Readiness 360 Complete Report For 1st Sample Church …readiness360.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/R360...mandates and a quest for fruitfulness. There is a willingness to let go of

Readiness 360 Complete Report

For 1st Sample Church

August 12, 2014

Prepared by:

Readiness 360, LLCwww.readiness360.org

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OverviewCongratulations for being willing to engage in a serious conversation about your readiness to reach new people in new ways! The Christian movement in North America was strong for so many generations because churches planted new churches that planted new churches. Untold thousands of churches, decade after decade, state after state! Only a small percentage of today's churches still have multiplication of ministry on their radar. Your church does - and that sets you apart!

1st Sample Church asked several of its leaders and participants to participate in the Readiness 360 process. The survey many of you took assesses your church's spiritual and practical readiness for faithful and effective ministry in the 21st century. 234 persons took the Readiness 360, a mix of staff, key leaders and active ministry participants.

The Readiness 360 assesses four critical capacities for multiplying thriving ministries. In the rating system below, your church's level of multiplication energy is indicated by the number of rabbits (God's most adorable multipliers). The more multiplication energy your church has, the more ready you will be to start something new. 1st Church is strongest in terms of Spiritual Intensity and is most challenged in terms of Dynamic Relationships.

KEY: =not ready =more than ready

Spiritual Intensity:

There is some fire in people's hearts at 1st Church, but it isn't burning as brightly as it should. 1st Church has some work to do in strengthening the personal connection between your people and God and God's mission for you in the world. It would be wise to spend some time reconnecting with God through renewing spiritual practices both personally and as a church body.

Missional Alignment:

Many folks at your church have a good sense of where God is calling you to go, but others are not aligned with this point of view. There is seldom enough personnel or financial resources to run in many directions at once. Now is a time for serious conversation about 1st Church 's priorities.

Cultural Openness:

On one hand, many in the church want to reach diverse people, but many in the church still have great apprehension about what this might mean in terms of changing the face of 1st Church. There may be some limitations in terms of how far the church is able to reach toward different kinds of people in the next few years. Open communication will be critical.

Dynamic Relationships:

In some respects, your church has seen some amazing relationships and friendships across the years. However, the DNA of these relationships is not currently indicative of the church as a whole. You have some work to do in terms of cultivating trust within the church and relating effectively to folks who are different from the majority of the members.

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SPIRITUAL INTENSITY: 79.25

All great Christian movements are intense spiritually, marked by a deep love for God and a surrendering to what God is seeking to do through human beings. It is critical that a spiritual fire burns within the hearts and souls of those leading and participating in the life of the church. Without personal passion for Christ, we lack an adequate source of spiritual energy for vital and multiplying ministry.

There is some fire in people's hearts at 1st Church, but it isn't burning as brightly as it should. 1st Church has some work to do in strengthening the personal connection between your people and God and God's mission for you in the world. It would be wise to spend some time reconnecting with God through renewing spiritual practices both personally and as a church body. In your church:

Many people have an expectation of encountering the living Christ personally and/or in the congregation.

Practicing spiritual disciplines (prayer, Bible study, fasting, Christian works, etc.) is not a major part of life together.

People are willing to take risks as an expression of their faith and trust in God.

Leaders - paid and unpaid - demonstrate spiritual vitality.

Areas of Relative Strength Score

1. People report meeting the living Christ at some point in their life.

87.80

2. People have found that hard work and sacrifice pays off richly in spiritual fruit.

86.75

3. Your church moves with a sense that it is sent to share something of eternal value with the world.

85.67

Areas of Potential Improvement Score

1. Your church prays together in order to better understand God's will and make good decisions.

64.75

2. Your church has discovered the blessings received in serving and blessing others.

67.27

3. People put faith into their own words and relate it to their own life experience.

69.91


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DYNAMIC RELATIONSHIPS: 73

Disciple making depends in large part on our relational skills our relationship with God and with others. A church's people must develop good habits for leading others into a transformative relationship with God through Christ.

In some respects, your church has seen some amazing relationships and friendships across the years. However, the DNA of these relationships is not currently indicative of the church as a whole. You have some work to do in terms of cultivating trust within the church and relating effectively to folks who are different from the majority of the members. Your ability to form relationships with new people is colored by:

The practice of strong welcoming behaviors.

A struggle to incorporate new people into the life of your church.

Positive experience partnering with other leaders and groups.

A dependency on a few people to do a lot of the work. There is a need for greater teamwork and leader development.

Leaders - paid and unpaid - who may be struggling to work together.


1. People are okay with the idea that your church could grow.

90.51

2. People are happy to open the church's facilities for community use.

86.24

3. Staff and laity team well together to advance ministry.

77.58


1. Your church seems committed to doing things in a way that is oriented to guests and visitors.

52.58

2. Your church is committed to team-based ministry.

64.58

3. Though conflict is inevitable, your church is able to manage misunderstandings and disagreements in ways that are helpful to the church.

