1. Colonial Church
Visioning Retreat
Kevin Graham Ford

2. Introductions Discovery Debrief Discovering Our Code Next Steps
Saturday 12:30-4 and Sunday 12:30-4
Introductions
Discovery Debrief
Discovering Our Code
Next Steps

3. Aligning to Our True North
Alignment
True North
Support Structures
Internal Culture
Public Identity

4. The Visioning Process
Core Values
Focus
Strategic Priorities
Shared

5. “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”
Peter Drucker
“Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”

6. Discovery Debrief

7. Colonial Church
TCI Overview

8. TCI Highlights
509 Participants 72% over 56 years old Only 13% self-identified as leaders Only 22% married with children under 18 74% at Colonial for 10+ years 84% less than 20 minutes away

9. TCI Highlights
Midrange is 35th – 65th percentile
Colonial scored above midrange on one facet: Building (89th percentile)
Colonial scored below midrange on 11 facets: Relationships (28th), Support (16th), Ownership (13th), Connectedness (5th), Vision (6th), Worship (16th), Learning, (16th), Outreach (15th), Involvement (10th), Innovation (27th), and Implementation (21st)
Leadership, Families, and Finances were mid-range around the 41st – 45th

10. Lowest / Highest Negative Responses
Relationships (2%)
Building (4%)
Finances (8%)
Highest
Connectedness (38%)
Vision (32%)
Involvement (36%)

11. A more granular view
The music in our worship services lifts my spirit – 64th percentile.
People really like our church’s music – 76th percentile
Our church provides excellent Christian education for children – 57th percentile
Our church is innovative – 59th percentile
When big decisions are made, many people are included in the decision-making process – 63rd percentile

12. A more granular view
Each individual member feels connected to the big picture of what the church is trying to accomplish (6th percentile and 48% negative)
Everyone is motivated by the church’s vision for the future (8th and 58% neg)
Our church effectively meets the needs of its single adults (5th and 63% neg)
Our church has an effective follow-up program for those who have visited (7th and 49% neg)

13. A more granular view continued
This church has a clearly defined vision… (5th and 43% neg)
This church has diffferentiated itself… (9th and 40% neg)
I have a clear decisions of how decisions are made… (7th and 40% neg)
Our local community knows what our church stands for (16th and 33% neg)
I have participated in an outreach event… (7th and 49% neg)

14. Relational connections Volunteer engagement Aging congregation
Focus Group Summary
Strengths
Children and Youth
Building
Worship Experiences
Concerns
Relational connections
Volunteer engagement
Aging congregation
Past vs. Future

15. SWOT – Brief Warm Up: 30 Minutes
Brainstorm the following, then narrow to the top 3 under each:
Strengths that can be leveraged
Weaknesses that must be addressed
Opportunities that represent great potential
Threats that can be avoided.

16. How do we navigate change?
“Changes are readily embraced by our congregation” scored in the 6th percentile with 58% negative responses. Christendom (Building) vs. Missional (Upper Room and Innove) “If you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevance even less.” Eric Shinseki

17. Breakout – Change and Competing Values
Discuss:
Why is our congregation so resistant to change?
What are the consequences of avoiding change?
What are the consequences of changing?
In what ways do we believe our leadership needs to function differently in light of this?

18. The first task of leadership is to distinguish between what needs to be preserved and what needs to change.
Preserve
Change

19. Code

20. Code

21. Sample Core Values… Other Churches
Grappling with scripture for changing lives together Kids before others---unapologetically Eagerly reaching our unchurched friends together Unselfishly serving those who will never sit in our pews Trying new things for the sake of our mission Engaging in risky ministries for the messiness of life together

22. Core Values Breakout Part One – 60 Minutes
Have each person talk about their most meaningful memory at Colonial. What positive stories have become “larger than life” at Colonial? Which “heroes” in our past best embody our story? Which historical decisions have defined us in a positive way? What else makes Colonial different from other churches, in a positive way? After a deep discussion of the above questions, go to part two.

23. Part 2 – 20 Minutes
Based on the previous discussions, what are the most predominant themes that emerged across all categories? Narrow that list down to four or five key themes. Clearly describe each theme as distinctively as possible (what makes that theme unique to Colonial?) Remember… no more than four or five. Use one flip chart and be prepared to present when we reconvene.

24. Next Steps
Next steps: Do the same exercise with the staff. Go to existing groups within the congregation and ask for meaningful memories and distinctives.

25. Thank You. www. tagconsulting. org www. transformingchurch
Thank You!