© 2008 Department of Church Growth and Evangelism.

The answers are not in the data, the answers are in the

conversations you have about the data as

the Holy Spirit leads and guides.

Psalm 127:1

Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain.

Entropy

Churches tend to lose vitality rather than gain it as time passes. They also tend to give greater attention to what they “were” rather than what they are “becoming”. It is easier to look back into the past and smile on yesterday’s accomplishments than it is to look ahead into the future and think about tomorrow’s possibilities.

Chuck Swindoll

Wineskins

• Revitalization takes a church’s old wineskin filled with weak wine, and reinvigorates the wine, while rehydrating and refurbishing the wineskin.

Jesus said…

• You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free. John 8:32

Journey

Vitality is not a program. It is a journey.

This journey is both adventurous and treacherous.

What happens when the church begins to grow?

Behavioral Covenants

Behavioral Covenants —Holy Manners for a Faith Community

A behavioral covenant is a written document developed by leaders, agreed to and owned by its creators and practiced on a daily basis as a spiritual discipline. The Covenant answers the question, “How will we behave (how will we live together?) when we don’t understand each other and when we don’t agree?”

Gil Rendle Behavioral Covenants in Congregations

© 2008 Evangelical Covenant Church

Behavioral Covenants in Scripture

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Col 3:12-14

Guidelines for Loving Relationships and Values to Guide Our InteractionColossians 3:12-17, 1 Thessalonians 5:12-26At the Evangelical Covenant Church…• We seek to build each other up and not tear down.• We respect and honor the office of pastor and other lay leaders.• We seek to communicate clearly, completely, and directly.• We offer our opinions with charity and humility.• We make positive investments in each others lives.• We believe the best in each other and give each other the

benefit of the doubt.• We seek to discover what is best for our church as a whole, not

what may be best for us or for some small group in the church.• We accept disagreement, conflict and evaluation as normal and

natural. • We are committed to being inconvenienced for the sake of the

gospel.

Our prayer is that every congregation become a

healthy, missional church.

The Healthy Missional Church

• By Healthy, we mean pursuing Christ.

• By Missional, we mean pursuing Christ’s priorities in the world.

Marks of a Healthy Missional Church

• Centrality of the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16)

• Life-transforming walk with Jesus (John 3:3, 30; Phil. 1:6)

• Intentional evangelism (Matthew 28:18-20)

• Transforming communities through active compassion, mercy and justice ministries (Micah 6:8)

• Global perspective and engagement (Acts 1:8)

• Compelling Christian community (Acts 2:42-47)

• Heartfelt worship (Psalm 138:1a; John 4:23)

• Sacrificial and generous living and giving (Romans 12:1-8)

• Culture of godly leadership (Hebrews 13:7)

• Fruitful organizational structures (Exodus 18:13-26; Acts 6:1-7)

Living It Out

People… • coming to Christ• integrating scripture into life and ministry• engaging God in worship• growing in Christ• serving with their gifts• loving and caring for each other• rallying around a compelling vision• praying together• working collaboratively with other ministries

Living It Out

People…• trusting one another and working in harmony• giving generously and sacrificially• helping hurting people• living with a sense of hunger for God • believing in the leaders and the leaders

believing in the people • working through conflict constructively• embracing evaluation as normal and natural

Surprise, Surprise, Surprise!

Not every Covenant church is a healthy missional church.

Four types of established

Covenant churches


Vital Signs – strong

Frequency – consistently (80-100%)


• What do we see? People consistently…– coming to Christ– integrating scripture into life and ministry– engaging God in worship– growing in Christ– serving with their gifts– loving and caring for each other– rallying around a compelling vision– praying together– working collaboratively with other ministries


• What do we see? People consistently…– trusting one another and working in harmony– giving generously and sacrificially– helping hurting people– living with a sense of hunger for God – believing in the leaders and the leaders

believing in the people – working through conflict constructively– embracing evaluation as normal and natural


• What do we feel?– Anticipation– Gratitude– Accomplishment– Enthusiasm and energy– Engaged– Unity and love– Chaotic at times


• What do we hear?– We sense the presence of God here.– We are glad to be a part of something

special.– We are making a difference in this

community and beyond.– We will do whatever it takes.– How can we keep moving forward with

God?