64.97


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MISSIONAL ALIGNMENT: 74.75

Highly fruitful churches consistently prioritize the investment of their resources (time, talent, treasure) according to their Biblical vision and mission. Plans and major initiatives must stem clearly from Biblical mandates and a quest for fruitfulness. There is a willingness to let go of strategies that aren't bearing as much fruit. The more churches do this the better they are aligned.

Many folks at your church have a good sense of where God is calling you to go, but others are not aligned with this point of view. There is seldom enough personnel or financial resources to run in many directions at once. Now is a time for serious conversation about 1st Church 's priorities. To this end, your church has:

A clear understanding of our mandate to reach new people.

A disconnect between its stated mission and its core practices and activities.

Fear of backlash if the church makes decisions that are in line with its mission as opposed to pleasing people or maintaining status quo.

A shared sense of competency about the church's ability to start new ministries.

Lack of clarity about the core principles of the church's faith.

Passionate support for the church's direction.


1. Your church focuses on God's abundance, not on your lack of resources.

89.70

2. People think in terms of the church's mission more than what's in it for them personally.

85.74

3. People understand how their purpose and role is aligned to the movement of the whole.

81.10


1. People are comfortable with the fact that expanding ministry makes it impossible to know everyone.

54.14

2. People believe that procedure should never be used to shut down mission advancement.

56.70

3. People in your church are clear about who makes what decisions.

62.35


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CULTURAL OPENNESS: 74.75

Since the first century, effective churches have been reaching across cultural boundaries to share the Christian good news with diverse people, who begin with different experiences, perspectives, and stories. Churches that exhibit fortress behaviors or who spend excessive time mourning social change often have difficulty sharing life with new kinds of people.

On one hand, many in the church want to reach diverse people, but many in the church still have great apprehension about what this might mean in terms of changing the face of 1st Church. There may be some limitations in terms of how far the church is able to reach toward different kinds of people in the next few years. Open communication will be critical. Your congregation's capacity for embracing new cultures (e.g., socio-economic, racial/ethnic, generational, etc.) is marked by:

Attitudes and behaviors that indicate some difficulties in crossing cultural boundaries, especially with your neighbors.

A good ability to form meaningful community with people who puzzle and/or offend you in certain respects.

Some anxiety about increasing diversity in your church.

Energy for working with different kinds of people.

Difficulty in sharing power with new people.

Mixed experiences that may make it difficult to reach younger people.


1. The ideas of young people are valued.

88.76

2. People have a positive attitude toward their neighbors who have different instincts, tastes or points of view.

87.50

3. People report experiencing a sense of common humanity with people who are different than themselves.

87.06


1. You have a mix of newcomers and old-timers in leadership at your church.

56.79

2. Once oriented, your church trusts people to lead.

59.06

3. People seem to have valuable experiences that will help you reach those of a different socio-economic group.

59.38


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What excites you about the possibility of us multiplying our impact through starting a new place or ministry for new people?

growing God's kingdom

reaching those young people who don't know Christ

more people

more people

more young people

doing what we are called to do

that more people would be reached by the love and grace of God

Reaching people who don't know Christ or think a relationship with God is unattainable.

reaching more people with the love and peace of God.

test

There will be more people turning to worship God. Our purpose is to be a disciple to Christ.

Maybe not everyone in the pews would look the same!

Our healthy ministry will be extended beyond our current reach. I'm also excited about the idea of training up the laity in new ways.

I know that I grow spiritually and in lots of other ways when I am doing things that stretch my faith, and when I meet new people with new ideas, cultures, etc.

Reach new people, diverse people and younger people

Creating new disciples is saving lives! Not only that, but new believers are usaully passionate about their faith and bring a lot of energy to their place of worship.

I'm excited about the chance to connect with people, to create new bonds and , through serving others, show them God's love.

I am very excited about multiplying our impact for a new place or new ministry for new people.

Sharing the good news of Jesus. People need a save place to worship. In the world christians are bullied for their believes. We need disciple training to go in the world with love and confidence.

everything!

We would be fulfilling our calling as the Body of Christ.

I believe we have the potential to be a multi-racial church. This is rare and should not be missed.

The idea of more and more people living according to KOG principles.

Reaching new people. So many younger adults are close to God and not the church. It would be wonderful to be able to encourage their spiritual growth. Without some kind of support they are vulnerable, spiritually.

the more people we have the better!

This seems to be a new and strategic way of assiting our congregations to become more vital and relavant to the geographic areas where they are located.It is no secret that as a denomination we have become older and have lost members over the past several decades. I am excited about 360 becuse i believe that there are many congregations that are ready to move to the next level of their Minstry.

We have gifted, committed leaders, and a welcoming church culture.

The opportunity for new people to experience the grace of God on earth as it is in heaven, extended to all.

Everything

it's the best way to grow the church!

The impact and blessing those new places will have on the new people involved.

reaching outside the walls of our church is what we are supposed to do

That I will be able to leave my thirty-plus year ministry with our church knowing that it is on the road to new vitality as it


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follows what God is calling it to be and do in this new day.

