Fruitful Congregation Journey Consultation Report

Fruitful Congregation Journey Consultation Report

Royal Center United Methodist Church

October 14, 2012

INTRODUCTION

We, the consultation team, would like to thank Rev. Kevin Drane, the lay leadership and the congregation of the Royal Center United Methodist Churchfor the invitation to consult with your church as part of the Fruitful Congregation Journey. The observations and prescriptions in this report are the result of the consultation team studying the following information: a)Royal Center United Methodist’s self-study document provided by its leaders, b)a MissionInsite demographic report of the area’s population, c) input from the Faith Perceptions “Mystery Guest Worshipper” report, d) results from the “Survey Monkey” completed by the congregation, e)interviews with the pastor, staff, and lay leadership, f) a focus group with members of the congregation, g) a focus group session with the ChurchCouncil, and h) input from Saturday’s leadership workshop.

It was a great joy to work with a congregation that openly cooperated with us and provided all the information we requested. The consultation team’s prayer is that God will use this assessment experience and consultation report so that Royal Center UMC will more effectively make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of its community and the world.

STRENGTHS

1.RISK-TAKING MISSION AND OUTREACH RESULTING IN CHURCH GROWTH

This church has demonstrated great passion for moving beyond the status quo of church

maintenance through its commitment to outreach and risk-taking mission. Fruitfulness has been

exemplified by the numbers of new people in both services as well as the extensive ministries that

reach out into the community,such as the Back to School Bash, 5th Quarter, Kids Klub, Food 4 Kids, Souper Salvation, Kairos, etc.

2.OFFERING TWO DISTINCT WORSHIP SERVICES

Royal Center has embraced the rich history of worship in a traditional format and setting for those

people passionate about worshipping in a way that is familiar, sacred, and inspirational. At the

same time, the church has created an environment for others who are willing to be a part of the

church where they can worship inways that appeal to their need for an informal experience utilizing other styles of music and modern forms of media. Offering both forms of worship has resulted in the opportunity to connect with and grow all generations into the community of believers at Royal Center UMC. Most importantly, offering two different worship opportunities allows morepeople to experience worshipthat is God-centered and spirit-filled.

3. WELCOMING AND FRIENDLY CHURCH

There is no doubt that this congregation loves its church and the relationships it affords. While many churches are welcoming to one another, visitors often times feel like outsiders. This is not the experience at Royal Center UMC. People are welcomed into the fellowship of believers and encouraged to be a part of “the family.” Mystery guest worshippers expressed this consistently in the Faith Perceptions report (much higher than the national average for churches of similar size).All twelve mystery worshippers indicated that if distance wasn’t an issue, they would choose to attend Royal CenterUMC on a regular basis.

4. STRENGTH OF PASTOR, STAFF AND LAY LEADERSHIP

It is obvious that Royal Center UMC is blessed with able and willing servants to fulfill the mission to make disciples for the transformation of the world. This is demonstrated by the church’s senior pastor, Rev. Kevin Drane and his wifeMarlene, church staff, and lay leadership. Ministry can be challengingwhen transitioning to a mid-size church. This leadership team, however, models the passion, commitment, and courage necessary to move the church towards fruitfulness. Their greatest strength is their faith in God’s direction and commitment to spiritual growth so that they can lead others to a healthy relationship with God.

5. EXEMPLIFIES THE “REGIONAL” CHURCH

Without even recognizing it, Royal Center UMC is becoming a regional church and has potential to expand its reach beyond the city limits. The people of this church have been able to attract visitors and new believers to their church through the following:

a. Their incredible commitment and outreach to the community;

b. Choices in worship style and times;

c. Opportunities for families with children and youth;

d. Dynamic and relevant sermons;

e. Inclusiveness; and

f. Their rich history and desire to be a fruitful congregation well into the future.

CONCERNS

1. ABSENCE OF A CLEAR, SHARED VISION

Two months ago Royal Center UMC adopted the vision “Connect, Grow, Serve.” However, the church has not integrated the vision as the guiding principle for the church that governs what they do and how they do it. The church has no clear, shared vision that connects current ministries with the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

2. NEED FOR VISION PLAN FOR FACILITIES The church needs additional space currently to meet its needs and has no space left for the expansion or creation of programs and ministries. The older church building requires major renovation if it is to continue to function as one of the facilities the church uses for its ministry, like the 8:45 am worship service and the pre-school. However, the church has not developed a master plan for current or future facility needs based on its vision to “Connect, Grow, and Serve” and use that master plan to determine the next steps the church needs to take.

3. NO CLEAR DISCIPLESHIP PATHWAY

The church has experienced a substantial increase in worship attendance and people who had been outside the church and, more importantly, outside a relationship with Jesus Christ, have become regular participants in the life of the church. However, it is the finding of the consultation team that no one could articulate a discipleship pathway. How does a person:

• first connect to Jesus Christ and the church?
• grow in their knowledge of the faith?
• become connected to other believers for support and accountability?
• become active in service to others for the purpose of sharing the gospel?

4. LACK OF ADEQUATE COMMUNICATION

Throughout the consultation, the team continually heard feedback about the need for clearer communication around events, programs, issues and decisions. Paid staff do not meet together on a regular basis with each other for communication, calendaring, or spiritual support. Additionally, there is no intentional process for communicating vital information between ministry and mission programs that often leads to a “silo effect” with each ministry area functioning independently. This makes communication to the entire church body more challenging.

5. BURDENSOME LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE

The church embraces and practices a team-based ministry concept whereby people are empowered to do ministry and are given resources to fulfill that ministry. At the same time, the church has maintained the United Methodist’s traditional committee structure, which in this case, sixteen committees report to the Church Council every other month. The current practice appears to the consultation team to be cumbersome and inefficient.

