Rochester Grace Church

CONSULTATION REPORT

September 9, 2012

Introduction

We, the Fruitful Congregation Journey (FCJ) consultation team, would like to thank Rev. Maurice Grindle, staff, lay leadership and congregation of Grace United Methodist Church for the invitation to consult with this Body of Christ. The following observations and prescriptions are the result of this team studying the following information: a) Grace Church’s self-study document provided by its leaders, b) Grace Church’s members completing the FCJ survey, c) The report from the Mystery Guest Worshippers provided by Faith Perceptions, d) Interviewswith the pastor, staff and ministry team leaders, e) a focus group with members of the congregation, f) a meeting with the Administrative Council, g) a MissionInsite demographic report of the area’s population, and h) input from Saturday’s leadership workshop.

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

Strengths

Grace Church’s greatest strengths are as follows:

  1. SUPPORTIVE, FAMILY ATMOSPHERE

Grace Church is a congregation that is open and welcoming. Many of the members of the congregation describe the church as a family. Those individuals and groups interviewed by the consultation team spoke of the open, accepting spirit of the congregation towards its members and regular attendees. Many of those interviewed throughout the weekend spoke of the tremendous generosity of time and treasure extended towards people connected to the church in times of need. “When times are tough, Grace is there”, was a phrase that captured this generous spirit. Grace Church clearly embraces and supports those who find their way into the life of the congregation.

  1. SERVICE TO COMMUNITY

Grace Church has a strong presence and reputation in Rochesterthrough multiple ministries which serve the community. The Pre-School has a stellar reputation in the town, as evidenced by the pre-dawn lines of parents that appear annually to enroll their children and the waiting list that often follows enrollment. A Wednesday evening free meal, started by Grace, and a growing VBS are evidences of strong ministries which partner with other local congregations to reach needs in Rochester. Additionally, numerous members of Grace also serve the community by providing leadership for local government and service organizations.Ten of the eleven Mystery Guest Worshippers who stopped and asked for directions and information about the church easily found their way.This is due to the recognition within the community that these ministries lend to Grace. These ministries and the recognition they provide offer Grace an opportunity to make new inroads to the Rochester mission field.

  1. PASTORAL CARE TEAM

Grace Church is a congregation that regularly experiences exemplary care, led by Maurice and Janice Grindle. Pastor Maurice was described as a person of great sincerity, who exudes a genuine faith and seeks to cultivate that faith in others as a true shepherd. One person commented that Pastor Maurice and Janice “embody true Christianity”. Many of the individuals surveyed throughout the weekend also spoke of the depth of compassionate care they have received from Janice Grindle as well. Pastor Maurice and Janice were repeatedly referred to as a team by members and many noted the refreshing changes this team has brought to Grace. Clearly, Grace Church and the Rochester community greatly benefit from the loving care provided by the ministry shared by the Grindles.

  1. YOUNG ADULTS TAKING INITIATIVE

A cadre of young adults, many of them having recently joined or returned to Grace Church, made an intentional decision to make a spiritual impact in both the community and the congregation. The determination to serve as positive change agents is evident in their willingness to invite their friends, begin serving in leadershiproles and launch new ministries, such as the Wednesday evening free meal. Some of these individuals spoke of a desire to begin being a part of the solution for the challenges Grace Church faces. These young couples and families afford the congregation with an opportunity to reach new generations for Jesus Christ and hope for the future. As Pastor Maurice commented, sparks have been lit in the past few months that show great promise of becoming a flame.

  1. WELL MANITAINED FACILITIES

Grace Church is blessed with a beautiful and well cared for facility. The entire facility displays the fruits of a congregation that invests in providing tender care for this historic building. The sanctuary, with its fine woodworking and classical stained glass, also offers ample seating to allow for increased worship attendance. The education wing provides ample space for current ministries with room to grow for the future. The coffee area, located in the narthex, and the recently renovated education wing and office spaces make the building attractive and more functional for ministry. Finally, the plans for a possible future addition, along with the recent purchase of nearby property, tell the story of a congregation that has a desire to see its facilities be used to minister to the surrounding community.

Concerns

Grace Church’s greatest areas of concern are as follows:

  1. LACK OF CLEAR, SHARED MISSION AND VISION

The consultation team was unable to discover a clear mission or vision for the ministry of the church. Although the congregation has recently adopted “connect, grow, serve” as its mission statement and has an older vision statement,none of those interviewed were able to recite the mission and vision or unpack its meaning. The lack of mission and vision robs the congregation of a sense of purpose, hinders evaluation, goal setting, long range plans and the financial resources to fulfill the mission.

  1. INCOMPLETE CONNECTIONS

A concern for better communication was voiced by many people throughout the weekend. This concern included both internal and external communication among the staff, congregation, and community. Also evident was a lack of follow through and resources to assist in connecting newcomers to the church’s various ministries.Poor communication in various forms (electronic, printed, verbal, etc.) leads to frustration, confusion and, therefore, diminishes the effectiveness of ministry. Examples of what was shared with the consultation team include: “I’m not aware of what ministries are happening” and “I don’t know who makes those decisions”.

  1. LACK OF A DISCIPLESHIP PATH

It is the finding of the consultation team that no one could articulate a discipleship path at Grace Church.

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?
  1. UNCLEAR LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE

The lack of a clear mission and vision most directly impact the leadership structures of Grace Church.The consultation team discovered that there were unclear lines of authority and accountability; therefore,

  • The church staff is not accountable for results or aligned around the mission and vision.
  • The administrative structures are cumbersome and lacking in purpose.
  • There is little intentional expectation and limited goal setting.
  • There is no process to develop new leaders.
  1. MISSING GENERATIONS

Many of the people surveyed during the weekend identified significant generational gaps among the membership and attendees at Grace Church. Those interviewed spoke of “missing demographics” in the makeup of the congregation. Reasons given for the loss of these groups include inadequate children’s ministryand a lack of worship opportunities aimed at those demographics.

