Midland Aldersgate United Methodist Church CONSULTATION REPORT March 26, 2017 Introduction We, the VCI consultation team, thank Rev. Michael Sawicki, staff, lay leaders and the congregation of Aldersgate United Methodist Church for the invitation to consult with this Body of Christ. The following observations and prescriptions are the result of this consultation team s study of the following information: a) Aldersgate s self-study documents provided by its leaders, which includes the a MissionInsite demographic report of the area population, the March, 2017 Mystery Guest report by Faith Perceptions -the result of worship visits from 11 persons from the community- and worship videos, b) interviews with pastors, staff and ministry team leaders, c) a focus group with members of the congregation, d) a meeting with the administrative council, and e) input from the consultation workshop. We are confident that God will use this assessment experience and consultation report, to help Aldersgate United Methodist Church to more effectively be and make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the community and the world. Strengths 1. Warm, Caring Relationships: A healthy congregation is marked by authentic love for one another. Throughout our interviews, we heard phrases such as: We love and take care of each other. If we have a need, all we have to do is ask. These are truly wonderful people great personalities. We are blessed to be here. Whether newcomers or long-time members, this congregation deeply cares for one another. You are truly living out Jesus command to Love one another as I have loved you. 2. Hospitality: Your authentic love for one another overflows and extends to your guests. Mystery Guests reported being genuinely greeted, talked to and welcomed by different members of the church community in both services. Friendliness, Greeting Upon Arrival and Pre-Service Atmosphere all scored above 9 out of 10, which is beyond Very Good. One guest remarked, "Multiple people were at the door to shake your hand and immediately we were whisked away for a tour and to meet other people. I have never felt so welcome at a church in my whole life. Approximately 70% of those first-time guests revealed a high interest in returning. "If it were up to my husband, we would be going here every week. 3. Committed Lay Leadership: This congregation benefits from dedicated leaders with a wide variety of skills, enthusiastic service, creative energy, passion and faithfulness. Leaders seem intentionally open to listening to one another, especially those whose ideas and opinions are likely different from their own. In our interviews, we heard genuine readiness for change (9.3 in the Friday night Focus Group) and a desire to move beyond the walls of the church. It is uncommon for VCI teams to hear so many leaders reflect on their life-changing faith in Jesus Christ. The ability to identify and share a genuine faith journey is a key to articulating a clear message to those not yet within the church. 4. Pastor and Staff: Your VCI Self-Study Questionnaire listed Staff as #1 of the three greatest strengths. Clearly, Pastor Michael and the Staff are a real asset to Aldersgate UMC. One interviewee said, We have a service-minded staff it s not a job to them. Our interviews Aldersgate United Methodist Church page 1 March 26, 2017
with leaders and the Focus Groups unanimously affirmed confidence in Pastor Michael s gifts and ability to lead. The congregation and Mystery Guests affirmed his preaching. It was easy to grasp. The message related to me. His experience as a church planter and his deep personal faith enables Pastor Michael to model how to build relationships and share the faith as Aldersgate UMC seeks to reach the broken and the lost for Christ. 5. Financial Stability and Extravagant Generosity: It is apparent that Aldersgate UMC understands the principles of financial stewardship. You have been a Spotlight Church for many years, have consistently ended each year in the black, and eagerly provide for unbudgeted missional needs as they arise. Your spiritual gift of generosity enables you to share an abundance of blessings to support mission and ministry (e.g. New Heart UMC, missionary support and youth mission trips). Your financial stability and commitment to generosity leaves you poised for a bold new adventure with God. Concerns 1. Encumbered Structure and Lack of an Outwardly-Focused Aligned Vision: The Consultation Team affirms Aldersgate UMC s Mission and Vision Statement, Where People Know Jesus and Make Him Known. However, your Self-Study materials and our interviews revealed no evidence of intentional alignment with your vision and core values. There seems to be little or no strategic planning, goal-setting within the staff and ministries, evaluation or accountability among your leadership. Critical decisions are often bogged down in a paralysis of analysis, and projects are not completed. In addition, past conflict gave rise to financial hardships due to sudden loss of membership, leading to a pervasive poverty mentality. Thus, major decisions create anxiety, a deep-seated fear of conflict and resistance to change. A structure that is aligned towards a clear and compelling vision answers the question of why the mission of the church matters and calls people to unite in focusing outward to become a fruitful congregation. 