Congregational Vitality

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Congregational Vitality

• Rev. Ruben Duran, ELCA
• Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod Assembly
• April 17th, 2008

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Assumptions

• It is GODs mission
• God does not want to work alone
• God is a community in mission
• We are invited to participate, in Baptism
• It is still Gods mission
• We have Gods promise

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PROMISE

• Jesus I will build my Church
• Jesus I will be with you always
• God, through Isaiah My word will never come
  back empty, but will always accomplish the
  purpose for which it is sent.

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ITS ABOUT GOD

• The Reign of God is at hand, in history.
• Reign ushered in in Christ
• The Church is a means to Gods purpose

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The Constant Revealed in Christ

• God is working to redeem the world and bring
  about the Reign of God as the culmination of
  history and invites us to participate. (2
  Corinthians 511-21)

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As the world changes, the constant of Gods
purpose remains
Gods work to bring about the Reign
Reign of God
Church
Church called to participate in Gods work
Witness and engagement
The Changing World
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A changing church for a changing world
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The old world

• The white/Euro-centric majority was the primary
  reality
• Homogeneous institutions were the norm
• Institutions were trusted by virtue of their
  existence and/or longevity
• Authority was assumed within an office
• Facilities were a sign of legitimacy
• Self-sufficiency was assumed to be an automatic
  thing that came with the model

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The church for the old world

• Church connected formally or informally to the
  state
• Church has honored place in the center of culture
• Church membership respectability equated
• Church trains moral citizens
• Programs provide services to people who respond
  as clients

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The old world
Normal people go to church
Normal people go to church
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Assumptions in the old world

• Everyone is a Christian
• Since Christian is assumed conversion is
  unnecessary
• Accommodation is the model
• Culture is our friend we help people fit in
• Church is about world improvement Make the
  world a better place social ministry and
  charity are the focus of engagement with culture

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In the old world the church is a building, a
pastor and enough laity to pay the bills
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The new world

• Diversity increases at a rapid pace. The white
  norm is breaking down.
• Multicultural and ethnic specific institutions
  are successful paradigms.
• Institutions are not trusted automatically
  trust is earned in relationship
• Authority comes in relationship not in a role
• Facilities may not be an asset
• New models are needed for resourcing

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The new world

• There is less and less connection between the
  church and the state
• The church has lost its honored status in the
  culture
• Church no longer respectability. In fact for
  some it is not to be trusted
• Morality is less clear and the church has no
  corner on it. In fact scandals in the church
  call the churchs morality in question

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The new world
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Assumptions in the new world

• Everyone is not a Christian (even church members)
• Conversion/transformation are essential the
  evangelical call is back!!
• Accommodation is no longer an option
• Culture is questioned we help people define
  their identity in light of their call to
  discipleship
• Church is about participating in the Reign of God
  Make the world a better place is replaced
  with setting up mission outposts for the Reign of
  God
• Social ministry and charity are subsumed under
  the call for holistic ministry and making
  disciples

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Some Options

• Legislate culture so the church is in the center
  (religious right response)
• Become separate from culture so the church is
  disconnected, perhaps even irrelevant (European
  response)
• A third way where the church engages from the
  margins, provides an alternative voice and
  community of disciples, and invites others in to
  the Jesus way of life.

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The New Reality Keys to the 3rd Way

• We are free (for the first time in centuries) to
  shape our message without the culture telling us
  what we have to say (or be)!!
• The church needs to function at the margins and
  not from the center
• We have great company at the margins (we are not
  the first to be there)
• Being at the margin will require us to be serious
  about discipleship, lifestyle, etc. We must be
  the change we hope for to be taken seriously.

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The Proclamation of the GospelLesslie Newbigin
(1969)

• The Reign of God has come near in Jesus
• To accept it means to be able to understand and
  direct all your action both private and public
• There is an apostolic fellowship of those already
  committed and at work
• This is the call to you to like commitment

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Some key paradigm shifts

• Institutional and survival
• Pastor dominated
• Program success
• Facility centered
• Physical welfare the goal
• Charity focus
• Autonomous models
• Grants reward survival
• Served criteria

• Relational and evangelical
• Lay ministry based
• Relationship success
• People centered
• Spiritual welfare at core
• Holistic transforming of lives
• Interdependent models
• Grants advance success
• New disciples criteria

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The Emerging Church
Life/ministry as witness and parable of the
kingdom
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The Changing Church
Laity infiltrate through vocation
Missionaries of grace
Communities of care
Dr. Alicia Vargas
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Questions for Discussion

• The Changing World
• How has the changing world and culture affected
  your congregation? (be specific)
• What steps have you taken to deal with this?
• The Constant of Gods Work in Christ
• How do you lead people so they always remember
  the constant of Gods work to bring about the
  Reign of God?
• If the evangelical call is now essential, how
  are you leading people in the call to witness and
  invite others into the work of God?

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SHARING TIME
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Signs of a healthy church
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KEY Congregational Health

• What does it mean to have a healthy congregation?
• What are some vital signs of a healthy
  congregation?
• 1..
• 2..
• 3.
• 4

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HEALTHY CHURCHES

• BIBLE where 2 or 3 are gathered in my name, I
  am in the midst of them, Matt. 18
• On this rock, I will build my church, Mt.16
• Now, you are the Body of Christ, 1Cor.12
• the whole Body, joined and knit together by
  every joint with which it is supplied, when each
  part is working properly, makes bodily growth and
  upbuilds itself in love, Ephesians 416.