The Stable Church

Vital Signs – steady

Frequency – occasionally (50-79%)

The Stable Church

• What do we see?People occasionally…– coming to Christ– integrating scripture into life and ministry– engaging God in worship– growing in Christ– serving with their gifts– loving and caring for each other– rallying around a compelling vision– praying together– working collaboratively with other ministries

The Stable Church

• What do we see?People occasionally…– trusting one another and working in harmony– giving generously and sacrificially– helping hurting people– living with a sense of hunger for God. – believing in the leaders and the leaders

occasionally believing in the people – working through conflict constructively– embracing evaluation as normal and natural

The Stable Church

• What do we feel?– Safe and comfortable for most– Low level of frustration for others– Self sufficient– All in order organizationally

The Stable Church

• What do we hear?– We’re doing fine.– Who wouldn’t like our church?– We’re a “warm-and-friendly” church.– Don’t mess up the building!– Let’s talk about it at the next meeting.

The Critical Moment Church

Vital Signs – weakening

Frequency – inconsistently (15-49%)


• What do we see?People inconsistently…– coming to Christ– integrating scripture into life and ministry– engaging God in worship– growing in Christ– serving with their gifts– loving and caring for each other– rallying around a compelling vision– praying together– working collaboratively with other ministries


• What do we see?People inconsistently…– trusting one another and working in harmony– giving generously and sacrificially– helping hurting people– living with a sense of hunger for God– believing in the leaders and the leaders

inconsistently believing in the people– working through conflict constructively– embracing evaluation as normal and natural


• What do we feel?– Anxious– Inadequate– Fearful– Confused– Desperate


• What do we hear?– We are on a trajectory that we do not feel

good about.– Why are people leaving?– Something is wrong.– When we look in the mirror we are not

what we used to be. – This is our moment of truth.

The At-Risk Church

Vital Signs – faint or non-existent

Frequency – rarely or never (0-14%)

The At-Risk Church

• What do we see?People rarely or never…– coming to Christ– integrating scripture into life and ministry– engaging God in worship– growing in Christ– serving with their gifts– loving and caring for each other– rallying around a compelling vision– praying together– working collaboratively with other ministries

The At-Risk Church

• What do we see?People rarely or never…– trusting one another and working in harmony– giving generously and sacrificially– meeting compassion, mercy and justice needs

in their community and beyond– living with a sense of hunger for God – believing in the leaders and the leaders virtually

never believing in the people– working through conflict constructively– embracing evaluation as normal and natural

The At-Risk Church

• What do we feel?– Anger– Blame– Sullen– Inferior– Grief and loss– Denial– Betrayed– Defeated– Poor congregational self esteem

The At-Risk Church

• What do we hear?– Why even bother? – No one is going to take my church away from me.– If we only had __________(fill in whatever) we

would grow again.– All we have to do is hang on and God will help us.– God would never let our beloved church die.– We are a family here, and we’ll do whatever it takes

to keep our family together.– It’s all _______________’s fault.– Remember the good old days?

Spiritual Discernment

• Which category most closely describes your congregation? – The Healthy Missional Church– The Stable Church– The Critical Moment Church– The At-Risk Church