2. Inwardly-Focused: Now is the time to move your hospitality beyond your front door. A healthy, growing church reaches beyond its walls to build relationships in the community. In our interviews, your leadership expressed a deep desire to reach the unchurched in your neighborhood. We applaud your Missions team for your extravagant generosity. However, this style is transactional, not relational in nature, leaving your outreach under-effective. In your Self-Study materials and our interviews, few opportunities for hands-on outreach were cited. Thom Rainer, President of Lifeway Christian Resources says that the most common factor in declining churches is an inward-focus. It is time for Aldersgate UMC to roll up your sleeves, go beyond the walls, and become the hands, feet and voice of Jesus in this community! 3. Lack of Community awareness and appeal: In this neighborhood setting, the church can be difficult to find, and due to zoning laws, there is a lack of consistent visible signage. Mystery Guests rated Community Awareness as 4.45 out of 10 (your lowest overall score). "I asked for directions at a restaurant five minutes from the church and was told that they couldn't tell me where it was." Another guest was late for worship because I completely missed it and kept on going down Swede driving in the opposite direction." Once people have found you, your grounds, facility and communication tools will make a first impression. Your church is well-kept and we appreciate the work you have done to Aldersgate United Methodist Church page 2 March 26, 2017
update and make it more attractive (e.g. Prayer Room, Pastor s Office, Nursery and Toddler Room). Much work remains to be done to reduce the institutional feel and make your facility more appealing to guests. Your communication tools (both printed and digital) are primarily insider-focused and your printed materials look dated. 4. Lack of pizazz in Worship: Worship is the most important thing you do to connect with God and one another. There seems to be little coordination, collaboration or evaluation of either worship service. Time and time again we heard concern over the current Sunday morning schedule and the lack of skilled leadership in music ministry. The team observed worship that is geared towards insiders and personal preference, rather than worship intentionally designed to engage newcomers (e.g. dated contemporary worship music and passing the microphone for prayer concerns). Mystery Guests observed the congregation did not feel engaged in worship and energy was low. This may be due to the fact that your sanctuary seats 231, yet each service averages less than 90. Under 40% of seats are filled, creating a feeling of emptiness and a cringe factor for your guests. 5. Need for Discipleship Pathway and Intentional Leadership Development: There are various classes and some opportunities for adult spiritual formation, but no intentional effort to engage individuals in life-long discipleship; the pathway in place is stalled. The Consultation Team perceived a palpable separation between those who considered themselves spiritually awakened, and those who they believe are not. Ministry to children suffers because staff is stretched in too many directions. Volunteers are deployed, but not necessarily according to their gifts or passions. There is no connection between D.I.G and Youth Group. Attention needs to be given to developing skills necessary to lead age-specific ministries. Aldersgate UMC lacks an intentional process of leadership development. Such a process would prevent burn-out, broaden your volunteer base, engage new people in ministry, improve ministry effectiveness and help leaders become more spiritually mature. Prescriptions* To address the above concerns, Aldersgate United Methodist Church will implement the following prescriptions. 1. Clarify Vision, Align Ministries and Streamline Structure to Support an Outwardly-Focused Vision - A Vital Church recognizes their reason to exist (MISSION) is rooted in the words of Jesus; All power has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go and make followers of all the nations. (Matt. 28:18-19) To ensure your new vision statement reflects your values and properly shifts your focus outward, aligning your structure to a shared guiding vision, Aldersgate UMC must do the following: a. Clarify Vision Complete a Service of Spiritual Renewal to embrace God s mandate for making disciples. This will be led by the coach or her designee in consultation with the pastor by June 25, 2017. To prepare the congregation to fully receive God s call to your future, the VCI Prayer Team will continue their leadership in prayer. The coach or her designee will facilitate a Core Values workshop with key leaders no later than June 25, 2017. The purpose is to clarify how God wants the congregation to uniquely live out its vision, accomplish its mission while identifying Aldersgate United Methodist Church page 3 March 26, 2017
its key core values. The mission, vision and values will be affirmed by the Administrative Council by September 1, 2017. By October 15, 2017, the coach or her designee will facilitate the Goal Setting workshop for all leaders, to establish strategic ministry objectives and goals that align with the mission, vision and values. Immediately following the Goal Setting workshop, the pastor, staff and leaders shall engage in annual long-range planning. The results of this planning session will be shared with the congregation by January 30, 2018 and used in establishing goals and strategies. Projects currently not completed (the pavilion, signage, and closet by sanctuary) will be prioritized with due dates and a point person in charge. The leadership will set a date for goal-setting in 2018 and thereafter as part of a regular strategic planning process. b. Streamline Structure: The pastor, in consultation with the coach, shall name a Governance Task Force of 3-5 people by June 15, 2017 to study effective policy governance board structures that support relevant and timely ministries. To prepare for its work, the task force will read Stephen Ross' Leadership and Organization for Fruitful Congregations (2014). The coach, or her designee, shall facilitate the VCI two-part workshop, Accountability Leadership and Policy Governance Boards, for all current and incoming leaders and interested congregants by November 10, 2017. The task force will draft and introduce a restructure plan to the Administrative Council no later than May 31, 2018. The Council will adopt the restructuring plan, and present the new structure to the congregation for adoption at the 2018 Church Conference. A resource person is Rod Kalajainen, pastor, Redeemer UMC, DeWitt. A supplementary resource is John Kaiser's Winning On Purpose. This streamlined structure shall be fully operational by January 1, 2019. 