Seeing more lives changed through the power of the Holy Spirit

Excited to connect with new people and have more people use their gifts

The kingdom becomes a reality for more people, bringing encouragement and accountability for life.

Offering God's word tomany more.

Growth & new people discovering the love of Christ in their life and in this community.

exciting new projects

Everything

More people can be reached spreading good DNA and sharing resources while reaching new people in a new community and context.

So many people that need God here. Something needs to be done to bring them in.

I think there is still an important place for the mainline church in American culture.

Becoming more externally focused; deepening spiritual life of current members; reaching more and younger people.

I believe this is the Great Commission of Jesus and I believe this is why my spiritual gifts are given me.

everything!

I would love to be able to connect new people to God while growing both personally and collectively with the community.

I'm excited about reaching out new people as a way to participate in GOd's mission in the world

Excited about new people finding a place and using their gifts

Don't know.

I am most encouraged about the possibility to provide worship experiences for those who may have never been a part of a church.

Seeing God at work and helping us follow his lead to tell others the gospel.

Reaching more people for Jesus Christ.

Multiplying is the most sure sign of life, of following Christ.

Many things

Getting our minds off ourselves and seeing what the Lord wants us to do for Him. He is still a miracle worker healing hearts minds and bodies. There are so many people out there that need Him we don't have time to fiddle around.

The opportunity to reach out to the community, neighborhood and university. The opportunity to deepen my spiritual relationship with people in the church and people who will come to the church.

This is carrying out the Great Commission to "go and make disciples"!

reaching more people and creating new friends and interactions is interesting.

We have made a concerted effort to multiply our impact in the community through the Well. This is a reality already. I think it is time to evaluate our efforts.

Expand and grow our faith, while sharing it with others some possibly not comfortable with their faith growth.

everything

New disciples

Reaching the lost

The excitement of people coming to know the risen Savior and seeing how he can change their lives.

New energy in the church.

Spreading the word to the Community. Helping others find something they are looking for. Provide hope and encouragement for the mind, body and spirit.

Bringing new people to the church, introducing Christ to them, and inviting them to ongoing ministries to stregthen their relationship with God.

This is very exciting! We have such great potential to grow. We are a young church and excited to do things in a modern way! & reach out to younger, people and people who are not typically "Methodists".

Being able to witness unchurched people coming to God.

That it brings new people to The Lord

Reaching others in our community who don't know how much Christ adores them!

That the love and forgiveness of God will reach those who are hurting in the world. That long-time parishioners will see God's presence in the world in new ways & be energized to deepen their spiritual journeys.


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sharing God's love and forgiveness

Helping others

Generating new ideas. Common mission of providing outreach to our community. Igniting passion in our congregation.

Spreading the unconditional love of God

This can be done as "a fresh start" and no need to worry about how it was always done before because there is no before

Outreach is always exciting and good

new leadership

It is the future.

Seeing the Holy Spirit at work among people of different races and cultures and languages is a great privilege -- a continual Pentecost!

1) Seeing God move again in miraculous ways to establish a group of people for powerful ministry in a totally different place. 2) Watching a new group of leaders emerge. 3) Seeing souls born into the kingdom from among the un-churched.

That here may be a way to approach small congregations with positive changes they can make to come out of survivor mode and begin to grow their church.

Bringing more people into the arms of Jesus. Equipping more disciples to be in ministry. Reaching the millennial generation.

Because many of our members are older and passing we need to focus on ways to bring younger families and young adults back into the congregation but this is premature since we do not have a permanent pastor.

New people will be reached for Jesus and their lives can be transformed into something totally unexpected in a way that will bless the socks off of them.

By doing so, we pass on the faith and we make disciples for Jesus the Christ!

I want us to be truly open to all people who are seeking Christ -- even to those who aren't seeking him and are surprised to find him through our programs.

The vitality that it should bring.

I still believe there is a hunger for God - it just needs to be approached differently than the church is now doing.

Calls more people to exercise their leadership abilities and their spiritual gifts and mantles. Exposes more people to God's love. Causes people to think in new ways and, hopefully, to seek the Lord more.

I want us to reach more people with God's love.

Before you can move ahead, you need a starting point. This is like a thermometer of their view from the pew of from the front.

We are talking about a satellite ministry now - a community location that would not be "the church" where we could reach others in our community - like young adults. We are favorably looking into this possibility.

Reaching the unchurched or marginally churched for Jesus Christ.

being able to get data from a side spectrum of persons and having a systemic way to view the data and act on it.

nothing

I believe that God is starting a revival in our country and it may start off slow but will build up. There are so many hurting people around us that need Jesus and we have the opportunity to be part of His revival which is exciting!

The life and vitality we will experience because of discipling people for Jesus Christ. Knowing that people will experience the love of Jesus who didn't even know who he was before.

grow with new people

There is always an opportunity to encourage existing people and encouraging new people.

