1. Making Your Church a Vital Congregation
West District of the Indiana Conference
The United Methodist Church

2. Complement to our DNA Membership Vows
Prayers
Presence
Gifts
Service
Witness
5 Vital Signs of Vital Congregations
Disciples engage in growing their faith
Disciples worship
Disciples give to mission
Disciples engage in mission
Disciples make new disciples
Five Fruitful Practices (Imagine Indiana)
Intentional faith development
Passionate worship
Extravagant generosity
Risk-taking mission and service
Radical hospitality
Our membership vows are the most familiar to us as United Methodists (clergy and church members)
They equate to the 5 Fruitful Practices we adopted in Imagine Indiana and there is also continuity with the terms used in our Vital Congregations initiative. As we intersect the language and our practice, we can see it all come together.

3. Why Vital Congregations?
We have the language and the practices for making disciples in the Five Practices.
We have what it means to be a disciple stated in our membership vows.
Vital Congregations now gives us the tools for being held accountable for making and being disciples.

4. Vital Congregation Measurements:
# of small groups
Engaged in growing their faith = Prayers = Intentional faith development
Ave worship attendance
Worship regularly = Presence = Passionate worship
$$ given to outreach
Share by giving in mission = Gifts = Extravagant generosity
# engaged in mission/ outreach
Engaged in mission = Service = Risk taking mission
# professions of faith
Help make new disciples = Witness = Radical hospitality
Your goals are measurements (or metrics) in the five areas that if tended make a congregations vital.

5. Why set goals? Provide clarity and focus to ministry for the Mission
Give the congregation shared vision for the Mission
Move the church forward toward the Mission
Create greater accountability of the Mission
Each number represents a soul

6. Timeline Now Meet with Leadership Team Set Goals
Pastors and lay leaders need to be meeting now, or very soon, to discuss setting goals. This includes praying for discernment, worshiping and praising God for the opportunity, studying scriptures to read what the church is to do and to be, and to get a broad understanding of the task at hand. Then respond to scripture – where God is leading you.
We’ll talk more about setting goals a little later…

7. Timeline Charge Conference in November
January 2012 begin online reporting
VitalSignsUMC.org
Share your story and successes
Learning best practices from others
Peer to peer support and sharing
Easy to use and understand
Open, accessible and evolving
March – Bishop’s meeting
April – General Conference
List your goals in the Charge Conference Minutes
Visit VitalSigns UMC.org now to become familiar with the site and how reporting will work. Beginning Jan 2 you will report weekly
In March the Bishop will join other Bishops at the NC Jurisdictional College of Bishops and present the goals of 1200 IN Conf local churches. In April at General Conference, goals from annual conferences from around the country will be shared and dedicated to God.

8. Critical Dates Your charge conference Goals presented January 2012
Reporting begins online
Every Monday
Remember these dates!

9. What is to be reported? # in weekly attendance at worship service(s)
# of Professions of Faith
# of Small Groups (including Sunday school & Bible study)
# of people participating in Outreach locally and globally
$$ given toward Mission

10. Plan for Mondays
You’ll get an every Monday reminding you to report your data (Starting 1/2/12)
Talk with key leaders/volunteers/admin staff
Who will count and report worship attendance?
Who will track the number of Small groups?
Who will track the number participating in missions?
How/when will the above be reported?
Who will enter the data on Mondays into the Vital Signs webpage?

11. How To Set Goals Start with a time of prayer and discernment
Enter into worship praising God for the opportunity to participate in God’s Mission.
Study the Scripture to see clearly what the Church is to do and to be. (See next slide)
Respond by clarifying where God is already at work in the church you serve and where God is calling you forward.
Set your four-year goals in each of the five goal areas. (Make the goals realistic yet a stretch)

12. How to Set Goals, Con’t. Scriptures:
Acts 1:8 – the scope of the Mission
Acts 2 and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit
Matthew - The Great Commission
Matthew - The Great Commandment
Matthew 22:36-40
I Corinthians 12 – the church as a healthy body
Ephesians 4:10-13 – all have spiritual gifts from Christ
Galatians 3:26 – all are welcome
Micah 6:8 – God expects righteousness and justice from God’s people

13. Action Steps: Establish Action Steps that are SMART Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Time-framed

14. Examples of SMART Action Steps
Worship Attendance:
(Name) will find at least (number) greeters every week. One will welcome people at the entrance, one will move around the room engaging visitors or newer attendees, proactively helping them as needed, one will___.
(Name) will make contact with every visitor by (when).
(Name) will train the volunteer greeters.
All of the above will be done to assist in reaching our goals for 2012.
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Time-framed

15. SMART Examples Professions Of Faith :
Invitations for professions of faith will be offered at least ____/year from the pulpit and through Sunday School Classes, youth group, and Small Group Bible Studies.
All leaders will be asked to invite any attendees to make a profession of faith and attend confirmation.
Adult and Youth Confirmation/Membership classes will be offered at least (how many times?)
(Name) will evaluate our progress/effectiveness in this area every 3 months and make adjustments as needed.
All of the above will be done to assist in reaching our goals for 2012.
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Time-framed

16. SMART Examples Small Groups/Sunday School/Bible Studies:
We will host two 4-week studies as outreach/discipleship opportunities.
One in March on “Relationships” after Valentine’s Banquet. One in October on “Finances.”
Groups will meet in homes or at the church. Guests will be invited to attend Sunday Worship.
(Name) will evaluate progress/effectiveness in this area every 3 months and make adjustments as needed.
All of the above will be done to assist in reaching our goals for 2012.
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Time-framed

17. SMART Examples Outreach in Mission:
We will celebrate the outreach we’re currently doing by having a member share about his/her experience during a Sunday Worship Service each quarter.
We will invite our congregation and new members to participate in at least one outreach event each year.
We will participate in the District’s Great Day of Serving with our cluster in our community.
We will ask our congregation for new ideas on outreach and mission locally, regionally and globally.
All of the above will be done to assist in reaching our goals for 2012.
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Time-framed

18. SMART Examples Giving to Mission:
We will celebrate the giving we’re currently doing by having a member share about our mission partners during a Sunday Worship Service each quarter.
We will have an article in the church newsletter about “Your Giving: God’s Work” highlighting where our giving dollars go.
We will have a bulletin board with mission giving opportunities and information.
We will invite (Name)to talk about mission and giving opportunities.
All of the above will be done to assist in reaching our goals for 2012.
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Time-framed

19. Fruit: A Vital Congregation
Worship Attendance
Professions of Faith
Small Groups
Mission & Outreach
Giving toward Mission
Keep in mind that reporting in these five areas is not just a “bunch of numbers” – each number represents a person, a disciple of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

20. Remember…
This is about people, about the future, coming full circle.