2. Intentional and Focused Community Outreach: Our love for Christ should be exemplified by our intentional and consistent love for others. Romans 10:15b reminds us; How beautiful are the feet of messengers that bring good news! Now is the time to move beyond transactional ministry into relationship-building ministries in your church and community. This will be accomplished by the following: a. Intergenerational Fellowship The pastor, in consultation with the Member Care Team Chairperson, will create a Task Force of 3-5 people by June 15, 2017 to plan at least two connect events per year, with at least one occurring in 2017, for current service attenders to build a sense of community within the congregation. Following each event, the team will evaluate the effectiveness. b. Assimilation - The pastor, in consultation with the coach, will create an Assimilation Task Force of 2-3 people, to develop a process of assimilation that will integrate a newcomer and strengthen the bonds of your current fellowship by February 15, 2018. Suggested resources are Fusion by Nelson Searcy and Clip In by Jim Ozier and Fiona Haworth. The Assimilation Task Force will review the current guest follow-up process and make necessary changes as needed by April 1, 2018. c. Outreach In consultation with the coach, the pastor will form an Outreach Team of 3-5 people to lead and facilitate intentional outreach in the community. Team will be named and begin their work by February 15, 2018. Team s work will include: Develop a comprehensive plan for the church s outreach ministries to ensure they are both relationship-oriented and have clearly established goals. Plan will Aldersgate United Methodist Church page 4 March 26, 2017
include preaching, teaching, and practical steps for community neighboring using the resource, Get Their Name: Grow Your Church By Building Relationships by Bob Farr and Kay Kotan. The coach, or her designee will facilitate a bridge event workshop, Community Connections by April 30, 2018. Aldersgate UMC will conduct 3 neighborhood block parties to make Jesus known in your community. You may build on events you already offer (e.g. Easter Egg Hunt, meals for visually impaired and Thanksgiving Baskets). At least 1 event must be held away from the church grounds. First event will be held by September 1, 2018. To create awareness of the church in the community, ensure that church volunteers wear t-shirts with the church name, and make sure at least some of the items that are offered have the church s name, vision, website, and contact information on them, (e.g. water bottles, pencils, ice cream cone wrappers, Frisbees, etc.) Following the relationship-building events, the team will evaluate the event s effectiveness and discuss ways to improve the next event. Forming a focus group of some of those who attended or asking participants to complete an online survey using a resource like Survey Monkey that can be linked to the church s webpage are excellent means of evaluation. 3. Community Awareness and Building Appeal: Your greatest mission field may be right in your backyard! So how can they call on someone they don t have faith in and how can they have faith in someone they haven t heard of? (Romans 10:14) a. To stimulate community awareness, Pastor in consultation with Coach, will create a Marketing/Communication Team of 3 to 5 persons by June 7, 2017. Their work will include: Use a graphic designer to develop images that can work on t-shirts, printed and digital communication and all signage. Together with the Prayer Team, read Prayer Walking: Praying On Site with Insight by Steve Hawthorne and Graham Kendrick. Then develop a Prayer Walk ministry to get members out into the neighborhood. Congregations can see their communities with different eyes when they walk and pray for discernment, wisdom and power to meet needs and build life-changing relationships in their immediate neighborhood. Wearing Aldersgate UMC t-shirts, the first Prayer Walk shall be conducted no later than July 31, 2017. Complete the MissionInsite Community Study #4 on page 19 of the Self Study Guide. Then review the findings and your MissionInsite Executive Reports with your coach in order to determine your target audience. This will be completed by August 31, 2017. Use MissionInsite to develop a local mailing list to communicate with your target audience. This will implemented by September 30, 2017. b. To better appeal to newcomers and improve building aesthetics, an Interior Design Team of 2-3 people (including 1 Trustee) will be named by the pastor in consultation with the coach no later than September 1, 2018. Team will engage a Commercial Interior Designer to assist in developing a plan for the entire facility to be updated and made more appealing. Plan will be submitted to Administrative Council for approval by April 30, 2019 and implementation will begin immediately thereafter. Aldersgate United Methodist Church page 5 March 26, 2017
