Nurturing Vital Discipleship and Church Membership Asylum Hill Congregational UCC

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Nurturing Vital Discipleshipand Church
MembershipAsylum Hill Congregational UCC

• David Schoen, Congregational Vitality and
  DiscipleshipUnited Church of Christ

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Discipleship or Membership

• In our culture today, the churches work is all
  about nurturing missional discipleship, not only
  church membership.
• 83 of population not in church on Sundays, going
  to church is counter cultural.
• Missional Church has clear sense of Gods purpose
  and calling for the church and raises up
  disciples who can articulate and put into daily
  practice Gods purpose for the church and Gods
  purpose for their lives.

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Hartford AreaReligious Practices
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Nurturing DiscipleshipVital Church Membership

• Clarity about church expectations for
  discipleship and membership
• Make expectation visible and vocal
• Track church members in discipleship
• Small Group Missional/Spiritual Ministry
• Who are the members at Asylum
• Who do you want to be the members at Asylum
• Using new technology, social media networks

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Clarity about church expectations for
discipleship and membership
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Clarity and Articulationof Expectations

• What expectation of discipleship and church
  membership do you have at Asylum Hill?
• What would your membership covenant be?
• How do you communicate your expectations?
• How do you nurture your covenant?
• "To work for the increase in the love of God
• and neighbor in Jesus Christ through
• sharing, caring, outreach and worship."

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Tracking Discipleship/Membership

• If you wish to grow discipleship and membership
  then you will need to track the participation of
  your congregation
• In commercial world this would be called CRM,
  Customer Relationship Management
• Track levels of the participation that are part
  of your expectation of members.
• Worship, Small Groups, Leadership, Service,
  Giving/Pledging, Witness

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New Member Tracking

• Keep track of guest, 1st time guest, return
  guests
• Invitation to New Member/Discipleship group
• Clarity of church purpose and expectations of
  members
• New members/disciples tell their stories
• Connect with trained core of sponsors
• Engage in Small Group within first 3 months
• Follow-up gatherings with new members

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Small Group Missional/Spiritual Ministry

• Churches become larger by getting smaller
• People are looking for relationships, a place
  where somebody knows my name
• Small groups where people can get to know each
  other are critical home, service, arts,
  committees
• Although a small group may not be focused on
  discipleship/spiritual matters, there should be
  chance for spiritual reflection/moments in each
• http//www.ucc.org/ministers/pdfs/ldshp.pdf

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Pass a Grille Beach UCC
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Who are these people?Who are your members, Who
are your neighbors?(Revelation 714)

• MissionInsite Demographics
• http//missioninsite.com/
• flexible web based information system
• comprehensive socioeconomic and lifestyle data
• interactive mapping platform
• strategic information resource for ministry

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Meeting Your Neighbors
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• West Hartford Hartford

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Who are your Neighbors -West Hartford
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Who are your Neighbors -Hartford
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Urban Commuter Families
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Who Are they?
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New Generation Activists
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Ministry Applications for Mosaic Lifestyle
Portraits
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Ministry Applications for Mosaic Lifestyle
Portraits
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How to use MissionInsite

• Map your congregation homes
• Learn their mosaic types
• Compare to communities, learn your niche
• Gear programs, small groups to meet population
  needs and interests
• Track guests and friends
• Cluster home groups

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Getting MissionInsite Info

• UCC and Connecticut Conference have contract with
  MissionInsite
• Participants in Workshop (thanks to OCWM).
• Go to Connecticut Conference Website
• http//www.ctucc.org/resources/pdfs/MissionInsite_
  How-To.pdf

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Generations and Religion
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Religious Practice
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Religious Belief
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LGBT Concerns
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Politics
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Liberal or Conservative
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Community Service
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Missional Outreach New Generations

• The urgency of our times should not be driven by
  our decline in the United Church of Christ.
• The urgency of our times should be a new
  generation and population
  attuned to the values of our
  message and witness.
• See Millenials report Pew Research

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New Technology
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Missional Tools Online
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On-line tools for Discipleship

• Connecting with congregation and others on-line
• Church Website
• Invitational
• Interactive
• Messaging
• E.newsletter
• Links
• Facebook
• Church fanpage
• Your own
• Links
• Advertising

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Networking with New Technology

• E-mail Blasts
• Daily Devotional
• Twitter
• You Tube
• Webinars
• On Line Classes
• On Line Prayer
• Go To Meetings
• Apps

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Church of the Wider Fellowship
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Nurturing DiscipleshipVital Church Membership

• Clarity about church expectations for
  discipleship and membership
• Make expectation visible and vocal
• Track church members in discipleship
• Small Group Missional/Spiritual Ministry
• Who are the members at Asylum
• Who do you want to be the members at Asylum
• Using new technology, social media networks

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Nurturing Discipleship and Church Membership

• What have you learned?
• What one thing stands out?
• How will you use this information?

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Getting Started

• Nurturing Vital Discipleship and Membership
• Pray for your members, guests and congregation
• This takes time, strategy and work.
• This takes volunteers and staff
• Takes support of congregational leaders
• Just get started.
• Start with one thing. Start with strength

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Nurturing Vital Discipleship and Church
Membership

• Blessings as you discern Gods mission for your
  congregation,
• and nurture your congregations members!

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Thank You!

• Thank you! Your financial support is
• Changing Lives Thats Our Churches Wider
  Mission
• Thank you for your vital leadership and
  discipleship!