I don't know

A new ministry would energize our congregation. It could provide a different way to reach out to the community.

Serving a community and world that has needs that are often invisible to the community i live in excites me. Daily life has become materialistic and self-involved.

test

I am excited to help strengthen the bonds that my Church has with our Community.

Love the idea of reaching more people with Good News of Jesus Christ.

Reaching the lost

Giving our church hope for its future.

Reaching and helping people in need who may or may not share our background.


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Our church's strength is our openness (in some areas.) I like our "wherever you are on your spiritual journey" attitude. I think we would all be energized moving together toward a goal outside ourselves.

That we can have another place where all people are welcome to come and be a part of a community that is #hereforgood

Growing the faith of Jesus and the holy spirit in unchurched or other christian people.

The possibility of energizing our church and make it a place that the unchurched are know about and will be motivated to visit and once having visited will come back again and again.

New persons experiencing the love of God and benefiting from the wonderful setting and facility we have invested in at the church.

That we are sharing the love of Christ with more than just the existing congregation.

Welcoming more people into the grace of God, and transforming the world for Christ.

Increase vibrancy

We will become a vibrant center of activty and ministry for the community.

Growing the Kingdom of God and being faithful to our calling to be disciples and missionaries

See new people come to Christ

I am excited about the possibility of new people coming to Christ and the opportunity to offer worship and other experiences to help them develop in their Christian walk. I am excited about looking at new models and new ways for persons to connect to Christ and the reality that we are attempting to be attuned to those who have a variety of spiritual needs.

Making disciples for Christ

Keeping the church relevant for the setting and time.

I'd be excited about growing our church to what it has been in the past. But to do that we need a permanent pastor and maybe a 50% increase in our congregation.

I get excited about the opportunity to create a space that introduces people to ways or new ways to serve Jesus Christ. To combine the Christ Synergy and use it as a spiritual power driven force to create positive change in our church, neighborhood and our community organizations.

reaching more people for God

really stuck in ministry

growth and serving new people

reaching others with the message of wholeness and peace found in Jesus Christ

Having the church show a meaningful impact on the community. Having people know that faith is real and dynamic, not just an old tradition for Sunday mornings.

I want to see us really serving the community around us.

What excites me is to be serving more people, finding them, enabling them to also be serving.

IT excites me that our 100 year old Church is willing to accept Al types of people and growing in Love for all.

Creating commitment to love God by loving others and to love others by loving God.

Being able to help more people find meaning and purpose in their lives.

ok

New people meeting Jesus and becoming disciples


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What concerns you about the possibility of us multiplying our impact through starting a new place or ministry for new people?

being stretched too thin

not having spiritually mature enough leaders

more people

more people!

more conflict

panicking

that we won't be able to keep up with everything!

We do not have enough young leaders in the process of being cultivated for leadership roles and we have not put into place a method/practice for developing them.

finances -- how will we finance this for the long run? Who will be the leaders for this new ministry?

test

We may need more effective leaders to take caire of new people

Not enough money to keep a ministry or program going after we start it.

I am concerned if the multi-sites will be effective and self-sustaining in the new communities.

It's always a bit frightening going into the unknown. Will we have the resources, and can we weather the inevitable conflict that comes when we move in a new direction?

Money.

It is important how we go about helping them learn from scripture how God wants them to live. We don't want to cause hurt in their lives as we guide them toward God's light. Sometimes we will fail.

We are a divided church right now and I'm concerned that this will add more pressure and create more divisions.

My concerns about multiplying our impact for a new place or ministry for new people, are varied in nature. I want to make sure we stay focused on Biblical and Methodist doctrine. I want to make sure we don't lose current members who have been vital for many years, creating new ministries or strengthening current ministries. I want to know what my tithe is supporting before the ministry is set into place, not after the fact.

That the new ministries are biblically based. And don't lead people to a false view of Jesus.

nothing!

That we may need to overcome an individualistic "me first" culture that exists in our community.

Are we ready? Many people already seem to be stressed by their responsibilities.

Nothing.

Leader's time away from pastoral care and congregational needs.

not having enough people to make it happen.

My concerns are aroung having a critical mass of committed persons who will stay in the new place until it can become a stable, meaningful ministry. I am also concerned that we have folk who are willing to do ministry in a new way , in a new place, using new tools for minstry. I am also concerned about having quality leadership both in the persons of Clergy and Laity.

Weak staff leadership.

Resistance from those who don't have much grace.

that change will make people scared.

The paradigm shift it will take.

folks inside the church will complain

That I won't be up to the task of helping our people live into that kind of growth.


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The ability to maintain relationships and have an intimate style of worship

Concerned that we don't have enough resources or that we'll burn people out

That I won't do my part well enough.

Old ideas and fuddy-duddies to torpedo them.

Work load.

transformed lives

Nothing

Great question would need to think more about it

Don't have any

Mistaking numbers for depth and growth.

