Date post: | 15-Jul-2015 |
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FROM VISION TO
STRATEGIC PLANNING
CONGREGATIONAL
MISSION ASSESSMENT
(CMA)
AN EDUCATIONAL NUGGET BASED ON
TOM BANDY’S WRITINGS
Rev. Dr. Pablo A. Jiménez
Introduction
In our previous videos we have
studied the meaning of concepts
such as vision & mission.
We also saw two models for Church
development and growth, namely the
Declining Church and the Thriving
Church.
Strategic planning
In this occasion we turn our sight to
strategic planning, a key topic for any
Church revitalization plan.
Our video has been developed in
dialogue with Thomas G. Bandy’s
“Moving Off the Map” (Nashville:
Abingdon Press, 1998).
A Book we Strongly
Recommend
Here we will define each area, focusing on
the goals for analysis. On “Moving Off the
Map”, you will find key questions and
strategies to analyze each sub-system.
Overview of the Sub-
Systems
Foundational Sub-Systems
Congregational Identity
Congregational Identity is like an
umbrella under which all aspects of
local Church life and ministries are
embraced.
It is a living identity, both intentionally
and unintentionally revealed, which
newcomers perceive and evaluate.
Goal of Identity Analysis
Your goal is to discern:
What that “basic umbrella of
congregational life” really is.
How that identity is celebrated,
articulated and tested.
To what degree your congregational
leaders demonstrate that identity.
Definition: Congregational
Mission
Congregational mission relates to everything the congregation does for people other than themselves.
There is a direct correspondence between the degree to which the congregation is engaged with people beyond themselves and the growth and health of the congregation.
Goal of Mission Analysis
Your goal is to discern:
What is absolutely unique and vital in
your own mission as it arises from your
experience of Jesus Christ.
The nature and degree of
congregational involvement with
people beyond the Church.
& the nature and degree of leadership
engagement with the unchurched.
Congregational Organization
Congregational organization is the structure through which the identity is articulated and the mission is released.
There is no single blueprint for an effective organization, but there is a direct correlation between the degree of readiness to take risks on creative ideas and the growth and health of the Church.
Goal of Organization Analysis
Your goal is to discern:
The ability of the structure to
distinguish between “control” and
“stability.”
The readiness of the congregation to
build respect and trust for leadership.
The commitment of leadership to a
feasible, positive, long-range plan.
Functional Sub-Systems
Experiencing God
The Thriving Church seeks to help people
experience the continuing, transforming
power of God that touches the hearts and
changes their lives. They remove all
barriers that inhibit rapid immersion into
spirituality. Correct information,
institutional awareness, and membership
recruitment are all secondary to the
healing touch of God.
Goal of Experience Analysis
Your goal is to discern:
How newcomers are welcomed, not into the Church, but into an experience of the Holy.
How worshipers get involved, not in an education of the mind, but into an affair of the heart.
How participants are immediately nurtured, how they network institutional support, and how they move toward mentoring relationships.
Growing in God
The Thriving Church perceives
membership as a covenant to go
deeper in faith, to discern the true
origins and purposes behind the
changes they are experiencing in life.
Church membership moves most
people in processes of intimacy,
mutual support, and personal growth.
Suite
Acquisition of basic religious
information by children is secondary
to the discovery of God, self, and the
worth of others by adults.
Goal of Growth Analysis
Your goal is to discern:
To what degree and by what means
adults in your Church go deep in faith.
How many options for children and
youth faith development exist in your
Church.
How prepared your Church leaders are
to share personal space with seekers
and coach adults maturing in faith.
Listening to God
The Thriving Church seeks to move
people from spiritual maturity to
ministry. The fullness of spirituality is
not achieved until an individual:
celebrates new life, through the
exercise of gifts, at the direction of
Christ, and for the benefit of others.
Suite
Thriving Churches provide multiple,
diverse ways of listening for God’s
call. They are prepared to risk
creative ideas and original projects.
Recruitment for institutional
management is secondary to
motivating individuals for faith sharing
and service.
Goal of Listening Analysis
Your goal is to discern:
The real measure of Christian maturity
assumed by your Church.
The degree of readiness for creativity in
your congregation.
The number of intentionally designed
options the Church provides people to
discover their own calling by Christ.
Serving God
The Thriving Church equips people
for excellence. They prioritize energy
to train individuals to do, with the
highest quality of performance and
integrity possible, whatever it is Christ
calls them to do. They never just
accept the best volunteers offer; they
assist volunteers to achieve their
highest potential of service.
Goal of Service Analysis
Your goal is to discern:
The degree of control or permission that the congregation exercises upon potential ministries related to the Church.
The number of ministries and services already being done by participants in the Church and the effectiveness of supportgiven by the congregation for each.
The readiness of the staff to be trainers, rather than doers, of ministry.
Sharing God
The Thriving Church bonds a deepening,
personal spirituality with multiple
outreach ministries. No faith sharing
happens without practical service to
others, and no social service happens
without sharing the transforming power
of Christ. The congregation does not pay
experts to do ministry; they equip
themselves to do ministry.
Suite
Ultimately, the goal of helping other
people is secondary. Their goal is to
invite others to participate in the same
cycle of change, growth, discernment,
training, and ministry that they
experience in Christ through the Thriving
Church. They know that meaningful
living is not achieved in the receiving of
bread--but in the giving of bread.
Goal of Share Analysis
Your goal is to discern:
The real connection between spirituality and
social service made by participants in the
congregation.
The real diversity of faith sharing and service
that actually exists among participants in the
congregation.
The strategies the Church employs to listen
to the yearnings of the public and to invite
them into the life cycle of the Thriving
Church.
Formal Sub-Systems
Property
The Thriving Church property
proclaims the vision in every possible
way. The Church locates, designs,
and utilizes property to make
participation in the life cycle of
change, growth, discernment,
training, and ministry as easy and as
effective as possible.
Suite
Their property is visible, accessible,
and hospitable to strangers. Property
is never identified with heritage. It is
always identified with ministry.
Goal of Property Analysis
Your goal is to discern:
How Church property proclaims your
vision.
The degree to which property location
and design help or hinder your
ministries.
The changes that need to be made to
property for the Church to grow.
Funding
The Thriving Church always links its
financial expectations and
opportunities and ministry. They
never raise money for the purpose of
preserving heritage.
Suite
They always raise money to benefit other people: to help people experience positive change and growth in their lives; to help people discern their destiny in Christ; to help people be trained and to exercise quality ministry.
The Thriving Church encourages financial generosity in a year-round strategy. They offer multiple options, and multiple methods, for giving.
Goal of Funding Analysis
Your goal is to discern:
How your Church values money.
How your Church communicates
financial expectations and participants.
What options, methods, and patterns of
giving are available to participants.
How your Church connects money and
ministry.
On credibility
They must earn their credibility.
Credibility is gained by translating the
maximum portion of every dollar into
direct, personal, and clearly visible
benefits in the world. In the eyes of
the spirituality yearning public, results
count more than the liturgies, and
motivation is vastly more important
than information.
Communication
The Thriving Church is in constant
communication with both participants
and public. So much is happening, so
much creative energy is being
released, and so much good news is
emerging that frequent updates are
necessary.
Suite
This helps avoid confusion,
misunderstanding, and potential
conflict. It also opens multiple
avenues of introduction into the
congregation. This Thriving Church
must communicate often--because it
is never quite the same from one
moment to the next!
Goal of Communication
Analysis
Your goal is to discern:
How the congregation communicates
with the public.
How the congregation communicates
with Church participants.
How well lay leaders facilitate
communication.
THE END
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