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Healthy Churches theology

• LUTHER The church is present where the Word is
  preached and the Sacraments administered. It is
  the community of saints.
• AUGSBURG CONFESSION Articles 1-7
• 1. God 2. Sin 3. Jesus 4. Justification by
  faith 5. Ministry of the Gospel (calling people
  into faith) 6. New obedience (call into
  discipleship) 7. The CHURCH, the gathering of
  those called by the Gospel to a new obedience to
  Jesus.

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A Healthy Church

• A VIBRANT AND GROWING CHURCH where people() are
  CONNECTING to one another and TRANSFORMING THE
  WORLD, where FAITH IS DEEPENING and NEW DISCIPLES
  are being made, living as the body of Christ
  participating in USHERING IN THE REIGN OF GOD.
  
• () or congregations

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CHURCH

• FORMED
• DE-FORMED
• RE-FORMED
• TRANS-FORMED
• ALWAYS REFORMING ITSELF, aware of its own
  captivity to forces in the world.

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Two helpful research results

• 1. ELCA Study of Congregational Vitality
• 2. An international congregational research
  conducted by the Institute of Natural Church
  Development, Germany.

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Three Keys to Congregational Vitality(From an
evangelism study of the ELCA)

• Leadership a culture of team leadership where
  clergy and laity work together as a team. Leaders
  help congregations develop the following
• Purpose a clear sense by the congregation of
  what God is calling them to do
• Willingness to change a spirit of openness that
  is willing to initiate change to be faithful and
  effective

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Research Natural Church Development

• 58,000 churches so far
• Worldwide
• 18 languages
• Inter-denominational
• Looking for signs of healthy congregations
• Looking for principles that propel the church to
  grow naturally

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Models Principles
Model
Imitation
Principles
Abstraction
Individualization
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Quality Characteristics

• Empowering leadership
• Gift-oriented ministry
• Passionate spirituality
• Functional structures
• Inspiring worship
• Holistic small groups
• Contextual evangelism
• Loving relationships

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A potted plant
Size of pot Nutrients
Water
Location
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An ELCA Example
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1 Year Later.
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Healthy and Missional Congregations
8 NCD Quality Characteristics

Eye for Justice
Basic Building Blocks
Mission clarity
Flexible/Resilient
Connected
Purpose
Willing to Change
Ecclesiology
Jesus Christ
Foundation for Ministry
8.5 Quality Characteristics 8 from NCD
augmented with an eye for justice
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The Changing Church
Laity infiltrate through vocation
Missionaries of grace
Communities of care
Dr. Alicia Vargas
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Dangerous combination

• Faith only Privatized
• Ministry only Institutionalized
• Leadership only Professionalized
• A church paralized

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Missional dynamic

• 1. Faith private and public
• 2. Ministry institutional and organic
• 3. Leadership profession and vocation
• Emerging chemistry to increase vitality and
  capacity for evangelical outreach in the ELCA

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Signs on the Journey- benchmarks

• Church PARALIZED
• Scarcity
• Entitlement
• Limited capacity
• Help the Pastor
• Survival
• Resistance to change
• Focus on past/present

• Church PROPELLED
• Abundance
• Thanksgiving
• Increased capacity
• Exercise vocation
• Living hope
• Willingness to change
• Focus on present/future

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ITS ABOUT HEALTH

• HEALTHY LEADERS CAN DEVELOP HEALTHY COMMUNITIES
  OF FAITH.
• HEALTHY ORGANISMS DO NOT GROW FOREVER, BUT THEY
  REPRODUCE.
• THE GOAL OF AN APPLE TREE IS NOT AN APPLE, BUT
  ANOTHER APPLE TREE.
• HEALTHY CONGREGATIONS GROW AND REPRODUCE
  NATURALLY.

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ELCA is changing

• Before Called, gathered and nourished
• Today Claimed, gathered and sent
• Nothing short of a miracle, only by Gods grace.
• Direction first, then speed
• Foundation is more important than height

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Being transformed and revitalized into

• Healthy capacity to act and grow
• Missional evangelical orientation
• Evangelizing making new disciples
• Multiplying churches starting churches
• Individuals and congregations who live out their
  identity as Christians and Lutherans in the world.

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RE-TOOLING for Increasing Congregational Vitality
and Capacity

• 1. Missional Theology grounding our
  ministry in scripture and sound theology
• 2. Leadership Development equipping
  lay and clergy
• 3. Reading the audience understanding
  the emerging context
• 4. Congregational Ministry assessing
  congregational health

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EOCM RENEWAL

• 1. Ministry Adjustments
• 2. Turn-around congregations
• 3. Re-developments
• 4. Transformational Process
• 5. Fast-Growth congregations
• 6. Re-alignments mergers, consolidations
• 7. Synodical Administration of churches

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Emerging Learnings for the Field

• Ministry focused on the Gods Reign not the
  institution
• Organic and contextual churches not cloned models
  being built
• Leaders that raise up and multiply leaders not
  followers
• Congregations as training centers for mission
  rather than service centers
• Groups/congregations that reproduce more groups
  and congregations
• A heart for conversion and transformation not
  just members to notch our belts

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Being transformed into

• Healthy capacity to act and grow
• Missional evangelical orientation
• Evangelizing making new disciples
• Multiplying churches starting churches

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PROMISE

• Jesus I will build my Church
• Jesus I will be with you always
• God, through Isaiah My word will never come
  back empty, but will always accomplish the
  purpose for which it is sent.