Leadership for the Outward-Focused Church

Leadership Workshop Indiana UMC Conference

CCHPRCNSTWorkshop040813

Introductions• Name

• How long have you been attending here?

• What service? (If multiple worship times)

Core Purpose

Our purpose today is to understand how our world around us is changing and to contemplate the changes necessary in order to stay relevant.

Objectives• To consider how cultural changes impact the 21st

century church.

• To begin to contemplate what it will take to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world in the 21st century.

• To consider where your church is in the life cycle of its history.

• Understand the key components of the weekend consultation process

• How do these objectives sound to you?”

Why is this so hard?

Use media player as it messes up in ppt

Did You Know?

How does I Cor. 9:19-23 apply to us today?

• 19Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. 22To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 23I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

How does I Cor. 9:19-23 apply to us

today?• What does it mean to you to

“be all things to all people?”

• For what purpose?

• What might this look like for your church? Be specific.

First Culture Shift• We have moved from Fellowship to

Social Media.

First Culture ShiftBut that is only a small fraction of what is out there is cyberspace.

• How are you developing relationships with new people?

First Culture Shift

• One challenge we have in many churches is we have too much fellowship and not enough hospitality. “What is the difference?”

First Culture Shift• We must realize the message is sacred,

the form or style is not.

Change Happens

Are you expecting them to adapt to the way things are done in the church, or are you adapting to the current culture?”

Second Culture Shift• We have moved from an Attraction mode

to a Networking mode.

United MethodistChurch

Pastor SusanWorship times 9:15 and 11:00

Third Culture Shift• We no longer are in “Christendom”, we

now live in a Secular Nation.

NONES – (video)

Spirituality vs. Religion

Third Culture Shift

Almost three-fourths of 18 to 29 year-olds agree they’re more spiritual than religious. (USA Today October, 2010)

Who to Trust????

I like Jesus !

I’m not sure about the church!

The “day to worship” has becomea “day to play.”

Third Culture Shift

Changes In Our World1950’s

• Flourishing, growing churches

• Two-parent families

• Authority not questioned

• Denominational Era

Today

• Declining, dying churches

• Many forms of family

• Everything is questioned

• “Big-Box” church Era

• Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy assassinated (JFK was in ‘63)

• Civil Rights Movement

• Role of Women

• Vietnam War

Today• Personal Computers /

Internet

• The World Is Flat

• Social Networking

• Christianity Moving South

Systemic Obsolescence

• Systems used in the ‘50s & ‘60s

• Structures of churches and denominations

Systemic Obsolescence

• Systems used in most of our churches were designed in the 50s and 60s

• Our systems are designed to get what they get.

•  Need to move from a membership system (caring for our members) to a missionary system (reaching the lost).

The Way We “Do Church” is Changing

• Attendance (every week to twice a month)

• Meetings (Used to be times of fellowship)

• Committees to Teams (People are more interested in action than reports.)

“What are some other examples you have seen of changes for the way we “do church?”

Generational Differences

• Builders (1915-30)

• Silents (1930-45)

• Baby Boomers (45-65)

• Baby Busters (65-82)

• Millenials (82-2000)

• Generation Z (2000>)

• Piano & Organ

• Electric Organ

• Bands

• Acoustic Guitar

• ipod/hard to define

• ??? / too early to tell

Church Life Cycle?

Birth

Growth

Maintenance

Maturity

Decline

Death

Church LifeCycle

V = Vision

R = Relationship

P = Program

S = Structure

• Vision In the area of vision there are three main elements:

• Mission – why a congregation exists; its purpose. It is important to note that congregations on the downside do not change until they become OUTWARD focused!

• Vision – where the congregation is going; motivation to make necessary changes to move from downward to upward.

• Values – boundaries that guide the congregation; will reflect the focus of the congregation (inward or outward).

Church LifeCycle

• The ability for people to develop relationships with others in the church is crucial for changing the lifecycle of a congregation

Church LifeCycle

• People are not looking for friendly congregations, they are looking for a congregation where they can make friends!

Everyone needs a place where they are accepted and valued for who they are, not what they do.

Church LifeCycleThe purpose of programs in a congregation is to:

• Help disciples mature

• Aid disciples in the making of more disciples

Church LifeCycleThere are two major questions that constantly need to be asked of all programs in a church to ensure that the best programs are in place: 

1. How does this program contribute to an outward focused mission? [Does it attract new unchurched/de-churched people?]

2. Is this program growing? [Is God rewarding our efforts by bringing new people through this program?]

• Our goal through programs should be to convert consumers into committed disciples of Jesus Christ. There is one program that is not assumed culturally from our churches but is demanded for health and growth…. Leadership Development!

Church LifeCycle

Church LifeCycle1. The church needs leaders to fulfill the

instruction found in Ephesians 4:10-13 to grow and to mature.

And the One (Jesus) who climbed down is the One who climbed back up, up to highest

heaven. He handed out gifts above and below, filled heaven with his gifts, filled earth with his gifts. He handed out gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, and pastor-teacher to train Christians in skilled servant work, working within Christ's body, the church, until we're all moving rhythmically and easily with each other, efficient and graceful in response to God's Son, fully mature adults, fully developed within and without, fully alive like Christ. (The Message)

Church LifeCycle

For any congregational structure system to be effective three major things must happen: 1. The leader must be growing and developing as

a leader while developing more leaders.• The growth of any organization is in

proportion to the leaders being developed.

Church LifeCycle

For any congregational structure system to be effective: 2. Leadership must reflect how work gets done—

responsibility, authority, and accountability.• Groups do not lead and cannot be held

accountable, therefore the focus must always be on individuals to lead and be held accountable.

.

Church LifeCycleFor any congregational structure system to be effective three major things must happen: 3. The Pastor/Leader must turn the ministry of the

congregation over to the laity (equip the saints to perform it) and they must turn the leadership of the congregation over to the pastor/leader.• Staff members lead their ministries and

manage the programs to produce healthy, growing disciples and in turn a healthy, growing congregation.

Consultation on the up side

Church Life Cycle?

Intervention on the

down side.

Church Life Cycle?

UMC Church1997-2011

Workshop Presenter – This is an example of what this looks like. Cut and Paste or make a chart to reflect the church’s attendance for 15 – 20 years.

Growing, Healthy Churches…

• Externally focused with good deeds and the Good News linked together

• See themselves as vital to the health & well being of their communities

• Believe Christians grow best by serving & giving themselves away to those in need

• Are evangelistically centered & believe in authentic following of Jesus Christ

18 And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.“ (Matt. 28:18-20)

The more things change the more they remain the

same.

Weekend Consultation

• Friday – interviews / focus group

• Saturday – leadership focus group / congregation training / prescription prep

• Sunday – service / reading of report

FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY

Questions