1. Reformation of the Multipoint Parish Doesn't Have to Be Scary!

2. Overview of Day Dwelling in the Word Types of Multiple Point Parishes
History and Community
Leadership in Multipoint Parishes
Forming, Strengths, and Challenges of Mutliple Point arrangements
Importance for Community

3. Multipoint Ministry Positives
Sense of shared ministry and mission
Shared parish council with representation of all partners
Opportunities for staff fulfilling specialized ministries
Youth, music, education, nurse, others
Shared visitation

4. Multipoint Ministry Positives
Efficiency in sermon preparation
Coverage during days off, vacation
Need for development of lay ministry
Congregations have own council
Congregations retain property and congregation-specific ministries
Shared office supplies, secretarial services

5. Multipoint Ministry Positives
Perhaps increased financial viability for some of the partners
May allow presence of Christian worship and witness longer than if not in place

6. Multipoint Ministry Challenges
Independent congregational attitude
Past rivalry of congregations and communities
Defining shared mission
Budgeting and Assessments
Perceived unequal treatment
Scheduling of preaching circuit, on-call, council attendance, etc.

7. Multipoint Ministry Challenges
Different congregational traditions in worship
Wanting “our” pastor
Where pastors live, parsonages
Congregation size incongruence
Between congregations
Affecting Staff

8. Multipoint Ministry Challenges
“Hidden” surprises
Parsonage repair
Endowment fund
Conflict within ministry team
Pastoral transitions
Taking seriously God’s “preferred and promised future”

9. Multipoint Agreements
Who is lead/administrative pastor?
Are calls coterminous?
What is the funding plan?
Based on membership? Attendance? Other?
What is each congregation’s percent of parish budget?
How is plan adjusted? How often? What criteria

10. Multipoint Agreements
How is parish council membership defined?
Equal representation? Proportional representation?
Terms
How elected? Same process in all congregations?
How parish council reports to congregations

11. Multipoint Agreements
What are shared parish expenses?
Is there a central office?
Where will pastor(s) live?
How is worship schedule approved?
How is parish budget approved?

12. Important to attend to these because multipoint parishes can model community – our identity as missional people of God
Overcoming competition
Acceptance of others
Working on shared vision and mission
Stewardship, sharing resources beyond ourselves
Concern for and support of wider community beyond ourselves

13. Questions
What have been “best practices”, or what has worked well in multipoint arrangements in your context?
What are the biggest challenges to multipoint arrangements in your context?
What is the biggest priority to address in a multipoint arrangement in your context?

14. Participate in missio Dei, what God is doing, by being sent into the world to actually touch people with service and gospel of forgiveness, acceptance, and hope
John 13: 12-15
[plane incident]

15. Do this to show God’s grace and power in Jesus Christ
II Corinthians 4: 7-12
Cracked pots

16. Participate in missio Dei for sake of the world
John 12: 27-33
[LBJ and helicopter]

17. This is heart of reformation and ministry – all people know promises of God in Jesus Christ
Will do and say some crazy things
Will do and say them because they are true