Apathy and resistance of current members; not having the leadership gifts needed for the new ministry.

The stress of working through change, though it is worth it.

everything

Nothing!

I am concerned that som people at our church might feel like their interests are being threatened by these new initiatives.

Concerned that we'll be spread too thin or won't be able to do everything with excellence

Losing the resources in our current ministries.

The possible financial complexity of managing all the different campuses.

Sharing limited space and needing to build more!

Finances

There needs to be a place where those not so excited about multiplication and the requisite change can be ministered to and continue to grow.

Nothing

People not responding to the changes, missing the Lords draw and becoming a dead church as many others have.

Right now we have few members who are able to be active in our church ministries. If we lose people it will make having a program even more difficult.

Making sure we do not overburden our staff or lay leadership, who are already working hard.

Not sure a new place is needed - I'm more of a grow where I'm planted kind of person.

We need to set up an evaluation that periodically measures our outcomes as related to our goals.

Spreading our people too thin. Burning out members

no concerns

Resistance

Losing the older regular attendees

Being willing to try something new and getting out of our comfort zone.

I welcome new faces and new visions. It will bring a new energy to our church.

Do we have the resources -- people and money. Change brings hope and happiness to many; others are fearful and unhappy. This should not deter us from accepting and embracing change (After all, it is inevitable). Moreover we should recognize and understand that this will likely happen and provide the necessary support and help to those that feel angered and threatened.

Our core and current church members not stepping up to lead, participate and get involved. Being open to meeting and inviting new people. They are comfortable and seem to not be open to change.

I think that we can sometimes get stuck in our triditions and not think about the future, We need to create a church envorment that is young family/adults friendly.

My concern is that we truly welcome everyone with open arms, no matter their race, background, or lifestyles.

I have no concerns in the matter.

Just too early in my relationship with a new congregation. But I see the need and the overcrowding in our Contemporary Worship. If we wait, do we lose others?

That old-timers will grieve 'their' church. That I am one of the only ones with the passion for this ministry.

money

It will take away from our mission


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Changes and new ideas are frightening to some people. Spreading our lean congregation thin and not being able to effectively make an impact.

Not Following through and worrying to much about what people might say or disagree with because they are unwilling to accept ANY change.

We need to include new members in the old congregation so as to keep it alive.

but do we have the manpower and funds to do so without leaving our present parishioners behind

lack of leadership

nothing.

I am afraid there are some key leaders who will take on the role of gatekeeper and try to obstruct the work of the Holy Spirit

1) The tendency of people aged 18-35 to not be committed and faithful to anything that requires work and tenacity.

That the small church will be unable to afford the process or too afraid to do anything.

The need to raise up and equip next generation leaders.

Since we have an interim pastor we need to wait until we have a new pastor in place for at least a year before we think of adding a new service or ministry.

We have minimum resources in people power. I am concerned that our already overextended team of "doers" would be drained physically and spiritually.

Jesus told us you can't put new wine in old wineskins, but we keep trying to do that.

Few concerns other than wanting to be sure new people will be fully accepted if they are "different" than our current membership.

Resistance or conflict with existing members.

I am concerned that for growth and transformation to take place some good folks will be left behind.

Whether people will take the time to listen to the voice of the Lord leading them in new ways and act on His leading.

Nothing I can think of.

1. Unwillingness to change: People want change but sometimes don't realize the changes that are required to be made. 2. Unawareness: They think are fine or don't know the inner workings of change. 3. Costs: Churches may not see the future value of a 360 program

Negative impact on the mother church.

The conflict within our existing Worshiping community.

how we bring rest of congregation along with process, many say they want change but unwilling to work to make it happen or really do not want a change to come

Having the time and energy to do it with all the other demands of life, but it is important and with God's help it is possible.

ticking off the older folks in the church

to be able to learn new processes

Nothing

I don't know

Our small older congregation is doing a lot at the present. A new mission could be overload.

I have no viable concerns and change and impact is welcome.

could be hard.

test

My concerns are focused primarily on the hard work that lies ahead.

I have none. This congregation does whatever it sets it mind to do, when we believe God is leading us.

Diluting what we have by reassigning resources -- losing ground on spiritual growth of newer believers

We could put all of our energies into a plan that has little potential

That we don't have enough people to work on it. We need more members in general and more current members who will help.

out of the comfort zone. Though we have diversity of sorts, we are very homogeneous in terms of socio-economic background. I am not terribly outgoing; I probably do best within my comfort zone. The prospect of more fundamental spiritualism gives me pause.

As a staff member, my concern is mostly for the strain it will put on leadership.

We will grow apart as a congregation or new unchecked individuals will not feel welcomed (by accident) in our church


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environment.

We need strong Pastoral Leadership - someone with a vision that is consistent with what we need - someone who is able to communicate that vision...inspire people to get on board and move toward achieving that vision and who is in touch with those who are onboard and not and do something to get those not onboard, onboard. WE NEED A LEADER!

