R w W k R w W k An Episcopal Planning Tool to Help Your Church Advance Spiritual Growth
Contents Welcome to RENEWALWORKS... 3 Workshop 1 Understanding Follow Me... 4 Workshop 2 Understanding Your Data... 6 Workshop 3 Identifying Actions... 8 Workshop 3 Taking Action... 10 All Workshop products including the Facilitator Guide, Workshop Design, Participant Workbook and Templates are the intellectual property of RenewalWorks, a Forward Movement Ministry. This includes sequencing of exercises detailed in the Facilitator Guide, all assignments, exercise descriptions and processes outlined or described. A special thanks to Church of the Holy Spirit, the 12 pilot Episcopal churches, and the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago as they were instrumental in developing a custom survey and improving the RenewalWorks process. This Workshop was originally created by the WCA and The WildWorks Group. The WCA graciously granted permission to customize the intellectual property for the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago. All materials can be found online at: www.renewalworks.forwardmovement.org 2013 RenewalWorks, a Forward Movement Ministry. All Rights Reserved. R e n e wa lworks 2013 Forward Movement 2
Welcome to RENEWALWORKS A Four Part Process Your Plan for Taking Action Best Practice Principles & Indentifying Actions Episcopal Spiiitual Life Survey Results Spiritual Contiinuum and Growth Catalyst An Episcopal planning tool to help your church advnance spiritual growth Paaicipant Workbook Template You are about to embark upon a journey through the RenewalWorks Planning Process. The overall benefits of this RenewalWorks Planning Process include: intentional devotions and Scripture study designed, along with prayer, to open hearts and the process to the workings of the Holy Spirit alignment around the Follow Me spiritual growth framework clear understanding of the Spiritual Life Survey results Direct application of the study results to possible initiatives improved ownership and accountability for action a process for implementing actions based on the Spiritual Life Survey data You will be an active participant throughout this program relying on your knowledge, experience and perspectives to contribute to the workshops. We hope you find this experience engaging, beneficial and spiritually rewarding. R e n e wa lworks 2013 Forward Movement 3
Workshop 1 Understanding Follow Me Spiritual Growth Framework Paaicipant Workshop 1 Template The four segments are: Exploring a Life with God The people in this group have a basic belief in God, but they re unsure about God s role in their lives. Growing in a Life with God The people in this group have a personal relationship with God. They ve made a commitment to trust God with their future in this life and the next, but they are just beginning to learn what it means to be in a relationship with God. Deepening in Life with God The people in this group depend on God but they see God as someone who assists them in the things that are important to their life. On a daily basis, they turn to God for help and guidance for issues they face. Life with God in the Center The people in this group would identify their relationship with God as the most important relationship in their entire lives. They see their lives as fully surrendered to God, subordinating everything to God s will and desires. In addition to the segments themselves, it is important to look at what moves a person from one stage of spiritual growth to the next. Spiritual growth is not linear or predictable. It is a complex process as unique as each individual, and it progresses R e n e wa lworks 2013 Forward Movement 4
at a pace determined by each person s circumstances and the activity of the Holy Spirit. While the growth process is complex, the research from Follow Me has found a general progression of stages of growth that evidence a simplicity that might help us to think differently about how best to resource and encourage spiritual growth. The Follow Me findings suggest that certain spiritual catalysts are generally aligned with three spiritual movements. Movement 1 In this early movement of spiritual growth it s all about Episcopal fundamentals. Building a firm foundation of spiritual beliefs and attitudes is particularly important. The impact of church activities on spiritual growth is most significant in this movement. Movement 2 This intermediate movement of spiritual growth hinges on developing a routine of personal spiritual practices that feed a growing intimacy with God. Movement 3 Movement 3 is the advanced movement of spiritual growth, made up of God-centered followers who fully surrender their hearts and bring God s Kingdom on earth by making a significant impact on the lives of others. Key Learnings: Preparation for the next workshop: Finish Reading Follow Me, if have not already Begin processing your Church Spiritual Life Survey Data Pack, if provided Complete personal devotional, if applicable R e n e wa lworks 2013 Forward Movement 5