marks the spotX


The Seven Established Churches of Revelation

EstablishedChurches



EstablishedChurches

HealthyMissional

PhiladelphiaThe Faithful

Church

SmyrnaThe

Persecuted Church



EstablishedChurches

HealthyMissional

StableEphesus

The Loveless Church

LaodiceaThe

Lukewarm Church


Church

SmyrnaThe

Persecuted Church



EstablishedChurches

HealthyMissional

StableCritical Moment

EphesusThe

Loveless Church

LaodiceaThe

Lukewarm Church


Church

SmyrnaThe

Persecuted Church

PergamumThe

Compromising Church

ThyatiraThe

Corrupt Church



EstablishedChurches

HealthyMissional


At-Risk

EphesusThe

Loveless Church

LaodiceaThe

Lukewarm Church


Church

SmyrnaThe

Persecuted Church

PergamumThe

Compromising Church

ThyatiraThe

Corrupt Church

SardisThe Dead

Church


Congregational Lifecycle

Birth

Formation

Stability

Decline

Death

Maturity

“There is a time to be born and a time to die.” Eccl. 3:2


Congregational Lifecycle and the Four Churches

Stable Church

Critical Moment Church

Renew

Rehab

Re-energize

At Risk ChurchRebirth


V I M

Vim is a derivative from the Latin term “vis” meaning direction, strength, force, vigor, power, energy, or virtue; and sometimes meaning sense, import, nature, or essence. Spiritual formation in Christ likeness is all of this to human existence. It is the path by which we can truly, as Paul told the Ephesians, “be empowered in the Lord and in the energy of his might” (Ephesians 6:10) and “become mighty with his energy through his Spirit entering into the inward person” (3:16).


V I M

If we are to be spiritually formed in Christ, we must have and must implement the appropriate vision, intention, and means. Not just any path we take will do. If this VIM pattern is not put in place properly and held there, Christ simply will not be formed in us.

Dallas Willard

Renovation of the Heart


V I M

Vision

Intention

Means


VIM: Vision

• The picture of a preferable future – God’s future

• Vision gets people in the game

• Vision gives people a target

• Vision helps dreams become bigger than memories

Progressive Field Cleveland Indians

Fenway ParkBoston Red Sox


VIM: Intention

• The resolve to move forward.• The will to live. • “With God’s help we will do this.”• The willingness to count the cost and

pay the price.• The willingness to ask the significant

questions and take the significant steps.


VIM: Means

• The available resources to accomplish the vision and follow through on our intentions.

Asset – based thinking vs.

Deficit – based thinking

Mark 8:1-9

VIM: Leadership

Catalyzer Stabilizer

Gather and Advance

Chaos

Strengthen and Deepen

Stagnation

lambshock absorber

keelcomforterchaplain

slow and steadypriestpullerR V

doing things rightkeeping it together

float the boatevolutionary

manageravoids conflict

enjoys consistencyfriends

VIM: Leadership

Catalyzer Stabilizerlion

spark plugrudderchargercaptain

fast and furiousprophetpusher

bulldozerdoing the right things

moving it forwardrock the boatrevolutionaryentrepreneur

creates conflictenjoys change

mission

EstablishedChurches

HealthyMissional


At-Risk

Leadership Voice

Equal Voice

StabilizerCatalyzer

Catalyzer Stabilizer

StabilizerCatalyzer

VIM Questions for the Congregation

Do we have the vision to become a healthy missional church?

– Do we understand the message and mission of Jesus?

– Do we understand if or what our unique approach is to that question?

– Do we understand how to communicate the vision with a sense of clarity and urgency?

– Do we understand how to help people buy into the vision?


Do we have the intention to become a healthy missional church?

– Are we willing to come before God with a sense of brokenness and desperation?

– Are we willing to count the cost? – Are we willing to take an honest look at ourselves?– Are we willing to take responsibility for our own vitality?– Are we willing to follow the Spirit wherever the Spirit leads?– Are we willing to experience the fulfillment, joy and

exhilaration of becoming a healthy missional church? – Are we willing to persevere through the growing pains of

becoming a healthy missional church?


Do we have the means to become a healthy missional church? • What is our asset base in terms of…

— people resources— spiritual resources— financial resources— community resources— conference resources— denominational resources

• In combination do we believe these provide a sufficient platform for moving forward?

VIM Decision Point for the Congregation

Therefore, with God’s help and grace we will…

• Remain the same and continue on our present trajectory.

• Resolve to move forward into missional health.

• Recognize that through this process it might be best to think about God-honoring ways to celebrate and conclude our ministry.

VIM Questions for the Pastor

Do I have the vision to lead this congregation to become a healthy missional church?

– Do I have an abiding sense of God’s call for this place at this time?

– Do I have some sense of direction of where the church needs to go?


Do I have the intention to lead this congregation to become a healthy missional church?

– Am I prepared to work hard, invest in the people and be patient?

– Am I willing to be in it for the long haul? – Am I at peace that this is still a conducive

environment for my family? – Am I willing to come before God with a sense of

brokenness and desperation? – Am I willing to count the cost? – Am I willing to take an honest look at myself?


Do I have the means to lead this congregation to become a healthy missional church?