That we may loose the feeling of "intimacy"

That the original foundation will be shaken and weakened.

Not having enough people to sustain what is already going. on.

not much

dissolution of what is here

Do I have what it takes to walk that journey?

The added stress on the church

The possibility that some persons will remain stuck in their own desires for what the place of ministry should be for them rather than being open to new and different ways that we can attract new people and spread the good news. I fear some will try to undermine any attempts to bring in new people, new ideas, new ministries, and new ways to create a church home for people that have different needs.

Keeping the community within the church

limited financial and people resources; a loss of established identity

We lack the knowledge as to what to do. We are losing our youth base and have lost our child base. Only add 1 to 4 folks a years and old folks are passing away ending in basically no gain.

My concerns would center around not taking the steps needed to reach this goal. I want to see enough folks on board, out of their pews and willing to take the actions need to make this not just a vision but a reality.

finances

church not ready, willing

our current ministries could suffer

That we will not have the direction and energy to do it

That we will be out for results and be a flash in the pan or unsustainable.

We are downtown and there are not many people living close. We are more of a regional church now.

We are a downtown church, now a regional church and have limited population around us, in our neighborhood.

I'm concerned that a some of our long time members and/or our major contributors might feel they are being left out or ignored.

We have the wrong staff for the future and are using what we have in counter-productive ways.

Cost.

ok

Costs and people to work


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Potential Mixed Perceptions and/or Blind Spots

What follows are some areas in the life of the church where people see reality differently. This is not unusual, especially in times of change. Use this information to identify messages and behaviors that need amplification and/or clarification.

Mixed Perceptions are indicated when there is a significant difference in scores between one people group and another. Blind Spots occur when leaders are 100% strong agreement (strongly agree or disagree) and another people group is clustered in an opposite reality.

In the charts below, blue indicates agreement with the statement while red indicates disagreement.

Different Perspectives by Role:

No differences of 40% or more were present.


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Different Perspectives by Generation:

Our church is having success building relationships with young people (ages 18-30).

Age 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

24 & under: 6 out of 10 33.33 66.67

25-44: 26 out of 43 57.69 42.31

45-64: 94 out of 132 64.89 35.11

65 & up: 36 out of 47 47.22 52.78

Total: 162 Out Of 232 58.64 41.36

I value the ideas of young adults (ages 18-30), even when they have less experience than I do.

Age 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

24 & under: 5 out of 10 100.00

25-44: 27 out of 43 14.81 85.19

45-64: 96 out of 132 8.33 91.67

65 & up: 39 out of 47 2.56 97.44

Total: 167 Out Of 232 7.78 92.22

I am concerned that our denomination or network will meddle with our church and mess things up.

Age 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

24 & under: 6 out of 10 33.33 66.67

25-44: 25 out of 43 64.00 36.00

45-64: 92 out of 132 72.83 27.17

65 & up: 38 out of 47 76.32 23.68

Total: 161 Out Of 232 70.81 29.19


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I am sometimes offended when our Senior/Lead Pastor does not give me personal attention.

Age 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

24 & under: 5 out of 10 40.00 60.00

25-44: 25 out of 43 84.00 16.00

45-64: 83 out of 132 86.75 13.25

65 & up: 34 out of 47 85.29 14.71

Total: 147 Out Of 232 84.35 15.65

Our church struggles to raise needed funds for ongoing ministry and for new ministry initiatives that help us reach new people.

Age 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

24 & under: 5 out of 10 20.00 80.00

25-44: 27 out of 43 66.67 33.33

45-64: 97 out of 132 40.21 59.79

65 & up: 36 out of 47 27.78 72.22

Total: 165 Out Of 232 41.21 58.79

The opinions of our major contributors matter more than the opinions of other people.

Age 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

24 & under: 5 out of 10 40.00 60.00

25-44: 27 out of 43 66.67 33.33

45-64: 95 out of 132 82.11 17.89

65 & up: 36 out of 47 72.22 27.78

Total: 163 Out Of 232 76.07 23.93


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Long-time members at our church often resist the ideas that newer leaders bring.

Age 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

24 & under: 5 out of 10 20.00 80.00

25-44: 26 out of 43 69.23 30.77

45-64: 93 out of 132 44.09 55.91

65 & up: 34 out of 47 44.12 55.88

Total: 158 Out Of 232 47.47 52.53


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Different Perspectives by Longevity at Church:

New people quickly find or create their place of belonging or serving in our church.

Years (Length Of time at Church) 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

New to Your Church (0-3 years): 54 out of 81 44.44 55.56

Acclimated (4-14 years): 61 out of 87 37.70 62.30

Established (15 years & up): 46 out of 64 32.61 67.39

Total: 161 Out Of 232 38.51 61.49

Long-time members at our church often resist the ideas that newer leaders bring.

Years (Length Of time at Church) 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

New to Your Church (0-3 years): 53 out of 81 49.06 50.94

Acclimated (4-14 years): 60 out of 87 51.67 48.33

Established (15 years & up): 45 out of 64 40.00 60.00

Total: 158 Out Of 232 47.47 52.53

No differences of 40% or more were present.


