January 21, 2017 Bill Wilson

Our Mission: CHC is devoted to improving the spiritual, emotional and organizational health of churches and ministers. We bring hope, help and healing in the spirit of Christ. www.CHChurches.org

The most important thing about me…

Spiritual Discernment Ignatius’ idea of Holy Indifference: “I am indifferent to anything but God’s will” Discerning God’s Divine Will Human decision- making Mary’s Prayer Luke 1 Jesus’ Prayer Luke 22 “Let it be to me according to your word…” “…not my will but yours be done.”

The Spirit of INDIFFERENCE God’s Will Nothing more Nothing else Nothing less 1. Is there anything I need to set aside so that I can be open to what God wants? 2. What needs to die in me in order for God’s will to come forth in my life?

The Spirit of INDIFFERENCE God’s Will Nothing more Nothing else Nothing less 1. Is there anything WE need to set aside so that WE can be open to what God wants? 2. What needs to die in US in order for God’s will to come forth in OUR life?

The 2nd Prayer: the Prayer for WISDOM “If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly and it will be given you.” James 1:5

Central Baptist Church At the Center for Healthy Churches, we have some Core Values that guide our work: This is an SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT PROCESS that uses Appreciative Inquiry methodology. YOU are the experts on CBC. Not me. Not staff. The process is radically congregational. The conversations are integral to the process. It will be messy. Process may trump product. NO ONE gets everything they want. The question we are trying to answer is not “What do you want for your church?”, but: WHO DOES GOD INTEND US TO BE?

CONGREGATIONAL REDESIGN 5-D CYCLE FOR CONGREGATIONAL REDESIGN DEFINITION Focus on church functioning as a whole DISCOVER Church’s Positive Core DREAM Ideal Future of Church in Action DESIGN Generate and Describe Innovations DESTINY Church’s Path Forward Taken from Appreciative Inquiry Change at the Speed of Imagination by Watkins, Mohr & Kelly

A Vision Plan for a congregation’s future 5-6 months of high priority congregational work Commitment to prayer and discernment that is personal and corporate A team of leaders to guide the process 4 congregational conversations Community Forum(s) Producing a guide/plan for the near future

1. Understand yourself by clarifying your identity Read the Bible Clarify your theology Clarify your congregational culture Examine your history Identify your core values Describe your uniqueness State your purpose or mission

2. Understand your community Where are we? Why are we here? Obtain and interpret demographic information Identify the needs and challenges around you Ask leaders who know the community Look for opportunities around you LISTEN. LISTEN.LISTEN.

3. Envision the future as God does Identify and map your assets Discern your passions and sense of calling. Where are we going? What is our “mission from God”? Dream a BIG dream Align all of the church with the vision

4. Make a plan to align the church with the future you have envisioned Identify the areas on which to focus Create SMART goals for each area of focus Assign responsibilities Measure progress Practice relentless alignment

Once we have a clear ministry mission/vision, then we will turn our attention to ALIGNING these four critical aspects of the congregation’s life. Facilities Staff Mission/Vision Structures Finances

The overall planning process has four “movements.” 1. The Vision Team plans how to engage the congregation in the planning process 2. The Congregation members dialogue with each other and provide information to the Vision Team 3. The Vision Team processes and organizes what they learn from the congregation and drafts recommendations to be considered by the congregation’s leaders and members. This movement may involve dialogue with committees or councils about issues that relate specifically to their areas before making recommendations. 4. The Congregation votes on specific recommendations.

Seek a Fresh, Compelling Vision S-Curve of Progress Seek a Fresh, Compelling Vision Fresh Compelling Vision Original Compelling Vision Fresh Energy Fresh Commitment Excitement Commitment Energy Ferment Frustration Discontent Confusion Anger Blaming Grieving Exits (if allowed to continue)

Life Cycle of Congregations Shared Beliefs & Missional Goals Nostalgia Decline & Conflict Birth Death Possible Resurrection, not Resuscitation

The changing landscape of church attendance What is Frequency of Attendance, and why should we care?

500 active members 3x per month 375 average attendance (.75 x 500)

*Active membership increases 2% per year for 35 years *Attendance frequency decreases from 3.5 to 2.8 Sundays/month

Why frequency is dropping Youth sports leagues, competitions of all kinds Vacation homes, timeshares Collegiate and professional athletics The dramatic increase in the number of “holiday” weekends Illness (as people live longer, they are more likely to be seriously ill and unable to attend) Aging parents Ease of travel Fatigue Commitment level Others?

Mega Church Facts Hartfordinstitute.org “Not who you think they are” Mega Churches grow an average of 8% annually. 94% of that growth is biological/transfer growth. “Upgrade” growth. 75% of those attendees come from other churches. Only 6% of MC attendees had never attended worship services before coming (5% at “all churches”) 18% had “not attended church in years” (16% at “all churches”)

What does this mean to us?? 1/3 of the American work force is at work on Sunday morning. 1/3 of Americans are unchurched. Have not attended any worship event in one year.