PRESCRIPTIONS

1. CLEAR, SHARED VISION

The congregation understands that the day this consultation report is accepted (should that be the case), this congregation will continue to embrace the mission statement, “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”

The congregation will have a service of prayer and commitment, to reaffirm God’s mandate for making disciples. This will allow the membership to be fully prepared for the Lord’s vision for the future. This will be led by Paula Gast, or someone she provides, in consultation with the senior pastor, by January 13, 2013.

The coach will conduct a Day of Visioning Workshop for the congregation. The purpose of this day is to realize the value of vision and how the vision provides clarity regarding how Royal Center UMC is to be a fruitful congregation by fleshing out God’s vision, Connect, Grow, Serve. This will continue the process of identifying God’s specific vision for your church. This day will occur on or before January 31, 2013. Following the Day of Visioning Workshop, the senior pastor and the leadership of the church will present and celebrate the expanded vision to the congregation by February 28, 2013.

Following this, all ministries of the congregation, both present and future, must align their work to the vision in order to accomplish the mission. This, in essence, begins an auditing process toward effective ministry.

2. VISIONARY FACILITIES PLAN

The consultation team recommends that the Trustees immediately explore the possibility of renting or purchasing temporary portable classrooms or other options as a short term solution for lack of classroom space.

The Pastor, in consultation with the coach, will develop a nine member Facilities Team by

January 31, 2013, whose responsibilities will be to:

a. Discern what program and ministries Royal Center UMC will be doing in five to ten years from now based on its vision to “Connect, Grow, and Serve.” Conducting appropriate interviews and fact-finding will be a part of this team’s responsibilities. The Facilities Team will present a report to the Church Council no later than April 30, 2013.

b. Following the meeting of the Church Council, the Facilities Team will visit at least three other churches who have had to expand their facilities to discuss with them what they did, what options they explored, and the process they used to remodel and/or build the facilities they needed. The visits should be completed by August 1, 2013.

c. The Facilities Team will determine a master plan for remodeling and/or building for the future needs of Royal Center UMC. Possible recommendations may include, but are not limited to: the renovation of existing facilities, the expansion of existing facilities, building of new facilities, and the rental or purchase of additional facilities. The Team will present their master plan no later than November 1, 2013. The Facilities Team will need to follow the provision of the Book of Discipline and be in conversation with the District Superintendent.

3. DISCIPLESHIP PATHWAY

By March 15, 2013,the senior pastor, in consultation with the coach, will put together a coordinating team of three persons to oversee the establishment of an intentional discipleship pathway for moving people forward on their spiritual journey to becoming fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. The discipleship pathway will address the spiritual needs of everyone whether unchurched, formerly churched, growing, or mature in their faith and follow a Wesleyan model that helps all persons:

• move forward in their faith through radical hospitality and passionate worship,

• connect to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ,
• grow in their knowledge of the Christian faith through shared learning experiences,
• connect to other believers for support and accountability, and
• serve others for the purpose of sharing the gospel and transforming lives.

In order to fulfill the above, the coordinating team will:

a. Host a Radical Hospitality Workshop on or before February 15, 2013, for the purpose of

establishing a hospitality and follow- up system for the assimilation of people into the life of the church. This plan will be shared with the Church Council and implemented no later thanApril 30, 2013.

b. Host a Discipleship Pathway Workshop on or before May15, 2013, for the purpose of

revealing the necessary steps and opportunities for a person to grow in their faith in

Christ.

c. Implementation of the first stages of the discipleship pathway will be in place by

August 15, 2013.

4. COMMUNICATION AND CONNECTION

The paid staff will meet weekly for spiritual development, team building, accountability, and planning. The staff will relay any necessary information to the appropriate persons and/or groups. Furthermore, the Church Council will always implement the best ways to communicate key information to church members and evaluate if the process is working effectively. These practices will begin January 1, 2013.

5. LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE AND DEVELOPMENT

The pastor, in consultation with the coach, will establish a three-member team by January 15, 2013, composed of the pastor, the Lay Leader, and the chair of the current Church Council. Their purpose will be to design a way to align the church’s structure to its vision statement, “Connect, Grow, Serve.” For example, the new Church Council could be aligned under these three areas–Connect, Grow, Serve—and replace all of the former committee structures except for Finance, Leadership Development, Staff-parish, and Trustees. This team in cooperation with the Leadership Development Team (Nominations) would select the appropriate persons to lead each of the above areas. The church would implement the new structure though a called Charge Conference no later than the fall of 2013.

In order to most effectively utilize the new structure the following must be in place when it is

adopted:

a. Clearly written descriptions of leaders’ (paid and unpaid) responsibilities for each

ministry;

b. Training with the coach in order to connect the church's vision with ministry goals

(expected fruit) for the year;

c. Learning how to evaluate the effectiveness of each ministry area;

d. Individual ministry team training as necessary.

CONCLUSION

We, the consultation team, want to thank you for the opportunity to serve your congregation in this manner. Our prayers and hope for your congregation are that God will use this process to help you implement your mission more effectively, utilize your compelling vision through a developed plan, and thereby make an eternal difference in the Royal Centerministry areaand the world for the glory of God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Consultation Team Members

Ed Fenstermacher

Jack Hartman

Ann Handschu

Kathy Miller

Town Hall Meeting Dates: (all held in the FLC)

Saturday, October 20, 2012 9:00 am

Tuesday, October 30, 2012 7:00 pm

Saturday, November 10, 2012 7:00 pm

Church Conference Date:

Sunday, November 18, 2012 3:00 pm