|
| |
Overview Rev. Dr. R. Franklin Gillis, Jr. For more information or to schedule All site content © 2004-2009 Web Development by |
Fruitful Ministry Resources Fruitful ministry—this biblical concept represents the intent of a church that seeks to be faithful. The concept has been renewed by the efforts of Robert Schnase, United Methodist bishop of the Missouri Conference, in his book, Five Practices of a Fruitful Congregation. This resource page has been inspired in part as a result of his contributions regarding ministry practices that are fruitful in the life of a church. Below are resources that suggest ways your church can become more fruitful in ministry. The initial document, “Steps toward a Fruitful Ministry: Moving a Church into a Preferred Future,” provides insights and steps involved in a process. Also included below is an agenda for a mini-workshop on Practicing the Five Practices and a listing of five practices resources currently developed as a result of Bishop Schnase’s book. Additional information regarding the five practices is available from the Web site: www.fivepractices.org For additional information regarding settings or leadership in facilitating the five practices, contact Four Seasons Ministry at: fsministry@fourseasonsministry.org or call Dr. Franklin Gillis, Director/Consultant, Four Seasons Ministry consultant at ______________________________________________________________________ Steps toward a Fruitful Ministry: Moving a Church into a Preferred Future UNDERSTANDING The church was called into being to make and equip disciples. This mission continues to be the primary purpose for the Church’s existence. The mission of The United Methodist Church is stated: “To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” Staying focused on this mission enables a church to become one whose life is characterized by loving God and neighbor, rather than being a maintenance church that is primarily self-serving. UNDERSTANDING VISION Vision is usually referred to as “a picture of a preferred future.” In the Church, vision is about God’s unfulfilled dreams for God’s people. Each church’s vision is unique and is determined through an intentional visioning event by leadership, with input from members. The event is a spiritual discernment process resulting from analysis of various data and input. The following are data gathering activities which help discern a local church’s unique vision. · SWOT analysis · Indentifying core values · Examining the five practices of a fruitful congregation · Compiling demographics · Compiling and analyzing statistics related to the church’s vital signs · Input from the congregation (interviews and/or written suggestions) Additional information and articles regarding visioning may be found on the Four Seasons Ministry Web site: www.fourseasonsministry.org Note especially the document, “Are You Ready to Vision?” suitable for sharing as an exercise with leadership. UNDERSTANDING MINISTRY Ministry is what the church provides to fulfill the vision through a variety of programs and activities. Effective programs attempt to address identified needs, issue, and/or concerns across generational lines. Generally, programs are educational in nature and represent the church’s efforts to provide intentional faith development and spiritual growth toward more faithful discipleship. VISIONING FOR MINISTRY EVENT This spiritual discernment process is done by church leadership in a retreat-like setting. The time-frame dedicated to analysis of the data and development of the vision statement should range from 6-8 hours. The event can be done in an all-day or day and a half (overnight). A facilitator familiar with the process involved in vision discernment and group work should be engaged. FOLLOW-UP TO VISION DISCERNMENT Once the visioning retreat is completed, a Task Force should be formed to “tweak” the vision statement and then present it to the church’s administrative body for consensus agreement. After agreement is reached, a congregational gathering should be held in which the vision statement is interpreted and program suggestions are solicited. (Perhaps following a fellowship meal.) DEVELOPING · The Church Council (or administrative body in charge of program development and implementation) identifies ministries/programs necessary to move the church toward the fulfillment of the vision. This is often done in a program planning event designed to select, prioritize, and budget for the church’s ministries/ programs. (Note: Program planning should be developed with a sensitivity to the “five practices of fruitful congregations” which include ministry areas of worship, hospitality, faith development, mission/service, and generosity.) · The administrative body approves the budget developed by the planning agency and the employed and volunteer staff are assigned to implement the ministries/ programs. (Note: It is never a good idea to try to implement a new ministry that is underfunded and/or understaffed.) · Once the program has been planned, funded, staffed, and advertised, ministries are implemented. · Upon completion of a ministry/program, evaluate with a sensitivity toward 1) Did it do what we set out for it to do? and 2) Should it be offered again next year and, if so, should it be revised? RE-VISIONING When it appears that either the vision has reached fruition or as much fruition as possible, it is time to review and revise the vision, and the process is repeated so as to continue movement toward more fruitful ministry. For further information or assistance in implementing any step, contact Four Seasons Ministry at ______________________________________________________________________ Mini-Workshop on Practicing the Five Practices Provided by Four Seasons Ministry _____________________________________________ Agenda Becoming a More Fruitful Congregation A. Fruitfulness: Fruitfulness for congregations means effectively fulfilling their God-given mission and purpose. The mission of the Fruitfulness takes many forms – the growing care for one another in a congregation, the deepening faith of a group that matures in Christ together, the increasing effectiveness of a mission initiative that changes lives. To use the language of fruitfulness causes congregations to become clearer about desired outcomes. When congregations are unclear about outcomes and objectives, they resort to measuring inputs, efforts and resources in order to evaluate success in ministry. They can also find themselves placing a high priority on one type of ministry over another and rely too heavily on the strength of that ministry as the focus of the church’s mission/purpose. Fruitfulness directs our focus toward what we can accomplish for God’s purposes. Focusing on fruitfulness keeps us faithful to purposes, and makes it more difficult to justify and defend ineffective or unproductive ministries. Introduction to the Five Practices A. Background: “The foundation for the practices of fruitful congregations are rooted in the formation of the church in the 2nd chapter of Acts and in the reforming of the church in the days of John and Charles Wesley.” (M-p.6) Bishop Robert Schnase refers to the popular book he has written this way: “The foundational book Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations introduce and explore the fundamental practices critical to al vibrant, growing, fruitful congregations.” (M-p.7) B. Identifying the Five Practices: 1. Radical Hospitality 2. PassionateWorship 3. Intentional Faith Development 4. Risk-taking
