Answering Questions You May Have About ReForming Colonial s Church Council, with the enthusiastic support of our ministerial staff, is launching ReForming - What is God Calling Us to Next? This is a church-wide discernment process that begins September 10 and concludes in June 2018. ReForming is a major undertaking for Colonial Church. It is the result of more than five months of prayerful consideration by Colonial s Church Council and our Senior Minister Daniel Harrell. There are a number of reasons why we should engage in this process, several key elements you need to understand about ReForming, and a lot of activities around ReForming that will occur over the next nine months. If you have a lot of questions, we are not surprised. Here are our answers to questions we think you may have. Why Is Council Launching a Discernment Process for the Entire Church? The Council believes Colonial is at a challenging time in its history. Colonial has been and continues to be blessed in many ways, and many have expressed their gratitude for and enthusiasm about our community. Others believe Colonial is not the vibrant community it could and should be, pointing to an aging demographic make-up, a downward slope in giving and membership, and a perceived lack of energy and vision for Colonial s future. Council believes we should openly and candidly confront these differing views about where we are today and where we are headed, and that Colonial should do this in a Congregational way, seeking God s will as a church community, led by the Spirit of Christ communicating its will for Colonial through its members. This is consistent with the guiding principle, embedded in our bylaws, that it is the responsibility of the Church Council, the Senior Minister and the Staff, working together, and discerning the will of the members, to define the entire purpose and program of Colonial Church. What Are Key Elements - or Drivers - That Will Guide and Direct ReForming? ReForming Will Be A Spirit-led Process. Discernment is all about making good decisions and the Bible has scores of verses that speak to the need to be continually and prayerfully seeking wisdom and understanding. We know, of course, this is not something we can do by relying on our own intellect and experience. So, from beginning to end of ReForming, we will be seeking the renewal and guidance of the Holy Spirit to discern what is the will of God -- what is good, and acceptable and perfect for Colonial Church (Romans 12:2). 1
ReForming Will Be A Congregational Process. We are a congregational church, and the Congregational Way means that in major decisions we seek to be led by the Spirit of Christ communicating its will for Colonial corporately through its members. How the Colonial community faithfully, yet creatively bears witness to the Gospel in our increasingly secular culture could not be more important. We will, therefore, follow a serious and systematic discernment process to assure that every member of our community has a voice and by that we mean each member of our community will have an opportunity to speak into this time of discernment. Our goal is not majority rule, but mutual and glad submission to the will of the Lord as we understand it, having sought the Lord, studied his word and relied on the Holy Spirit to guide us together. ReForming Will Be a Facilitated Process. What this means is that we will use an outside consultant to assist us as we engage in discernment. In other words, the consultant s role will not be to give us their answers, but rather, because of their professional experience and expertise, they will stimulate our minds and hearts in gathering and synthesizing information and in developing a vision for Colonial s future. Because the facilitator represents an objective, outside perspective, members of our community can be confident their ideas and opinions will be heard and given appropriate weight. And, we will benefit from our consultant s exposure to many churches around the country which, along with us, compose the Church of Jesus Christ. We seek to do our part as a part of this greater community of faith. What Are the Goals of the Discernment Process? ReForming s primary goals are: To help Colonial Church faithfully grasp what God is doing in our midst; and, To answer the question: At this point in our history, what is God calling us to, as a church of Jesus Christ, with the abundant resources that He has entrusted to us? By this point in our history we mean the challenging cultural context that we live in today-- e.g., ever increasing complexity and pace of our lives, our culture s emphasis on autonomy and consumerism, declining interest in formal religion, and the eroding effect of prosperity and affluence on commitment to church community. We also mean Colonial s particular place in this cultural context, with ample resources, new staff, a passion for faithful mission and a desire to both know and do the will of the Lord as his church. By abundant resources we mean primarily all the wisdom, talent and experience that exists within our church community, as well as our spacious and well-maintained facilities in a strategic location. Though we have recently received a large infusion of funds, this will not be a focus of the discernment process. We believe decisions about how we might apply or conserve our financial resources will naturally emerge from a re-formed conviction of, and commitment to, God's call on us as Colonial Church. As we pursue these goals, Council believes we must deliberately seek God s wisdom and will through a prayerful, intentional and thoughtful discernment process, so to best equip us as God's people at Colonial Church to be the visible and tangible Body of Christ in both spiritual formation and mission. 2
Why Do We Need An Outside Consultant? Your Church Council believes we need an outside consultant for several reasons. First, because of the scope of the process we envision, as well as the challenges we face within our community and the cultural challenges all churches are facing today, we believe we need the resources of an organization with relevant expertise and experience to assure that our process is well-conceived, thorough and professionally documented. Second, because a number in our Colonial community are skeptical about the current direction of our church, we believe an objective, outside perspective will give members of our community confidence their ideas and opinions will be heard and given appropriate weight. Finally, we believe our process will be enriched because our consultant will be able to share both the challenges faced by other churches and the creativity of their responses to these challenges. To be clear, we will use an outside consultant to assist and support us as we seek to understand God s call on us as Colonial. In other words, the consultant s role will not be to give us their answers, but rather, because of their professional experience and expertise, we believe they will be used by the Holy Spirit to stimulate our minds and hearts in gathering and synthesizing information and in developing a vision for Colonial s future. We are grateful that the