Anderson New Horizons United Methodist Church

Consultation Report
January 18, 2015
INTRODUCTION:

We, the consultation team, thank Pastor Gina Kirkland, the staff, the lay leadership, and the congregation of New Horizons United Methodist Church for the invitation to consult with this body of Christ.

The following observations and Ministry Action Plan are the result of this team studying the following information: 1) New Horizons’ self-study document provided by its leaders, 2) FCJ on-line survey, 3) interview with the pastor, 4) interviews with staff and ministry team leaders, 5) a focus group with participants from the congregation, 6) a meeting with the Administrative Board, 7) a MissionInsite demographic report of the area’s population,

8) Faith Perceptions Mystery Guest Worshipper Report, and 9) input from Saturday’s leadership workshop.

Our prayer is that God will use this assessment experience and consultation report to help New Horizons more effectively be and make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the community and the world.

STRENGTHS

1.THE PEOPLE

New Horizons rate “the people” as the church’s greatest strength in the self-study document, on-line survey, focus group, Saturday workshop, leadership interviews, and Mystery Guest Worshipper Report. Words used to describe the people of the church include, “friendly, warm, welcoming, loving, accepting, caring and hardworking.” A mystery guest commented, “I would rate this church to be one of the most friendly, sincere, people-minded churches that I have visited. The welcome I felt was most sincere and genuine.”

2. PASTOR

Leaders and congregation members appreciate Pastor Gina’s honesty, positive reinforcement, inspiring preaching, and good ideas. Pastor Gina’s leadership and preaching are noted as the second greatest strength of the church in the on-line survey. When asked, “How much confidence do you have in Pastor Gina?” during interviews with church leaders, the consultation team heard responses like, “she’s tops, I just love her to death,” “we are so fortunate to have her,” “she brings tons of energy and excitement,” “I can’t say enough good about that lady,” “she’s a ball of fire, a dynamo.”

3. SPIRITUAL WARMTH

The consultation team heard many stories of lives being changed by God’s Spirit. It was noted that the “Kleenex budget has increased” due to the Spirit’s warming influence during worship. Those interviewed noted that the congregation has become much more open to new ideas and to a wider variety of people. The consultation team was also impressed by the many positive changes and adjustments people have made over the years as various church congregations have blended into one. One church member commented, “The best thing about our church is the moving of the Holy Spirit.”

4. COMMUNITY CONNECTION

New Horizons is commended for making connections with people in the community who are unchurched through ministries like Horizons alternative worship experience, Learning Tree Childcare, People and Pets Extravaganza, Holiday Gifts and Goodies, Alternatives, and the Farmers Market. Individuals in the congregation serve in various ways through Operation Love, Salvation Army, the Madison County Chaplaincy Mentoring Program, Man4Man, Stepping Stones, Jeremiah’s Place, the Community Thanksgiving Dinner, and various service organizations in the community.

5. CHURCH LOCATION AND FACILITY

The congregation has high visibility and is easily accessible at its location on 53rd Street. The spacious and modern facility and 12.5 acres of property provide wonderful ministry and worship space for New Horizons to grow into the future. The Family Life Center was completed in 1994 by the newly formed congregation, and the most recent addition--including the sanctuary, offices, library, and more classrooms--was completed in 2005. New Horizons is blessed with a ministry facility and grounds that are more than functional and positions the congregation for emerging ministry and outreach options.

CONCERNS

1. NEED FOR VISION FOCUS AND ALIGNMENT

During the last few years, New Horizons has had a clearer understanding of the church being and making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. The consultation team heard leaders express a desire for a clearer sense of direction, and they observed a lack of alignment of church ministries, staffing, and resources. While there is an emerging vision of who and what God is calling this congregation to be and do, the vision has not been fully articulated. The absence of vision focus and alignment hinders goal setting, long-range planning, evaluation of results, and the wise stewardship of human and financial resources.

