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Your Church
ALIVE David Schoen – Congregational Vitality and Discipleship
schoend@ucc.org
Your Church ALIVE
Going Local – Getting Your Church Outside Itself Missional and Relational Outreach
Becoming Public with your Faith Conversational Faith Sharing and Invitation
Getting Digital What Does YELP Say About Your Church? Online Ministry, Outreach and Invitation
Times Have Changed
96% claim spirituality
48% participate in faith communities
Total church participation in US has declined even though 51 million new people
Younger generation opting out in masses
Growth in Racial ethnic population decline in Anglo growth rate
Mobility rates increased
500 Year Phenomena
Disciples and Churches ALIVEMissional, Relational & Conversational
Missional in purpose
Relational in outreach
Conversational in witness in person and online
Missional Discipleship
“The Church exists to serve God’s Mission” ~ Mission as Missio Dei, UCC Committee on Structure, 1992
The church of Jesus Christ is the instrument and sign of God’s mission and realm.
God’s mission is calling and sending us, the to be to be a missional church in our own societies, in the cultures in which we find ourselves.
Missional in Purpose
Vital disciples clear sense of purpose
Vital disciples are sent people
Vital disciples reach out beyond themselves reclaim Biblical focus on neighbors
Vital disciples multiply new disciples/ministries/congregations
Who are they, and where do they come from?
(Revelation 7:14)
MissionInsite Demographicshttp://missioninsite.com/
flexible web based information system comprehensive socioeconomic and lifestyle data interactive mapping platform strategic information resource for ministry
Meeting Your Neighbors
MissionInsite Reports
Population Growth
Population Age
Racial/Ethnicity
Religious Practices
Socio-Economic-Consumer Types
Who Are they?
Survey of Religious Beliefs, Preferences and Practices
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 to to needs and interests
New neighbor listings
Track guests and friends
Cluster home groups
How to Register
How to Register
QUESTIONS?
Missional in PurposeRelational in Outreach
The days of waiting for people to us to welcome them in church are over.
Instead of waiting inside, we go outside
Bridge the gap by building relationships
Celtic Evangelism
The Celtic Way of Evangelism: How Christianity Can Reach the West…Again George Hunter writes about the difference between what he describes as the evangelism approach in Roman and Celtic Christianity.
Celtic Evangelism
Roman Model Celtic Model
Presentation Fellowship Decision Ministry and Conversation Fellowship Belief, Invitation, Commitment
Belonging and Believing
Christianity is more caught than taught!
As Professor Robin Gill observes, belonging comes before believing. For this reason, evangelism is now about helping people belong so that they can believe.
No Matter Who You Are, or Where You Are on Life’s Journey, You Are Welcome Here!
You Are Welcome Here!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=5BzusJvw_io
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=5BzusJvw_io
Relational in Outreach
“I stopped wondering about how to draw younger folks into my church and started focusing on how to draw my congregation out of its building and into relationship with the world outside its doors.”
Missional Outreach
Walk or Drive your neighborhood Watch for where God is at work Take notes, make a map, collect contact data
Who lives where What are community needs Who are allies and good neighbors
Do this again and again Talk to your neighbors & community leaders
What are the hopes and challenges of neighbors How can the church be a good neighbor?
Relationship Building ‘Hang out’ with your community
Meet neighbors where they gather Spend Sunday morning with your neighbors
Soccer matches, Lowes, Coffee Shop, Exercise
Pastors ‘office’ in a coffee shop, fast food, bookstore. Make Worship and Faith Public Have meetings outside the church.
Bible/book studies in coffee shop, book store Council meetings in neighborhood context
Create Community Garden Engage in conversation, build relationships, Collect
data of names/addresses/e-mails
Joining God in the Neighborhood
Getting Started
Develop New Eyes for Your Neighborhood
Teach Radical Neighborliness – “No matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey…”
Meet Neighbors where they are, Listen to Neighborhood Stories
Discern What God is Up to in the Neighborhood
Get Involved
The congregation will begin to do ministry “with” the community—not “to” it.
What am I/We learning - What Do I/We Do Next?
Michigan 2 x 2
Faith,In Project
Be Bold !
Becoming Public with your Faith through Conversations
Conversational ministry is central to the future of the church in 21st Century
Count conversations, not conversions Brian McLaren, More Ready than You Think
Conversational Ministry The postmodern world calls for disciples
who reach out to a world that is hungering for good conversation about faith, values, hope, meaning, purpose, goodness, beauty, truth, life after death, life before death and God. Engaging in everyday faith conversations will not only help others become disciples, it will help us become disciples, who know and love the stillspeaking God more than ever.
Just because people aren’t in church
doesn’t mean they don’t believe
•Since 1991 adult population in the US grew by 15%.•During that same period the unchurched population grew by 92%! 75 million US adults do not attend church 'Unchurched' Americans say church is 'full of hypocrites' consider Christianity to be more about organized religion than about loving God and people, …“unchristian”.
Unchurched USA
44 percent -- agreed that "Christians get on my nerves.“
Vast majority of young non-Christians view Christianity as anti-gay, judgmental hypocritical, unwelcoming, too political, out of touch.
But 78 percent said they would be willing to listen to someone who wanted to tell them about his or her Christian beliefs.Almost three-quarters -- 72 percent -- agreed that God "actually exists“ and an even larger percentage -- 86 percent -- said they believed they could have a good relationship with God without church involvement.
