assisted in conducting an assessment of the church s ministry. The effort will be led by a facilitator from the Presbytery, and a Committee on Ministry Transition Representative will be present to contribute to the work. Overview of the Ministry Assessment Process for Transitioning Churches A. Preliminary Preparation Activities B. First Gathering The Church s Vital Signs and Its Ministries to the Congregation C. Second Gathering The Church s Ministries to the Community and Beyond - implications for the coming pastor search D. Third Gathering Reflection on Findings Surfaced in Prior Segments - consolidation of wisdom for a report to go to session E. Meeting with the Session for Its Review and Adoption of the Assessment Report Outline of the Ministry Assessment Process for Transitioning Churches Preliminary Preparation Before the first gathering, each person who will be attending should receive: 1. Copies, if they exist, of the church s current Mission Statement Vision Statement, and Core Values (If there are no current mission and vision statements, someone should be asked to prepare proposed statements, plus a proposed set of core values, to be considered by the assessing group)
2. The church s Ten-Year Trend Graphs and Reports on membership and attendance from the PCUSA General Assembly 3. The current year s budget and a comprehensive report on the church s financial condition 4. A report on capital and major maintenance needs 5. A MissionInsite Report on the church s neighborhood First Gathering c. 2 ½ hours I. Gathering, Welcome and Introductions II. III. IV. Orientation to the Entire Assessment Process and to the Current Day s Work Selection of Someone to Prepare a Report on the Day s Findings and Someone to Produce a Report on the Church s Ministry to the Community and Beyond Devotional Reflections V. Review of Current Statements of Mission, Vision and Core Values VI. VII. VIII. IX. Review of the Church s Financial Situation and Membership/Attendance Trends Consideration of Church Life Cycle and the Church s current situation Reflection on the Church s Current Ministries TO/TOWARD the congregation Summarizing of the Day s Findings X. Prayers and Parting Second Gathering c. 2 ½ hours I. Gathering and Orientation to the Current Day s Work II. III. Selection of Someone to Prepare a Report on the Day s Findings Devotional Reflections
IV. Reflection on Report on the Church s Ministries to the Community and Beyond V. Reflection on Demographic/MissionInsite Information VI. VII. Consideration of Leadership Competencies Needed in the Next Pastor in Light of the Assessment Prayers and Parting Third Gathering c. 2 hours I. Gathering and Orienting to the Day s Work II. III. IV. Devotional Reflections Identification of the Church s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats Selection of One or Two Persons to Prepare a Final Report for the Session s Review V. Thanksgiving, Prayers and Parting Meeting with the Session for Review and Adoption of the Information Derived from the Assessment At this meeting, with members of the assessment group present, the session will review a report treating: The congregation s life and health, its mission, vision and core values; The neighborhood and the larger setting in which the church is offering its ministry; The gifts, characteristics and capacities the church will need its next installed pastor to bring to a ministry with the church. Changes will be made as necessary and the report will be adopted. The report then will go to the Committee on Ministry Transition Team and, if approved, it will be sent to the full Committee on Ministry, which may then grant the church permission to form its Pastor Nominating Committee. The session will be advised
that, at least six months after its new pastor has been installed, an additional assessment of ministry and mission will be engaged in, along with a strategic planning process. Expanded Outline of the Ministry Assessment Process for Transitioning Churches First Gathering c. 2 ½ hours I. Gathering, Welcome and Introductions II. Orientation to the Entire Assessment Process and to this Day s Work III. Selection of Someone to Prepare a Report on the Day s Findings and Someone to Produce a Report on the Church s Ministry to the Community and Beyond IV. Devotional Reflections on One of the Following Passages: Gen. 12:1-9, Ps 145, Lk 9:18, Mk 1:14-20, Mt. 28:16-20 Romans 12:1-2, Acts 2:43-47 or Ph. 3:12-16 V. Review of the Church s Current Statements of Mission, Vision, Core Values (or consideration of the proposed statements prepared for this assessment) Definitions: Mission what God is calling the church to do to be Vision how things will look when the church is faithful in undertaking its mission
Core Values characteristics in the church s DNA that have to be cherished if the church is going to be true to its unique identity i.e., Faith Family Friendliness Frugality Reflect on the statements and values their gravity, their direction, and whether they express what you sense God is now calling the church to be about? Are there any adjustments you would want to make and which all would consent to making? VI. Review of Church s Health Status Its Financial Situation and Membership/Attendance Trends 1. Financial Report A) Current budget B) Actual income, expenses for last 3 years C) Status of Capital Funds and needs D) Reserves, major maintenance funds, endowment and other 2. Trend reports A) giving totals trend over the past 10 years B) Attendance and membership totals trend over the past 10 years VII. Consideration of Church Life Cycle and the church s current situation Just as people have life-cycles so do congregations. (and while you re looking at this, look also at the chart here.) # * # * # # # # # # # # Vitality # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # Time
Churches tend to be born with or out of a vision They grow in vitality Then the vitality cools the growth flattens out plateaus Then decline sets in unless unless something brings a renewal of vision and energy. Sometimes that something comes as a straight-out gift from God. Frequently it comes as a result of intentional effort out of a cooperative effort with God. Q: Where would you place this church on this chart? VIII. Reflection on the Church s Current Ministries TO/TOWARD the congregation 1. List all the ministries you can think of that are being done to nurture and equip the congregation s members 2. Identify the three most compelling ministries where you sense the Spirit at work 3. Identify the core strengths of the church 4. Identify any equipping or nurturing ministries that you think you should put in place 5. What ministries to the congregation do you believe you will have to focus most energy on in the coming five years? IX. Summarizing of the Day s Findings X. Prayers and Parting
