Create a ministry road map

Ministry road maps serve as a guide to help leaders live and lead intentionally based on a congregation's. Ministry maps help leaders keep the big picture in mind as well as the specific strategies and action steps that  describe a clear end point along, Vibrant Faith works with leaders as well as congregations Ministry maps begin to emerge  usually after leaders or congregations have gained clarity about the follow questions:

• Who are we (identity)?
• Who are we called to serve?
• ·What is our purpose? In what ways do we seek to transform people's lives?
• What are our strengths?  What do we have to offer?
• ·What is God calling us to be and do, right now, as we move forward in faith?

In most cases, organizations go through 3 steps or stages:

Once the Task Force was formed, it spent 5 months gathering information about the church and its local community, striving to articulate what’s present, what’s real, and what energizes our faith community. This involved listening to members, listening to local community leaders, and identifying the societal shifts are changing the ministry landscape in light of the “The Great Commission” (Matthew 26:16-20) and the “The Great Commandment” (Luke 10:27).  In the process of reviewing the congregation’s unique identity and context, the task force has affirmed the congregation’s current identity statement which describes Aldersgate United Methodist Church as a Christ-centered, Jesus shaped, Spirit-led community seeking to create an atmosphere of spiritual connection, healing and growth. We are an inclusive community believing that God loves, honors, and celebrates all people regardless of age, race, nation, gender identity, background, sexual orientation, abilities, or socio- economic position. We believe that God calls us to embody God’s radical love by cultivating a space free from harassment, judgement, hate, or discrimination.

Most visioning teams spend about 3 months rethinking and reimaging the church’s mission and ministry. Guided by the identity statement and the four marks of discipleship (worship, devotion, compassion, and justice), the Task Force explored ways to make the church’s future mission and ministries simple, nimble, impactful, and scalable. The desire was to streamline the structure, partner with others when appropriate, and to repurpose plans, programs, and content in ways that would reach more people at and beyond the church.

Team the Reinvention stage, focused on defining what our congregation needs to consistently say, do, measure, and celebrate in the future. Our emerging ministry road map lists goals, projects, and tasks we need to address this year to ensure a viable future for the congregation. Once the road map is presented to the Council and members, it will continue to be a working document that is updated at least once a quarter. We invite church leaders and members to give feedback about the road map and to explore ways to engage members with helping fulfill its goals.

Ministry road maps are designed to be "works in progress" that are continuously updated and refined to fit the needs of the people you serve and to adapt to the constantly changing ministry landscape. See a few sample ministry or what we call "reinvention" road maps on another section of this website.