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Leader TipsLeaders at 1st Church display some readiness for leading the church on a robust ministry journey in the days ahead. There are also significant areas where leader growth is needed. The leader team that the church needs to multiply ministry is not yet fully in place. A good ministry coach could prove extremely helpful.

These tips were generated for leaders - paid and unpaid - at 1st Church given specific patterns of response throughout the survey. After you have read through each tip discuss their priority as a team and implement one at a time. If you experience any difficulty in the prioritization process or if you have more than 3-5 tips, we recommend engaging an experienced facilitator or coach.

Tip 1: As leaders, commit to your own personal spiritual journey and living out God's call personally. In order to lead, we have to get in front of the parade. If we are not prayerful personally, it will be impossible for us to competently lead a prayerful church. If we are not robust givers to support the church's mission on the lead team, our church will almost certainly have a lack of robust giving across the ranks. Your leaders would help your church immensely by covenanting together to a short list of core discipleship behaviors, and then holding yourselves accountable to this covenant on a regular basis. Spend a part of your leadership gathering time tending to this covenant and to your lives as a community of faith, first and foremost. When nominating persons for leadership, begin to insist on certain key indicators in their lives. Are they obviously and passionately committed to living out God's call on their life? Are they actively engaged in practices that deepen their faith journey? Are they giving? Are they engaged in a small group or a ministry team? Whatever you find non-negotiable in terms of the life of faith, make it non-negotiable for your leaders. Also, in churches with high spiritual intensity, it is normal and natural for the senior leader to take work time to go on prayer retreats, where she/he does no work other than to listen and talk to God. Encourage your pastor to take the time to stay spiritually fresh and sharp. A good read for leaders would be Practicing Greatness: 7 Disciplines of Extraordinary Spiritual Leaders by Reggie McNeal and Ken Blanchard. We also recommend (both for leaders and for the whole church) the Readiness360 resource Catch Fire in 50 Days, a book that gets folks immersed in the Book of Acts and invites them to view life and ministry from a Book of Acts perspective.

Tip 2: Create clear priorities. Over the years, church programs and habitual activities can accumulate like junk in one's attic. Some things in the attic that made good sense in 1960 now just take up valuable space. Occasionally it is good for a church to inventory all that it is doing, in light of its mission, and to lighten its load ጀ or at least redirect its money and energy toward that which clearly advances its mission. The book Simple Churchby Eric Geiger and Thom Rainer is a good resource for church leader teams that are ready to make such an inventory of their ministries. Another resource that has been widely circulated and appreciated in the last few years is Bishop Robert Schnase's Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations.


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Tip 3: Lift up and model habits of cultural openness. When a church is isolated socially from its mission zone, the pastor and a few leaders can break the ice and get involved personally in service projects, community organizations or other intentional experiences where they build relationships with folks who reflect aspects of the community's diversity. A couple of good resources for networking in your neighborhood: Get Their Name: Grow Your Church by Building Relationships by Bob Farr and Kate Kotan and Networking for People who Hate Networking by Devora Zack. Talking about our experiences building relationships in the community openly and with good humor will help the church begin dealing with issues of how to connect with neighbors and/or younger people who are different.

Tip 4: Simplify and concentrate on reaching people in your mission zone. You have the resources to do the most important things you need to do. Do you have the will? All over the world, many of the most rapidly multiplying church movements share this in common: the people are poor and the churches have very little money. In the west, we tend to create ministry with very high overhead, along with the illusion that we can't afford to do what it takes to grow ministry. In reality, churches always have the resources to do what they most need to do. Your church may need to seriously re-assess its facility and staffing strategies in order to be nimble and effective in the 21st century. A competent ministry consultant may save you several years in sorting through these issues wisely. Printed resources that might assist in the conversation would include Deep and Wide: Creating Churches Unchurched People Love to Attend by Andy Stanley and Lost and Found: The Younger Unchurched and the Churches that Reach Them by Ed Stetzer, et al. Multiply Your Impact by Paul Nixon and Christie Latona is a Readiness 360 resource that could help your lead team start thinking like a ministry-multiplying church. See also Mike Breen’s book, Building a Discipling Culture.

Tip 5 : Rid your church of lone ranger ministry mentality (where a few people try to do too much of the work). When a particular project or ministry depends upon only one or two people, we fail to position the church or its people for growth. It is often difficult to break this habit! One of the first steps is for leaders to agree that they will let a particular project or initiative rest until a team can be rallied to lead it. A good rule of thumb is to wait to start (or stop) any ministry project until at least five passionate, committed people have enlisted to share in leadership. Those five should then recruit others from the margins of church life and from beyond! One of the classic books on this principle is Doing Church as a Team by Wayne Cordeiro. Another book, Exponential, by Dave and Jon Ferguson, shows how each leader and ministry team member can intentionally mentor at least one other person, so that the church’s total ministry capacity is always expanding.

