Parish and Community Development Ministries Roundtable: Mississippi Annual Conference of the U.M. Church

1
Parish and Community Development Ministries
Roundtable Mississippi Annual Conference of the
U.M. Church

• Presented by
• Rev. Embra Jackson
• Administrative Assistant to the Bishop

2
Our Iceberg Is Melting So What Do We Do?
3
(No Transcript)
4
The Role of Stories

• Sociological
• Morality
• Religious (Jesus and parable)

5
(No Transcript)
6
Story Discussion

• Divide into groups from local churches/clusters
• 5 MinutesRespond to these questions
• Does this story relate to our denomination,
  conference, your church/cluster?
• What are the lessons to be learned from this
  story that relate to our denomination,
  conference, cluster?
• Each group shares their findings

7
How did the penguins succeed?
SET THE STAGE

1. Create a Sense of Urgency.Help others see the
   need for change and the importance of acting
   immediately.
2. Pull Together the Guiding Team. Make sure there
   is a powerful group guiding the changeone with
   leadership skills, credibility, communications
   ability, authority, analytical skills and a sense
   of urgency.

8
Decide What To Do

• Develop the Change Vision and Strategy. Clarify
  how the future will be different from the past,
  and how you can make that future a reality.
• Communicate for Understanding and Buy-in. Make
  sure as many others as possible understand and
  accept the vision and the strategy.

Make It Happen
9

1. Empower Others to Act.Remove as many barriers as
   possible so that those who want to make the
   vision a reality can do so.
2. Produce Short-Term Wins.Create some visible,
   unambiguous successes as soon as possible.
3. Dont Let Up. Press harder and faster after the
   first successes. Be relentless with initiating
   change after change until the vision becomes a
   reality.

10
Make It Stick

1. Create a New Culture. Hold on to the new ways
   of behaving, and make sure they succeed, until
   they become strong enough to replace old
   traditions.

11
Five Minutes Break
12
Is Our Iceberg Melting? How effective are weas
a denomination and as a conference?
13
The United Methodist Churchs Mission

• To make Disciples of Jesus Christ
• for the Transformation of the World

14
Methodists went where the people were. ?
Lovett Weems
Quote
15
Between 1776 and 1850 the Methodists in America
achieved a virtual miracle of growth, rising from
less than 3 of all church members in 1776 to
more than 34 by 1850, making them far and away
the largest religious body in the nation and the
most extensive national institution other than
the Federal government. Methodist growth
terrified other more-established denominations.
HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF THE UNITED METHODIST
DENOMINATION
Christian History Institute
16
By the middle of the nineteenth century,
Methodists boasted more than 4,000 itinerants,
almost 8,000 local precahers, and over a million
members. It was nearly one half size larger than
any other Protestant body and could muster more
than ten times the preaching force of the
Congregationalists, who, in 1776 had double the
number of clergy of any other church. By 1850, in
a nation where only 25 to 30 percent of the
people claimed any religious affiliation, almost
one in fifteen Americans belonged to a Methodist
church (1.5 million out of 23 million).
Nathan Hatch in Church History Journal, June
1994, p. 179
17
The original focus of Methodism was on people
beyond the walls of the church.
18
The Current ContextualReality
Issues Within The Continental U.S. Culture
19
Contextual Reality

• The combined communicant membership of Protestant
  churches over the last ten years declined 9.5 or
  4,498,242 people while the U.S. population
  increased 11.4 or 24,153,000 people.

ASCG Journal of Church Growth
20
Some Ways of Looking at Mississippi Conference
Churches
21
Membership, Attendance and Professions of Faith
350 26 churches
26
1,021
125 or less
96
125-349 96 churches
22
Mississippi ConferenceChurches

• Average Attendance 65
• Median Attendance 35

23
Total Expenditures 2007
350 33
26
125 or less 37
1,021
96
126-349 30
24
A free online newsletter of the Lewis Center for
Church Leadership   - Delivered via e-mail
every 2 weeks   - Providing thoughtful,
relevant, and succinct information for church
leaders   - Bringing the best leadership
resources to the revitalization of churches  
www.churchleadership.com
25
Five Minutes Break
26
Next Faithful Steps Where do we go from here?
27
Lifecycle of A Church
28
Acts 242-47DefinestheVital and Healthy Church

• Grows both numerically and spiritually
• Lives in community and experiences low levels of
  conflict
• Processes adequate resources for ministry
• Provide significant impact for the community
  andconnection of the Body of Christ

29
Health of Local ChurchesFIVE PRACTICES OF
FRUITFUL CONGREGATIONS

• The Practice of Radical Hospitality
• The Practice of Passionate Worship
• The Practice of Intentional Faith Development
• The Practice of Risk-Taking Mission and Service
• The Practice of Extravagant Generosity

30
Select one area of Healthy Church and as a group
decide how you/your church/cluster will become
healthier in this area. Be specific.
Group Activity
31
Helpful QuotesA Changing World

• All of the great leaders have had one
  characteristic in common it was the willingness
  to confront unequivocally the major anxiety of
  their people in their time. This, and not much
  else, is the essence of leadership.
  John Kenneth Galbraith
• Not everything that is faced can be changed.But
  nothing can be changed until it is faced.
  James Baldwin

32
ACTS 29 Plan Ministry Action Plan
A2 Areas of Health Specific Action Measurable Attainable Rewards Time Frame
Growth Numerically
Spiritually
Living in Community Consider levels of conflict
Adequate Resources Monetary
Personnel
Service Mission Local Projects
Donations
Projects Outside of Area
33
Five Practices of a Fruitful Congregation
Specific Action Measurable Attainable Rewards Time Frame
Passionate Worship
Intentional Faith Development
Radical Hospitality
Extravagant Generosity
Risk-taking Mission and Service
34
All too often people and organizations dont see
the need for change. They dont correctly
identify what to do, or successfully make it
happen, or make it stick. Businesses dont.
School systems dont. Churches dont.