Prescriptions

In order to address the above concerns, Grace Church must implement the following prescriptions:

  1. MISSION AND VISION

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

The congregation will have a day of prayer and forgiveness, to embrace 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 Pastor Maurice, by November 11, 2012.

Also, the coach will conduct a Day of Visioning for the congregation. The purpose of this day is to dream of how God might want to work through the congregation both individually and collectively to reach the surrounding community. This day will occur on or before January 15, 2013. Following the Day of Visioning, the pastor, in conjunction with the coach and the leadership of the church, will create a vision statement which will guide the ministries of the church. This statement will be presented to the congregation by March 15, 2013.

Upon adopting the new vision, every ministry in the congregation must demonstrate how it will accomplish the mission. To that end, the leaders will conduct a mission and ministry audit of all existing ministries. Any ministries not focused on the mission will be given a year to adapt in order to fit the mission statement or be dissolved. This audit must be completed by May 1, 2013. All new future ministries must demonstrate how they will be aligned to the mission and vision.

  1. MAKING CONNECTIONS

By December 1, 2012, the senior pastor, in consultation with the coach, will establish a Communication Evaluation Task Force of 3 persons, to evaluate the effectiveness of current communication within the congregation, as well as the community. They will research and explore healthy communication practices of other churches, refer to the Faith Perceptions report and present a plan for recommended changes to the Administrative Council, to address the following:

  • Communication between staff, members, leaders, potential leaders and volunteers.
  • Clarify accountability and responsibility to improve follow through for hospitality.
  • Add and improve connect resources to communicate with guests.
  • Communication between the local church and the community.
  • Interior and exterior signage as well as building accessibility.

They will pay particular attention to: 1) e-mail, 2) websites, 3) social networking, 4) bulletins/newsletters, 5) pamphlets describing church ministries and outreach, 6) posters and digital information boards, 7) newcomer materials, 8) exterior signage.

The Communication Evaluation Task Force will report their recommendations to the Administrative Council on or before April 1, 2013.

  1. DISCIPLESHIP PATH

The pastor, in consultation with the coach, will put together a team of seven lay leaders on or before December 15, 2012, to create a clear discipleship path for moving people from where they are on their spiritual journey to becoming a fully-devoted follower of Jesus Christ.The discipleship path will be designed for everyone, whether a non-believer or one who is maturing in their faith. This discipleship path will represent a lifelong process.The Team will discern a faith development plan within a Wesleyan model that encourages all persons:

  • to CONNECT, GROWand SERVE in their relationship with Jesus Christ;
  • to help them be transformed by studying the principles of the Christian faith;
  • to help them connect to Christ and increase their Biblical IQ;
  • to provide connection opportunities with other believers for support and accountability; and
  • to be in service to others for the purpose of the mission.

Additionally, the coach will provide a discipleship path workshop by April 15, 2013, to assist in creating the necessary opportunities (i.e. small groups, classes, Sunday school, missions, etc.) for entry onto the discipleship path. This new process will be adopted and implemented in the life of Grace Church at all ministry levels (children, youth and adults) by September 15, 2013.

  1. LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE

The coach will hold an Accountability Leadership workshop by May 15, 2013, for all staff and leaders for the purpose of exploring simplified organizational structures. Following this workshop, the pastor, in conjunction with the coach, will assemble aLay Leadership Structure task force of 3-5 leaders by May 1, 2013. This task force will bring recommendations to the Administrative Council by October 1, 2013, for approval.

The senior pastor in consultation with the coach and Staff Parish Relations Committee (SPRC) chair will convene a task force of 3-5 people by November 1, 2012. The task force will audit and realign the current staff positions for the sake of fulfilling the church’s mission and vision.This will include an assessment of the roles and responsibilities of the staff, the configuration of staff positions, and planning for future staff positions to be done by June 1, 2013. Job descriptions will be created or rewritten to include goals for ministry areas aligned with the congregation’s mission and vision.

The senior pastor and coach will see that all paid and unpaid church staff will develop an intentional system to multiply and train new leaders and team members, including benchmarks to assist in evaluating progress. This will be completed by July 31, 2013.

5.RECAPTURING YOUNGER GENERATIONS

The pastor, in conjunction with the coach and the chair of the Evangelism Committee,

will assemble a task team of 5-7 people by November 1, 2012.The purpose of the team is to reach younger generations and integrate them into Grace Church. Eighty percent of the members of this team will consist of individuals from the target generation(s).This team will explore additional worship services, staff, ministries and facility space, such as revisiting the possible new recreational addition,needed to reach younger generations.

To empower and inform this team, they will visit at least three other churches to discover methods for reaching younger demographics by no laterthan March 1, 2013. Additionally, the coach will conduct a “Launching a New Worship Service” workshop before February 15, 2013.

Any recommendations presented by this team will be forwarded to the Administrative Council for consideration, referral and action.

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. May God give you courage and strength as you move forward.

- Ed Fenstermacher, Lead Consultant

(Associate Director of Church Development IN Conference)

- Rev. Dave Neckers, Consultant

(Associate Director of Church Development IN Conference)

- Steve Clouse, Coach

(Associate Director of Church Development IN Conference)

-Rev. Kathie Jones, Consultant

(Pastor of Hebron United Methodist Church)

Town Hall Meeting Dates

Sunday, September 16, 2012, 2:00 p.m.

Thursday, September 27, 2012, 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, October 14, 2012, 11:00 a.m.

Church Conference Date:

Sunday, October 14, 2012, Time TBA

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