Ministry Audit

Objective of Ministry AuditDescribe the synod

Current state of Rocky Mountain SynodIdentify strengths and areas for growthAssess whether current direction under VPA is

still appropriateAssess impact of VPA & next steps

Describe future BishopWhat Bishop needs from usWhat we need in a bishop

State of the Synod

Territory of the Synods in Square Miles

Rocky Mountain

Grand Canyon

Minneapolis Area

North Carolina

Northeastern Pennsylvania

Southeastern

Western Iowa

Baptized ELCA Lutherans per Square Mile

Minneapolis Area

North Carolina

Northeastern Pennsylvania

Southeastern

Western IowaRocky Mountain

Grand Canyon

Change in Worship Attendance from 2000 to 2010

23,519

32,239

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

40,000

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Northeastern Pennsylvania

Grand Canyon

North Carolina

Rocky Mountain

Southeastern

* Does not include the Minneapolis Area Synod because of its disproportionate number of worship attendees.

Western Iowa

Change in Worship Attendance from 2000 to 2010 by Size of Congregation

worship attendance congregations

average worship attendance in 2000

average worship attendance in

2010 changeless than 50 38 48 27 -43.0%

50 to 99 41 98 71 -26.8%

100 to 349 80 221 183 -17.1%

350 or more 8 651 610 -6.2%

average for the synod

172 141 -18.0%

Change in Worship Attendance from 2000 to 2010 by State

worship attendance congregations

average worship attendance in 2000

average worship

attendance in 2010 change

Colorado 114 189 161 -14.8%

New Mexico 21 134 108 -19.4%

Texas 5 96 81 -15.6%

Utah 12 141 94 -33.3%

Wyoming 15 146 94 -35.6%

Average 172 41 -18.0%

Total Giving in congregations per Worship Attendee

Grand Canyon, $1,608

Minneapolis Area, $1,805

North Carolina, $2,129

Northeastern Pennsylvania, $1,528

Southeastern, $2,342

Western Iowa, $1,396Rocky Mountain,

$2,039

In RMS, giving per member increased 16% from 2004-2010

Total Receipts to Expense by Year for the Congregations in the RMS

$0

$10,000,000

$20,000,000

$30,000,000

$40,000,000

$50,000,000

$60,000,000

$70,000,000

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

total receipts

total expenses

Distribution of Mission Support for Selected Synods in 2010

synodfrom

congregations% to

churchwideamount to

churchwide

amount remaining in

the synodRocky Mountain $2,525,930 50% $1,262,965 $1,262,965

Grand Canyon $1,803,713 50% $901,856 $901,857

Minneapolis Area $3,254,892 55% $1,791,191 $1,463,701

Western Iowa $937,860 35% $328,251 $609,906

North Carolina $3,216,029 39% $1,254,251 $1,961,778

NE PA $2,662,841 52% $1,384,677 $1,278,164

Conference GatheringsFall 2011

What is your congregation really good at?Welcoming, nurturing, fellowship &

hospitalitySocial ministry in local community

Percent of Congregations Indicating the Program/Activity Was a Specialty of the Congregation

3%

5%

2%

3%

4%

4%

7%

12%

5%

6%

10%

11%

17%

19%

24%

36%

3%

3%

4%

4%

5%

5%

6%

9%

9%

13%

14%

19%

21%

22%

32%

45%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%

Christian education for those 16 to 19

prayer, meditation, spiritual development activities

support groups (bereavement, divorce, 12-step)

evangelism activities

other activities for those 16 to 19

identifying and using the spiritual gifts of participants

other activities for children

Christian education for those 15 or younger

stewardship

social justice activities

confirmation ministry

Bible study or other adult Christian education

fellowship or other social activities

community service activities

music

worship

ELCA Rocky Mountain Synod

What new skills does your congregation need to develop?Be open to new ways of doing ministryBe more open to “outsiders”Better at speaking about faithBetter at living out faith intentionally for the sake

of others.Have a bigger vision of the ChurchIdentify and use people’s spiritual giftsDeeper faith developmentDeal with conflict more productivelyUse technology betterBetter youth ministryStronger stewardship

Synod Goals (adopted by 2008 assembly)Identity: We understand and articulate our

Lutheran/Christian identity and have an intentional plan to live it out.

Discipleship: We have a transformed culture that considers faith formation and discipleship to be for all ages.