4. Move Worship from Good to Great Excellence in worship honors God and inspires People. Worship the Lord with gladness; come into His presence with singing. (Psalm 100:2) Healthy and Vital Churches seek to bring excellence in all they do, especially worship regardless of style. a. Pastor, in consultation with coach will name 5-7 persons to a Worship Design Team by June 1, 2017. Team will include the pastor, someone from the music staff and a representative from both worship services. Their work will include: Read together and study Think Like a Filmmaker: Sensory Rich Worship Design for Unforgettable Messages by Marcia McFee. Subscribe to McFee s online Worship Design Studio to help with future planning and consider attending one of her workshops. Visit at least three growing churches that have effective worship of multiple styles to be completed by October 31, 2017. In light of the above, conduct a complete review of first and second worship services and begin to implement what you have learned immediately. Create a 2018 worship budget for both contemporary and traditional worship. Work with Staff Parish Relations Committee to develop a Job Description and hire a skilled and trained Worship Leader to facilitate a better worship flow. b. A Task Force comprised of the Pastor, Christian Ed Director, Youth Leader, Chair of the Worship Design Team, Chair of Administrative Council will conduct a review of the current Sunday Morning Schedule to be completed by August 15, 2017. Teams of 2, (excluding pastor) will conduct small group listening sessions to hear concerns and ideas from current congregation. NOTE: If your target audience is families with children, we highly recommend you shift your Sunday worship schedule to 9:30 and 11:00 am. c. Sanctuary Space - To overcome the current cringe factor, we highly recommend removing a few rows of pews in the rear, working towards replacing pews with chairs, as well as a complete review (in consultation with your coach), of the entire platform space. 5. Develop a Clear Discipleship Pathway and Leadership Development Process: While Aldersgate UMC has a dedicated staff and appreciative congregation, your ministry model is failing to raise up, equip and deploy spiritually mature leaders. This neglects the biblical model of Ephesians 4:12,...to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up a. Discipleship Pathway - The pastor, in consultation with the coach, shall name 3-5 persons to form a Pathway Team by April 30, 2018. Their task will include: Review the Sunday morning curriculum used at every age level and consider using materials that better reflect our Wesleyan theology. Complete review by August 1, 2018. Read and study together, Membership to Discipleship by Phil Maynard. Other resources include Deeping Your Effectiveness: Restructuring the Local Church for Life Transformation by Dan Glover and Claudia Lavy and A Disciple s Path by James Harnish. Create an intentional spiritual pathway for all ages to be presented to Administrative Council by January 15, 2019. Aldersgate United Methodist Church page 6 March 26, 2017
b. Small Group Ministry Upon completion of the above pathway, the Team will develop a diverse and sustainable small group ministry. A process of ongoing training, spiritual nurturing and support for leaders of these small groups will also be developed and implemented by March 6, 2019. The expansion of your current small group ministry will have a significant impact on retention and connection as your congregation grows numerically. A good resource is Sticky Church by Larry Osborne. c. Leadership Development and Multiplication Aldersgate UMC lacks an intentional process of leadership development and multiplication to broaden its volunteer base, engage new people in ministry, and improve ministry effectiveness. Steps to accomplish this process shall include, but not be limited to: In order to more effectively disciple the children and youth: o Develop a job description for a paid ¼ time Children s Ministry Leader. This person will work in connection with the Christian Education Director to focus on the Children s DIG and with the outreach team to develop events that will connect with children. o The Youth Director will assume responsibility for Youth DIG. No later than January, 2019, Pastor will begin Administrative Council using The Class Meeting: Reclaiming a Forgotten (and Essential) Small Group Experience by Kevin M. Watson. We encourage intentional spiritual development to become a regular part of all meetings at Aldersgate UMC. In consultation with coach, Pastor will name a 4-5 person Lay Leadership Development Team to replace Nominations by January 15, 2019. Team will develop a plan for identifying, recruiting, training, supporting and deploying new leaders according to their giftedness by May 30, 2019. We recommend resources such as Connect: How to Double Your Number of Volunteers by Nelson Searcy or Exponential by Larry Ferguson. Conclusion We, the consulting team, want to thank you for the opportunity to serve your congregation through this Vital Church Initiative assessment process. Our prayers and hope for your congregation are that God will use this process to help your church become more effective and fruitful. May God give you courage and strength as you move forward. Gary Step, Lead Consultant LuAnn Rourke, Directive Coach Tonya Arnesen, Scribe Ron Bekkering Carol Blair Bouse Dave Selleck Town Hall Meeting Dates: April 9, 2017 at 1:00pm April 23, 2017 at 1:00pm May 2, 2017 at 7:00pm Church Conference Date: May 7, 2017 at 1:00 pm *Note: Prescription deadlines may be adjusted in consultation with the assigned VCI coach. Aldersgate United Methodist Church page 7 March 26, 2017