2. UNINTENTIONAL FAITH DEVELOPMENT

New Horizons has a beautiful ministry facility, but as one person commented, “If you build it, they will come, but they didn’t come when we built it. We need to go out and bring them in, and get them excited about Jesus.” The church of Jesus Christ is not a building, but rather the people. Leaders commented, “We need intentional faith development” and “all members need to be involved in small groups.” Many at New Horizons have expressed a desire to move forward in their relationship with Christ beyond merely “attending worship on Sunday, and dropping some money in the offering plate.” While there are spiritually warming hearts, there is no clear pathway toward intentional faith development.

3. AGING CONGREGATION

Eighty-nine percent of those who participated in the online survey rated “aging congregation” as one of the greatest areas of concern for the church, followed closely by the lack of children and youth. The consultation team heard this concern expressed numerous times throughout the weekend. There is a great disparity between the congregation’s average age of 74, as reported in the church’s self-study, and the community’s average age of 40.

4. NO SYSTEM FOR CONNECTING THE UNCHURCHED WITH SPIRITUAL GROWTH

The church is connecting with people in the community in a variety of ways; however, there is no clear system that connects those reached to an intentional faith development pathway. For example, how does an unchurched person who participates in Learning Tree Childcare or Horizons alternative worship experience take the next step in their faith development? In what ways are members of the congregation building relationships with others that lead to a life-saving relationship with Jesus Christ?

5. LACK OF STEWARDSHIP DEVELOPMENT

In the congregational survey, 88% identified finances as another great concern. This concern is beyond mere dollars and cents, it is a symptom of a lack of spiritual stewardship development. This is also reflected by the absence of estate planning.

MINISTRY ACTION PLAN

1. DEVELOP A FOCUSED VISION WITH ALIGNMENT

The congregation understands that the day this consultation report is accepted this congregation will affirm its adoption of The United Methodist Church’s mission:

“to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”

To prepare for a more focused vision, the congregation will hold a worship service of prayer and forgiveness. This service will be coordinated by the lead pastor and the FCJ Prayer Coordinator and conducted before April 1, 2015.

The coach will conduct two coordinated workshops on Vision Clarification and Alignment as well as Core Values Identification for the congregation by July 1, 2015. The purpose of these workshops is to help the congregation more fully articulate its present vision and align its ministries, organizational environment, staff, and budget accordingly.

Following the visioning and values workshops, the lead pastor, in consultation with the coach, will establish a leadership team of five to seven persons who will lead the process to articulate the vision and discern the values. The core values and vision will be presented to the Administrative Board for discussion and adoption by August 1, 2015, and then presented to the congregation. After presentation to the congregation, the coach will conduct a goal-setting workshop to facilitate ministry areas setting fruitful goals in alignment with the vision.

Upon adopting the vision, ministry leaders will demonstrate how each ministry will accomplish the mission and vision. To that end, the leaders will conduct a ministry review to evaluate all ministries for their faithfulness and fruitfulness to the mission and vision. Any ministries that are misaligned will have the opportunity to adapt, otherwise they will be dissolved. All continuing ministries will set goals and objectives in alignment with the mission and vision. This review must be completed by March 1, 2016.All new future ministries must demonstrate how they will be aligned to the mission and vision and have a plan for fruitful ministry. All ministries will be reviewed annually for alignment to the mission and vision.

2. CLEARLY DEFINED INTENTIONAL FAITH DEVELOPMENT PLAN

The lead pastor, in consultation with the coach, will establish a team of three to five persons on or before August 1, 2015, to create an intentional faith development plan for moving people from where they are on their spiritual journey to becoming fully committed followers of Jesus Christ. The coach will facilitate the Discipleship Pathway and Intentional Faith Development workshops to assist the team in its planning.