5. Extravagant Generosity “These adjectives – Radical, Passionate, Intentional, Risk-taking, and Extravagant push every disciple and ever congregation to reconsider how we move toward greater excellence and fruitfulness for the glory of God.” The 5 Practices capture the core process by which God uses congregations to make disciples – congregations offer the gracious invitation, welcome, and hospitality of Christ so that people experience a sense of belonging; God shapes souls and changes minds through worship, creating a desire to grow closer to Christ; God’s Spirit nurtures people and matures faith through learning in community; with increased spiritual maturity, people discern God’s call to help others through mission and service; and God inspires people to give generously of themselves so that others can receive the grace they have known. C. Questions the Five Practices Raises: The 5 Practices of Fruitful Congregations is designed to assist congregational leaders in holding a mirror to their own ministries in order to ask the questions, “How are we doing in practicing these qualities of vital ministry in our congregation through our worship, classes, choirs, small group ministries, mission teams, and leadership circles? How are these vital practicing finding expression in our own personal discipleship? “The most fruitful congregations are those who constantly ask themselves: 1. “Is our hospitality – our inviting and welcoming – not only friendly but also Radical – of the highest quality, using our best efforts?” (Manual - p.5) 2. “Is our worship Passionate and alive and connecting and excellent, or is it mediocre and routine?” 3. “Are our small-group ministries and Bible studies merely acceptable; or are they Intentional, purposeful, and effective for all people?” 4. “Is our mission work helpful and convenient; or is it Risk-taking, moving us out of our comfort zones to make a difference in the lives of others for the purpose of Christ?” 5. “Is our giving safe and obligatory; or is it joyful and Extravagant, like the way all biblical giving was?” Examining the Five Practices 1. Radical Hospitality = Having an invitational stance and an active, constant desire to bring people into the life of Christ. Viewing Bishop Schnase’s insights from
2. Passionate Worship = Making worship of first importance, creating God –encounter experiences that transform lives. Viewing Bishop Schnase’s insights from 3. Intentional Faith Development = Understanding that we are on a journey to be closer to God and that we must be intentional about making growth happen along the way. Viewing Bishop Schnase’s insights from 4. Risk-taking
Viewing Bishop Schnase’s insights from 5. Extravagant Generosity = Preaching and teaching generosity, emphasizing proportional giving with growth toward tithing, based ob the Christian’s need to give. Viewing Bishop Schnase’s insights from Practicing the Five Practices A. Potential Settings a. Six-week book study b. Sunday School Class c. Five-week sermon series d. Daily devotions e. Leadership retreats f. Stewardship Campaign g. Focus of the Five Practices: A Congregation-Wide Initiative B. Primary Resources: 1. Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations, Robert Schnase (9780687645404) 2. Leader Manual & Media (9780687654130) 3. Cultivating Fruitfulness: Five Weeks of Prayer and Practice for Congregations (9780687654338) 4. Workbooks for Planning Groups: Radical Hospitality (9780687654239) Passionate Worship (9781426700026) Intentional Faith Development (9781426700033) Risk-taking Mission (9781426700040) Extravagant Generosity (9781426700057) C. Additional Resources: Book study: Leader’s Guide and Participant’s Study Guide Web sites: www.fivepractices.org Focus of the Five Practices: A Congregation-Wide Initiative A. GOAL: The goal of this material is to move the language of the Five Practices beyond the pastor and lay leadership and into the language and self-understanding of every small-group ministry, class, study, choir and outreach project, and also into the lives and homes of our volunteers and members and guests. There is an unmistakable power to using a common language throughout the congregation to stimulate and empower ministry in Christ’s name. This total church immersion experience involves a few weeks of planning, and a five week concentrated focus that includes a sermon series, small group work, strategic planning, a church-wide work/service day, and a culminating celebration and commitment service. Some churches will adapt the material for their fall stewardship/consecration emphasis. B. Resource: The Five Practices Leader Manual and Media is the key element of the new material. This is a large 160-page step-by-step plan and guide, with C. Purpose: Cultivating Congregational Fruitfulness Cultivating Fruitfulness: Five Weeks of Prayer and Practice for Congregations is the second most important element of the initiative. This is a daily devotional book that includes thirty-five daily readings and prayers, with one week focused on each practice. This small devotional book is intended for use by every household in the congregation, with everyone praying together on the same days throughout the initiative. Imagine if every household had already read seven daily devotions on Radical Hospitality and prayed daily for their own discipleship and the ministry of the church BEFORE they attended the worship service and heard the sermon that focused on Radical Hospitality! Don’t underestimate the power of the entire congregation praying together. Cultivating Fruitfulness feeds the soul of the initiative. D. Workbooks: The third resource includes five different Workbooks, each focused on a different practice. These are intended to guide more in-depth exploration among special leadership groups within a congregation who have the responsibility for preparing more strategic, long-term ministries. Five Practices: Risk-Taking Some congregations will use all the materials and complete all the elements of a congregation-wide initiative. Others will pick and choose which resources to use to fit their particular needs. All the materials can be obtained separately or together. E. Three-pronged Approach: (Manual - p.7) a. A Core Leadership Team b. Five Planning Groups c. Congregational Participation F. Four Phases: (Manual - p.8) a. Planning Phase b. Communication Phase c. Learning Phase d. Follow-Up Phase Next Steps for Practicing the Five Practices Question to address: How can you use the five practices resources in your ministry setting? |
Four Seasons Ministry