Workshop 2 Understanding Your Data Understanding the Spiritual Vitality Index Paaicipant Workshop 2.1 Template Let Vanilla Ice Cream Guide You Vanilla ice cream is our metaphor for the goal of your Spiritual Life Survey report. This is why: If vanilla is your favorite ice cream flavor, you re in good company. Vanilla is number one on the list of the ten most popular ice cream flavors. Chocolate is number two, then strawberry and on down the list. But this ranking is misleading as an indicator of vanilla s real popularity. Vanilla not only ranks number one; it s also twice as popular as chocolate. And chocolate is significantly more popular than any other flavor on the top-ten list. When it comes to the factors that catalyze spiritual growth in your congregation, we re looking for the spiritual equivalent of vanilla. We don t want you to get bogged down with lots of numbers. We want to help you identify the factors that stand out. So try not to focus on any one-two individual numbers. Look instead for themes for issues that are reinforced across different slides. Look for the vanilla the issue that would catapult the spiritual growth of your people if you addressed it. R e n e wa lworks 2013 Forward Movement 6
Spiritual Vitality Index Personal Spiritual Practices and Beliefs Church s Role Faith in Action Key Takaways Paaicipant Workshop 2.2 Template Key Learnings: Preparation for the next workshop: observe people and activities of your church for experiential confirmation of your survey results and the conclusions you derived from this workshop. Read MOVE Top Churches, if provided Complete personal devotional, if applicable R e n e wa lworks 2013 Forward Movement 7
Workshop 3 Identifying Actions Best Praccce Principles Source: MOVE 2011 - Zondervan Paaicipant Workshop 3.1 Template The Follow Me research also enabled us to identify best practice churches churches that excel at helping their people grow in their love for God and for others. So, what do they do to make spiritual growth happen? Principle #1: They Get Their People Moving - The top churches make it clear to first-time visitors that they intend to grow everyone in their congregation into devoted disciples of God. From their sermons to their literature, the goal of discipleship is unmistakable. And the first steps in that journey are crystal-clear. Principle #2: They Embed the Bible in Everything - The Follow Me research found that the most influential catalyst of spiritual growth is personal time spent in reflection on Scripture. This may seem simple, but we find vastly different levels of engagement with the Bible among congregations Principle #3: They Create Ownership - To own the vision of a church is to possess it on a personal level, to embrace it as a part of your identity. This goes well beyond a sense of belonging, of fitting in, to a church community. Much like the coaches of sports teams, the clergy of our top churches inspire their congregants to take the church s mission into all aspects of their lives. At these churches, the ministry vision tends to be shouldered by a team of dedicated lay leaders who help clergy unite the church body in a common purpose. Principle #4: They Pastor the Local Community - Take the city for Jesus is the rallying cry for MOVE s top churches. Their people are in the thick of their communities sitting on local boards, canvassing blighted neighborhoods to identify and serve needs, going into corners where you wouldn t normally find the church. Creativity abounds in their outreach efforts. R e n e wa lworks 2013 Forward Movement 8
Overall Consolidation Paaicipant Workshop 3.2 Template Key Learnings and Actions I am Responsible For: Preparation for the next workshop: begin to research potential resources that can be used in the next workshop to contribute to the success of key initiatives complete personal devotional, if applicable R e n e wa lworks 2013 Forward Movement 9
Workshop 4 - Taking Action Taking Accon Paaicipant Workshop 4 Template Action planning typically includes deciding who is going to do what and by when and what is needed in order to reach a goal. This is very simple, but is still very useful! Wherever you want to achieve something significant, draw up an Action Plan. This helps you think about what you need to do to achieve that thing, so that you can get help where you need it and monitor your progress. A good Action Plan will be clear and complete realistic Measureable, and create accountability R e n e wa lworks 2013 Forward Movement 10
Here are my key learnings Here is the message I will share with others Here are actions I am responsible for. R e n e wa lworks 2013 Forward Movement 11