Foundation has provided financial support to retain the resources needed for this vital initiative. Who Has Been Selected as Colonial s Consultant? After exploring and interviewing other potential resources, Council selected The Armstrong Group (TAG) to be ReForming s discernment process facilitator. TAG is an organizational development consulting firm that has provided services to government departments and agencies, as well as some of the world s largest construction companies and Fortune 500 companies. TAG, however, is distinct from most, if not all, similar organizations in that it s leadership and most of its professionals are serious followers of Jesus. Beginning in 2000, TAG has built a church consulting practice which has provided organizational development and transformation consulting services to over 800 churches, from church plants to mega churches. If you want to find out more about TAG s church consulting practice, go to www.transformingchurch.net. Or, check out a video about TAG s work with churches at https://vimeo.com/63573706. What Will Be TAG s Role in the Discernment Process? TAG s work in support of ReForming will be in two distinct phases called Discovery and Visioning. Discovery will begin in September and conclude with a report to the congregation in January 2018. This phase includes the following elements: All members of our community will have the opportunity to provide feedback and input through TAG s online survey called Transforming Church Insight (TCI). This survey includes 135 questions that measure 12 indicators of church health and five open-ended questions. A paper version of the online survey will also be available for those who prefer completing the survey this way. 3
Based on the TCI survey, TAG will supply a detailed report comparing Colonial s results on the 12 indicators of church health compared to national norms for churches. TAG will also gather and supply both demographic and ethnographic data about our backyard (an area within a seven mile radius from the church) using its TC Neighborhood tool. On November 4, TAG will facilitate a number of focus groups (6-8 people each) to secure qualitative information from selected elements of the church community (e.g., young parents, newcomers, lay leaders, etc.). During and after the Discovery Process, TAG will also coach our ministerial staff. TAG will coach our pastors using its Prevailing Talents assessment process (that builds on Clifton s StrengthFinders) and will lead a one-day workshop on November 3 to help our pastors better understand their strengths to be more effective in their roles. In addition, a TAG consultant will provide coaching to Daniel focused on his role in leading us as we implement the change to which God calls us through our discernment process. Following the conclusion of the Discovery process, TAG will supply a detailed written report on its findings which will be supplied to the church family by January 1, 2018. On Sunday, January 14, 2018 TAG will lead a 2-hour workshop following our morning worship service at Colonial to review the results of the Discovery Process and gain congregational input from break-out sessions. TAG s Visioning phase will consist of facilitating three Visioning workshops on March 3-4, April 14-15, and May 19-20, 2018, followed by a report to the congregation on June 3, 2018. About 25 individuals (both pastors and lay leaders) will be invited to participate in Visioning workshops that will be facilitated by Kevin Graham Ford, a co-founder of TAG and leader of its church consulting practice, and the author or co-author of a number of books on organizational development topics, including books focused on organizational development for churches. Under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, the goals of these workshops, each 1 1/2 days in length, will be: To identify current realities at Colonial; To articulate and sharpen Colonial s core ideology (Colonial s unique DNA and its mission commitments that will never change); To agree on steps to better align Colonial s core ideology with the other features of its identity: its culture, its infrastructure and its brand ; and, To develop a vision for Colonial s future, including possible action steps and initiatives that bring Colonial s unique capabilities to important Kingdom-building work that can be recommended to the members of Colonial Church. 4
The Visioning phase will culminate on Sunday, June 3, 2018. Following our morning worship service, Kevin Ford will facilitate a workshop for the entire congregation at which the results of the Visioning process will be presented, followed by break-out sessions to allow for congregational input. This Sounds Corporate. How Will We Pursue God s Vision for Colonial? Colonial s Church Council and pastoral staff are committed to ReForming being a discernment process that is grounded in Colonial s spirit and culture and, from beginning to end, guided by the Holy Spirit speaking though the members of the church community. As the next nine months unfold, we will be offering various ways for the entire church family to be engaged in and contributing the conversation about how we, as a church of Jesus Christ, answer the question: What is God calling us to next? TAG will support ReForming with robust and well-structured tools for discernment based on best organizational development theory and practice. These tools are used in corporate settings, but that does not disqualify them to be tools the Holy Spirit can use to guide and direct us in the discernment process. Based on their numerous examples and descriptions of their process and its outcomes, we are confident they will tailor their work to Colonial s distinctive and unique features. When asked how the Holy Spirit and spiritual discernment is integrated into their process, TAG s leader, Kevin Ford, expressed a genuine desire and personal commitment to rely fully on the Holy Spirit at each stage of the ReForming process. Where Will ReForming Take Us? How Should We Pray About ReForming? The Council and our ministerial staff are convinced God is calling Colonial Church to the season of faithful discernment we have described above, and that the Holy Spirit, through this process and by grace, will give us vision for new and exciting ways we can Grow in Christ and Serve the World. Even though we cannot today say specifically what this will look like, we can be confident in the promise of Hebrews 11:1 of our faith being... the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. As we step out in faith during this discernment process, we pray, and ask the members of the Colonial Church family to pray, not only for wisdom, but also for unity. In the words of the management consultant and author Margaret Wheatley: It is possible to prepare for the future without knowing what it will be. The primary way to prepare for the unknown is to attend to the quality of our relationships, to know and trust one another. During this time of discernment may we deepen our relationships with one another, learn from each other, and in the words of Ephesians 4:3: keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 5