– Do I have the right gift mix to help advance the ministry?

– Do I have a sense that this is still a good fit? – Do I have credibility so the congregation will follow?– Do I have love for these people?

VIM Decision Point for the Pastor

Therefore, with God’s help and grace I will…• Lead the change and be willing and able to

change myself.

OR• Prepare the way for another to lead the

church and seek a new place for ministry.

A VERITAS FOLLOW-UP WORKSHOP

Two Fantasies

• We can grow without change

• We can change without pain

Two Sets of Fears

1. The fear that we will change too much2. The fear that we will change too little

1. The fear that we will change too fast2. The fear that we will change too slow

In other words:1. Too much, too soon2. Too little, too late

What kind of change are we talking about?

Healthy

Missional

ChangeChange

Healthy Missional Change

Healthy =pursuing Christ

Missional =pursuing Christ’s priorities in the world

Change =following the Spirit wherever the Spirit leads

Healthy Missional Change

EstablishedChurches

HealthyMissional


At-Risk

Constructs

• Make the invisible visible• Provide a window into the reality of change• Help us pinpoint our location on the journey of

change• Tell us how to lead change step by step• Help us understand and anticipate resistance• Make us more responsive to God’s prompting

Some constructs are more timely than others.

Adaptive Leadership

© Peter L. SteinkeCongregational Leadership in Anxious Times

Stabilization De-stabilization New Orientation

Anxiety

Challenge

Challenge Questions to break out of the Doom Loop

• Is the need for change valid?• Do we trust those urging it?• Does it contribute to our vision?• If we do this, will we better serve Christ and

others?• If we don’t do this, will we regret it?• Would Jesus do it?• Does the Evil One oppose it?• Will we survive this change?• Will we thrive if we don’t change?

Adaptive Leadership

“A note of warning for those leading in established churches: what Western Christianity desperately needs at the moment is adaptive leadership - people who can help us transition to a different, more agile, mode of church. Such leaders don't necessarily have to be highly creative innovators themselves, but rather people who can move the church into adaptive modes - people who can disturb the stifling equilibrium and create the conditions for change and innovation.

Adaptive Leadership

By and large, many leaders in church organizations, particularly those with strong caring and teaching gifts, can exhibit a tendency to avoid conflict and too easily soothe tensions. Left unchecked, this can be lethal because it caters to equilibrium and therefore ultimately to death.

Adaptive Leadership

The essential work of adaptive leadership is to resist these appeals. Instead, they must: 1) hold the collective feet to the fire, 2) regulate distress such that the system is drawn out of its comfort zone (yet contain stress so it does not become dysfunctional), and 3) manage avoidance mechanisms that inevitably surface (such as scapegoating, looking to authority for the answer, and so forth).”

Alan Hirsch Forgotten Ways: Reactivating the Missional Church

Keeping an organization in a productive zone of disequilibrium is a delicate task; in the practice of leadership, you must keep your hand on the thermostat. If the heat is consistently too low, people won’t feel the need to ask uncomfortable questions or make difficult decisions. If it’s consistently too high, the organization risks a meltdown: People are likely to panic and hunker down.

Ronald HeifetzThe Practice of Adaptive Leadership

(as quoted in the Harvard Business Review)

Adaptive Leadership

Vitality Resources

• Re:vive blog• Veritas• EPIC• CO-OP• PULSE• Navigate• Vitality Facilitator Network• Living Legacy Coaching

Congregational Vitality Pathway

The map is not the territory:

Even though a map is an artifact, something made, it is not arbitrarily imposed on the land. It comes out of careful observation and accurate recording of what is actually there. It is required that maps be honest. Maps are humble – they don’t pretend to substitute for the country itself. Studying the map does not provide experience of the country itself.

Congregational Vitality Pathway

The purpose of the map is to show us the way into the country and prevent us from getting lost in our travels. Left to ourselves we often get lost in blind alleys, get tangled up in thickets and don’t have a clue to where we are. The map locates us. It provides the vocabulary and identifies the experience by which we can explore.

Eugene Peterson,

Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places

© 2008 Department of Church Growth and Evangelism.

Documents

Transcript of © 2008 Department of Church Growth and Evangelism.