The intentional faith development plan will be designed for everyone, whether a non-believer or one who is maturing in their faith. This discipleship pathway will represent a lifelong process in which participation in small groups will be encouraged and expected. The team will discern a faith development plan within a Wesleyan model that encourages all persons to:

●connect and grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ

●help them be transformed by studying the beliefs and principles of the Christian faith, and understand that holistic stewardship is a spiritual matter

●provide connection opportunities with other believers for support and accountability through small groups

●identify and connect with God’s purpose for their lives

●connect with opportunities for risk-taking service and mission

●invite others into a relationship with Jesus and His church

This plan will be adopted by the Administrative Board and begin implementation in the life of New Horizons at all ministry levels by December 1, 2015.

3. AGING CONGREGATION

In order to address the age disparity between New Horizons and its community, a team will be established to develop inspiring, relevant ministries for children and youth. This team will be established by the lead pastor, in consultation with the coach, and work with a children’s ministry specialist recommended by the coach and the Indiana Conference Associate Director of Student Ministries by January 1, 2016.

The team will develop plans for the children and youth ministry areas that may include the following components:

●evaluate all the current programming and suitability of ministry spaces to determine their effectiveness in reaching their target audience

●explore the possibility of adding staff (paid or unpaid) and options for permanent funding

●identify a team of volunteers to lead the Youth Ministry as it emerges from the current Children’s Ministry

●identify children and youth outside the Sunday morning worship experience that are presently being reached, and cultivate relationships with them

●explore fruitful ministries in the surrounding area

The team will present its report with recommendations to the Administrative Board by December 1, 2015.

4. CONNECTING THE UNCHURCHED WITH SPIRITUAL GROWTH

The lead pastor, in consultation with the coach, will work with the Risk-Taking Mission and Service Team to establish an outward-focused strategy to build upon relationships with the unchurched and dechurched being reached through Learning Tree Childcare and Horizons alternative worship experience.

This strategy may include the following:

●use of the book, Get Their Name, by Farr, Anderson, and Kotan as a resource

●encourage members to intentionally learn the names of those identified above, and develop next-step actions to develop deeper relationships with them, such as offering to pray for them, inviting them into their homes for a meal, and spending time with them

●consult with the Community Connections Coordinator at Kokomo Grace UMC

●guide the congregation in ways to welcome and embrace their neighbors regardless of socio-economic, cultural, ethnic, and/or age

●utilizing the building as a community resource and consider renaming the “Family Life Center” the “Outreach Ministry Center”

This strategy will be presented to the Administrative Board for adoption and implementation by April 1, 2016.

5. DEVELOP STEWARDSHIP LIFESTYLES

By June 1, 2015, the lead pastor, in consultation with the coach, will establish an Extravagant Generosity Team of three to five persons. In order to develop a plan, this team will explore and consider various resources including the following:

●attending the Extravagant Generosity Workshop offered by Rejuvenate

●enlisting the assistance of the Director of Generosity and Gratitude for the Indiana Conference

●offering financial literacy training like Financial Peace University (that could be offered to the surrounding community)

●utilizing “The New Consecration Sunday” model

●continued research of an endowment with the United Methodist Foundation of Indiana

This plan will be implemented by November 1, 2015.

CONCLUSION

We, the consultation team, want to thank you for the opportunity to serve your congregation through this Fruitful Congregation Journey assessment process. Our prayers and hope for your congregation is that God will use this process to help your church become more effective and fruitful in being and making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. May God give you courage and strength as you move forward.

LIST OF CONSULTANTS ON THE TEAM

Ed Fenstermacher, Lead Consultant

Mark Eutsler, Coach

Scott Pattison, Consultant

Sheila Wilimitis, Consultant

TOWN HALL MEETING DATES (AT THE CHURCH):

Monday, January 26, 2015 - 6:30pm

Wednesday, February 4, 2015 - 4:00pm

Saturday, February 7, 2015 - 11:00am

CHURCH CONFERENCE DATE (AT THE CHURCH):

TBA

Page 1