Tip 6 : Invest time and energy in developing your teamwork skills. Great teaming is essential at multiple levels in a church: within the staff group, between pastor/staff and unpaid leadership, and among unpaid people in the church who come together to accomplish ministry tasks. Pastors may wish to identify aspects of their work where they can reflect and plan with others (other staff, laity, a coach/mentor or ministry peers in other churches) in order to a. model teaming, b. offer high quality experiences and c. to make really smart decisions. Some teaming possibilities include: Bible reflection in preparation for sermons, planning special events that offer a "wow" factor for participants, community listening projects and group discernment about new ministry priorities. It is very important that we always include persons in our planning who represent the community that a ministry is being designed for. Non-members and young persons are often left outside the critical team conversations from which we design ministry. (And then we wonder why we fail to engage young people and community people in those ministries!) Some team-focused resources worthy of group study are: Sticky Teams by Larry Osborne and Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni.


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Tip 7: Make needed tough decisions even though it might upset some folks. It may be time to call the question on a certain matter, and move forward! Friendships and relationships between church members can run across many decades and interweave into our work and family systems. So it is natural for us to want to keep people happy, especially those we have to live with on multiple fronts in our lives! Nonetheless, effective church leadership requires making decisions and taking actions that will inevitably make someone unhappy. If we fail to make decisive moves for fear of upsetting someone, our church can become paralyzed. It is good for church leaders to meet together in longer chunks of time than one hour a month ጀ even to take half a day or a weekend retreat on a regular basis. In this way, we can step aside from the natural impulses ᰀ渀漀琀 to rock the boat" We can think and pray together about what God is asking of our church. When leaders make difficult decisions that some will not like, it is also a good practice for them to also develop talking points so that folks hear unified responses for the complaints that will inevitably come. Ultimately Responsible: When You're in Charge of Igniting a Ministryby Sue Nilson Kibbey provides a roadmap for increasing leadership effectiveness. We also recommend Edwin Freidman's last work A Failure of Nerve.

Tip 8: Get some new people on your most critical teams. Get some younger people and some more recent converts on the most critical teams! Every church needs a steady inflow of new people, new leaders and new ideas. This is critical to a church's health and readiness for risk-taking mission. In too many churches, it's the same people staring at each other across the conference table for many years, with diminishing energy and capacity for innovation. When the leader pool becomes disproportionately long-tenure church members, it is easy for the church to get stuck in terms of old ideas and paradigms. Occasionally we see stalwart lay leaders whose commitment to new ideas and ministry approaches helps keep their church from getting stuck, despite the fact that most of the leaders are old-timers. These leaders are somewhat rare and when they leave a church can freeze up, unless there is a steady and well-established inflow of new leaders. It is also helpful to establish term limits for lay leadership positions. In the book Community: The Structure of Belonging, Peter Block outlines seven critical conversations that sequentially help to integrate new people into community. Each of the conversations can be applied to the process and art of meaning grafting new people into your church’s leadership community.

Tip 9: Let your church know it is time for an alignment. A church will seldom function in a way that is aligned with its stated mission and purpose unless leaders walk the talk, are willing to lift up that mission and ask how each activity helps us to live out that mission. The mission must be rooted in the Gospel of Jesus, framed in ways that are relevant to the community, restated regularly and used consistently. If folks don't hear about it for a month, many will forget it! Be sure you have a simple mission that is easy for folks to understand and remember. If a church's mission doesn't fit on a t-shirt, it isn't simple enough. Regularly point people back to your collective purpose in the preached moment. Ask each group, each program and ministry area to frame their work in terms of the church's core mission. A couple of great reads related to realigning churches to the mission of Jesus in the world would be The Permanent Revolution by Alan Hirsch and Tim Catchim, Missional: Joining God in the Neighborhoodby Alan Roxburgh, Missional Renaissanceby Reggie McNeal and Shift by Phil Maynard.


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Tip 10: Step back often to read and to freshen up your thinking! Pastoral leaders who are effective across multiple decades often discover the need to occasionally re-learn and even un-learn some of their most fundamental ministry practices and assumptions. Pastoral leaders who read a certain set of titles along with laity in their churches enable the church to also re-learn critical skills and renew effectiveness. Reading the insights of other excellent ministry practitioners is one good way to stay ahead of the curve. Even if a pastor serves the same congregation and community for forty years, that place and people will change enough each decade, that eventually the most basic principles and strategies will need to be revisited, and often reformed. In fact, there is probably no church that needs its leaders reading about new practices more than the church where most of the leaders have been working together for more than two decades! Curiosity is a valuable leadership skill. Curious leaders are able to hear, tolerate and sometimes even appreciate minority opinions and voices may have an easier time trying new things.


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Readiness 360 Complete Report For 1st Sample Church …readiness360.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/R360...mandates and a quest for fruitfulness. There is a willingness to let go of