Evangelism: We have a transformed culture around evangelism that says: “We have something to share”.

Congregational Health: We are healthy and able to go through transition and conflict in ways that lead to positive growth.

Connections: We increase synodical capacity to do God’s work by strengthening connections between and within all expressions of our church.

Are the current synod emphasis the right ones? Most lay people had not heard of the goals.

Once they read them, they supported the goals and asked about training in areas of evangelism, discipleship and congregational health.

Most clergy also supported the goals but were unaware of or unaffected by them.

“There were a few who were less supportive of the goals.” (Don’t need synod wide goals – local context more important.) or synod goals seem “top-down”.

Impact of VPA to date?“It is likely due to these (earlier)

conversations that the VPA goals were embraced by the vast majority of participants in the 2011 Conference meetings.”

Change in how Synod Council functions- clear priorities and focus (e.g. budget, staffing, One Bread One Body videos)

Revised synod constitution in 2010= new ministry teams and structure

Initiatives use new more “network” model (Generosity project, Book of Faith, Linda Staats’ work)

What VPA has not yet done:Continually engage a wide variety of people

across congregations with each other.“The lay participants were largely unaware of steps

already taken to engage congregations and they wondered why their pastor had not mentioned these activities or opportunities to become involved.”

Overtly affect people in the pewsAffect measurable changes to synodical goals

Issues raised by this review of VPABroad participatory planning processes do not

significantly increase ownership or investment in the process or product (VPA).

Synod wide goals do not make sense to some.It is very hard for congregations to change their

behavior.“VPA may have been implemented more

effectively by providing clear ways for congregations to engage or work on VPA goals.”

“VPA may have been more successful if communication related to the initiative was consistently and persistently integrated into all the work of the synod.”

Implications for next Bishop

What Bishop should expect from usSupport from congregations: (e.g. prayer, $)Congregations should be faithful in their

ministriesOpen honest communications from

congregations to Bishop

Characteristics we seek Approachable, empathetic, authentic, inner

strength, sense of direction, self-awareness, non-anxious, faithful, visionary, bold leadership, interested in other people, humble, enthusiastic, and resourceful

Skills we seek Listen, communicate, foster communication,

preach & teach, mentor, mediate, use technology for communicating, administration.

Extensive congregational ministry experience + connection to wider church.

Competent theologian, champion of word and sacrament, care deeply about congregations.

Two perspectives Bishop as pastor for pastors & congregationsBishop as visionary leader of synod &

syndical ministries

“These are all qualities of a good leader, but there are potentially contradictory expectations. A bishop who is a friend and pastor may sacrifice bold leadership while a bold leader may not always be a comforting friend.”

Conclusions: SynodIn RMS, ELCA Lutherans are small and shrinking

minority.Congregational expenses have exceeded total receipts

since 2006.- UnsustainableLutheran message of Grace is not the most prevalent

Christian message.“Despite the fact that people struggled to see how the

goals of VPA had impacted their congregations, when they described their needs, they described the needs that VPA is attempting to address.”

“The RMS has already done good work in identifying a purpose and in setting goals, but there is a way to go before the benefits of this good work are realized.”

Conclusions: Synod“The church has never been just about

congregations. It is also about the witness of one, apostolic church. Congregations, by virtue of being part of a wider church are called to support each other, to work together, for the sake of the Gospel. One important way of working together is to set common goals and to commit to achieving those goals. In this sense, working together is not an imposition, but an opportunity for a common witness.”

Conclusions: Bishop“ At times, and in certain places, the Conference

meetings placed considerable emphasis on a bishop that functions primarily as a pastor to pastors. This is certainly an important role for the synod’s bishop, but it is not the exclusive role or even the most important role.

A bishop is primarily responsible for the care and proclamation of the Gospel. Among many things, this means setting a Gospel vision and taking steps to encourage, challenge, motivate, and expect members and pastors, in their local settings, to serve the Gospel by proclaiming it, and making it clearly visible both to those within and outside the church.”

Now What?We know what we need to do. How can we get it

done? What does it take to impact the people in the pews? What has worked before? How can we make changes for the sake of the Gospel?

“If VPA type action is not appropriate for addressing the downward spiral of some congregations, then what makes more sense?”

What is the role all parties (lay/rostered, congregation/synod)? How could they work together differently?

What will you do?