Start Conversations
Spiritual Seekers want to talk.
We are the ones not talkingFear of Intruding on Other’s faith
Missional outreach is faith-sharing.
An unchurched world doesn’t know but wants to hear why we do what we do and believe what we believe.
If God is still speaking,
Shouldn’t we be?
Still Speaking Conversation and Invitation with Neighbors
Informal moments at work, shopping or…. Be attentive for moments for a still speaking word Wear your still speaking witness
Home dinners with neighbors
First Welcomers New Neighbors
Sunday Guests
Public Worship/Activities Ashes to Go Communion to the street Community Fairs/Events
Stillspeaking Witness!
God is still speaking,
Through you and me!
Eight Challenges Richard Peace – Holy
Conversations Learn how to talk about Jesus
Create spaces that bring seekers and Christians together to explore their spiritual journeys.
Learn how to invite others
Move beyond our stereotypes, fears and negative experiences of evangelism for new creative and authentic ways of outreach.
Eight Challenges Richard Peace
Evangelism and justice issues are a both/and not an either/or.
Find the energy to engage in and to sustain an outreach ministry.
Stay open to transformation, our own transformation even as we invite others to be transformed.
Learn how to discuss all of this in non-theological terms.
E. Word = Elbow
“The e.word today is elbow.” Jim Griffith
Still today the way most folks find a community of faith is when they are invited to come and brought by a friend or neighbor.
Come and See! One beggar telling another where there is food.
Conversational Invitation
Come and See
Who are you going to invite to come and see? Audiences for evangelism
Outsiders Become Insiders
Forgetters made Rememberers
Beloved Children become Belief-ful Adults
How To Get Started
Pray, pray, pray
Practice your stillspeaking ‘elevator’ response
Find a partner to practice speaking about faith
Start a Faith Sharing Group at church
Share ‘What My Faith/Church Means to Me’ Testimonies in worship
Pray for those you who want to reach out to
Just get started, talking and listening!
Are You Ready to Talk?
When did you have a moment of experiencing God’s presence in your life?
What impact has believing in God and following Jesus made in your life?
How is God still speaking in your life?/
What would you tell someone about your church and why you participate/love it?
What not to do!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82bNyssUrLQ
QUESTIONS?
Your Church ALIVE
Going Local – Getting Your Church Outside Itself Missional and Relational Outreach
Becoming Public with your Faith Conversational Faith Sharing and Invitation
Getting Digital What Does YELP Say About Your Church? Online Ministry, Outreach and Invitation
Go Forth into the Digital World
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PB99MjUz7YQ
“The socialization of the web ... is now forcing a renaissance that is transforming information distribution, human interaction and everything that orbits this nascent
ecosystem.”
Brian Solis, PR2.0, “Unveiling New Influencers” 6/29/2009
“The socialization of the web ... is now forcing a renaissance that is transforming information distribution, human interaction and everything that orbits this nascent
ecosystem.”
Brian Solis, PR2.0, “Unveiling New Influencers” 6/29/2009
The Socialization of the WebThe Socialization of the Web
You Now Control the Message!You Now Control the Message!
Let’s Get Digital
Outreach on-line
Church Website Invitational Interactive Messaging E.newsletter Links
A Welcoming Website
Outreach on-line
Facebook Church fanpage Your own Like/Share Links Advertising
Outreach with new Technology
Useful tools for Church Life
Skype calls, meetings, visits
Go to meetings
Webinars - On line bible studies, courses
Wikipedia, Google Documents
Yelp.com
Yelp.com
Church of the Wider Fellowship
Interactive Digital Worship
Tweet, Text, Post I’m in worship at (your) UCC
Tweet, Text, Post Insights, prayers, quotes from worship
Tweet or Text prayer requests to screen
Tweet or Text comments and questions to screen
Text a friend that you are praying for them
God is still speaking,
Through you and me.. In person andOnline!
QUESTIONS?
You and Your Church ALIVE
Missional in purpose – Go!
Relational and Invitational in outreach
Conversational in witness in person and online
Resources
Resources
Crossroads Mass. &
New Beginnings
FAST FACTS:
• Designed to lead “stuck” congregations to make a BOLD DECISION about their future
• Entire process takes about 6-8 months
• It works best when leadership teams work in clusters with other congregations
• Helps a congregation face reality, and gain courage for contextually relevant mission
The New Beginnings Process:
The Assessment
House Meetings
Making a Decision
Crossroads Coaching
Making a Decision
Given our resources, passion and skills: What is God calling us to do?
What would that require us to give up?
What would we look like when we are doing it?
How would the world be different if we did?
New Beginnings – This Fall 2013
COME and SEE EventIntroducing New Beginnings in Michigan ConferenceFor Pastors & Congregational Leaders September 14 & 15 Saturday 10 AM and 2 PM Sunday 2 PM
QUESTIONS?
What one thing stood out today?What does it mean for you?What one thing will you do to get started in your own life, in your congregation?
You and Your Church ALIVE
Your Church ALIVE
Blessings as you discern God’s mission for your congregation,
and discover what God is calling you to be & do as disciplesand a church ALIVEin the place andworld God hasplaced you.
Thank You!
Thank you! Your financial support isChanging Lives: That’s Our Churches’ Wider Mission
Thank you for your vital leadership and discipleship!
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