Second Gathering c. 2 ½ hours I. Gathering and Orientation to the Day s Work II. Selection of Someone to Prepare a Report on this Day s Findings III. Devotional Reflections on One of the Following Passages: Micah 6:8, Mt 5:14-16, Mt 22:34-40, Mt 25:14-30, Mt 25:31-46 or Jn 3:17-21 IV. Reflection on Report on the Church s Ministries to the Community and Beyond I thank the person who prepared the notes on the church s external ministries. They are going to be very helpful as we move into our conversation this evening. To provide one additional frame for you to use in looking at your external ministries, I ask you to think about the following words and what they connote to you: Charity Justice 1. Act of generosity, 2. Giving of aid to the poor, 3. Leniency in judging others. love in one direction, for its own sake, because it s right 1. The administration of what is just, merited, fair Reconciliation making right what s been made or set up un-right 1. Cause to be friendly again, 2. Adjust, settle, 3. Bring to quiet submission
two-party involvement restoring relationship, transforming both parties positively. II Cor 5:19 God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us God making his appeal through us. Now, first (on the basis of the notes you received), reflect awhile together on the church s service/ministries to your nearer neighbors in this community: What are the major ways in which the church is engaged in ministry to the community in which you re sited? Who are the persons to whom your efforts have been directed? What resources have you put into these ministries? What has resulted from your efforts your investment of resources? Would you say that your ministries have brought people into a deepening, friendlier relationship with God or with you? Now, reflect just a bit on the church s service/ministries to those who are more distant neighbors. What are the major ways in which the church is engaged in ministry to the community in which you re sited? Who are the persons to whom your efforts have been directed? What resources have you put into these ministries? What has resulted from your efforts your investment of resources? Are there any other persons, in this community or beyond it, whom you ve sensed yourselves being called or nudged by the Spirit to serve in some way? V. Reflection on Demographic/MissionInsite Information Re-focus participants on their community and ask:
In light of the MissionInsite report, what can we say about the demographic trends in this community over the past 5-10 years? If you were going to draw out of this information a few implications for the church, what would they be? Think of a group highlighted in one of the Mosaics. Do you think the church would be willing to change or accommodate its practices and preferences in order to serve to such a group? How does this congregation view the ministry of reconciliation in this neighborhood helping people to be reconciled to God and to each other? i.e., as a lofty ideal as an non-negotiable responsibility as ministry that s better left to Baptists or as something else? VI. Consideration of Leadership Competencies Needed in the Next Pastor in light of the Assessment Recall what you identified as the church s mission: Discuss and create a list of the challenges/goals that the church and its next installed pastor will need to address in order to be faithful in carrying out its mission? Identify the five most crucial challenges/goals (not the most urgent, but the most important). Put dots beside your selections. Reflect on the list of Leadership Competencies from the MIF. Now, identify five that you believe your next pastoral leader will need to have in order to help you address your challenges/goals. Put dots beside your selections and share any thoughts that rise. VII. Housekeeping, Prayers and Parting Reports to be prepared and shared with all participants
Third Gathering c. 2 hours I. Gathering and Orienting to the Day s Work We re having our third meeting and, as the agenda conveys, this is the session in which we draw on all the thinking we ve been doing about the church s health, ministry and mission, the area and people it serves, and the gifts its next pastor is going to need to bring to a ministry here we take all of that and then attempt as well as we can to answer the questions: What are the strengths of this congregation and what are its weaknesses? What are the opportunities it has been presented with and what are the threats that are facing it? After identifying and reflecting on those, I think you ll be in a reasonable position to put together a thoughtful report on this assessment to present to the session and the Committee on Ministry and to offer as a useful foundation for the work of your congregation s Pastor Nominating Committee. II. Devotional Reflections III. Identification of the church s Current Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats A. Strengths what are the strengths of this congregation? Are any of these more significant than the others as far as how they could effect the church s future? B. Weaknesses what are the church s weaknesses (remember, that s not necessarily a pejorative term, since When I am weak, then I am strong may well apply.) Which of these would you judge to be possibly most consequential for the church?
C. With what opportunities is the church being presented now? And of these, which would you deem to be the most pregnant? D. Identify the key threats facing the church at least as you see them? (not necessarily the same thing as the threats the church is facing) E. Finally, is there anything else you d like to share with this group concerning this church, its ministry, its past, future or present? IV. Selection of One or Two Persons to Craft a Report in Three Parts for the Session to Review, dealing with: The congregation s life and health, its mission, vision and core values; The neighborhood and the larger setting in which the church is offering its ministry; The gifts, characteristics and capacities the church will need its next installed pastor to bring to a ministry with the church. * How do you want to write/comment on/edit and finalize your draft report for sharing with the session? * Will all of you be there? Will someone take the lead? Will others offer commentary or answer questions? V. Thanksgiving, Prayers and Parting Meeting with the Session for Review and Adoption of the Information Derived from the Assessment Operations:Agencies:Ministry:Churches In Transition:2013 Pastoral Transitions:Pastoral Transitions - Ministry Assessment.docx; Bill Nickels 7-2013