Posts with the category “change-your-church”

By Jim LaDoux Thriving congregations pay attention to the shifts taking place in life and ministry and find ways to successfully navigate their way toward a preferred future of being church in times of constant disruptions. Listed below are 6 facets of ministry I see church leaders embrace to support vibrant faith and a vital congregational culture.FACET 1 | THEY LOOK FOR GOD AT WORK IN THE WORLDM...  Read More

By Jim LaDoux As you begin to prepare to launch a congregational survey to create a clear picture of your congregation's current reality and future potential, use the information below to help you developed a detailed plan for promoting the survey, managing the process, and sharing with your congregations the learnings that come out of the survey experience. 1 | Identify WHO will take the survey. ...  Read More

By Jim LaDoux Leaders should be able to readily communicate the purpose, priorities and uniqueness of their faith communities to members as well as their neighbors and coworkers. This sample Soul Script provides a template for articulating the uniqueness of your congregation, helping you and other leaders create an “elevator speech” about your congregation.Our PURPOSEOur fundamental purpose is to ...  Read More

By Nancy Going Many clergy and congregations long for their ministry to look differently than it currently does. Some want things to look like they “used to.” Others want to see changes in how the congregation is led, who participates, or what the congregation focuses on.Many clergy and congregations fear they are going to lose something important to them (or have lost something important) as the ...  Read More

By Jim LaDoux It’s important that we evaluate the impact and reach of the ministries we offer so that we know what we should KEEP doing, STOP doing, or perhaps START doing. As church leaders, being good stewards of what God has given us, requires that we must evaluate the value of our existing ministries. When evaluating ministries, we need to gather BOTH quantitative and qualitative information. ...  Read More

By Jim LaDoux Add The purpose of the retreat is to . . .Build trust and community among retreat participants.Share data gathered during the congregational review process.Share Interpretations of the data and along with key findings.Engage participants in exercises designed to reimagine the church's future.Identify the important and urgent items to address first in the visioning process.Form projec...  Read More

By Rev. Dr. Mark SlaughterVibrant Faith Coaching TeamEvery repetitive thing we do in life is in danger of a dulling descent into rote. And our ministry rhythms are not immune. Week after week we plan worship. Year after year we start new ministries and add fuel to existing ones. It can feel like rinse and repeat; wax on/wax off. How do we continue to breathe new life into our ministries, generatin...  Read More

By Jim LaDoux As leaders of churches, it is easy to get caught up in the day-to-day running of our congregations. We can become so focused on programs and initiatives that we forget to take a step back and discern God's intentions for our church. This is where visioning teams come in. By reviewing what's working and what's not, clarifying our purpose and identity, and rethinking where God is leadi...  Read More

INTRODUCING ALDERSGATE’S EMERGING VISIONEarly this year, leaders from Aldersgate UMC assembled a Task Force to envision the congregation’s preferred future and respond to the following questions:·Who are we (identity)?·Who are we called to serve?·What is our primary purpose?·What is God calling us to be and do, right now, as we move forward in faith?STAGE 1: REVIEW - Describe what isOnce the Task ...  Read More

The purpose of a Strategic Vision Team is to inspire a shared vision around God’s preferred future of your faith community that encompasses home and congregational life as well as online settings and engagement with the local and global community. Vision Teams keep the visioning process in front of the congregation by sharing stories and next steps related to the 4-step visioning process that incl...  Read More

By Jim LaDoux The first few moments in focus group discussion are critical. The moderator must create a thoughtful, permissive atmosphere, provide ground rules, and set the tone of the discussion. A moderator introduces topics to be discussed, typically in the following order: 1. Welcome participants.2. Share why they were selected.3. Provide an overview of the topics to be discussed.A Sample Scri...  Read More

“The practice of deep listening is the practice of open inquiry, without assumption or judgement.”― Sharon Weil, ChangeAbility: How Artists, Activists, and Awakeners Navigate Change Active, engaged listening is crucial for reinvention. As we listen to God, each other, and to people in our local communities, we gather information that informs our context for ministry and inspires to greater awarene...  Read More

“A Visioning Team is a small, cohesive group within an organization that provides leadership throughout the transformation process. It's guided by a capable leader who builds a positive, proactive team, positions its members for maximum impact, monitors progress, reflects on results, and celebrates short-term wins.” THE TEAM'S CHARGEThe purpose of a Vision Team is to inspire a shared vision around...  Read More

Congregational Vision Teams are charged with creating two types of road maps. A planning road map provides a detailed plan for how the work of the vision team will unfold. This includes the stages of the planning process, the specific tasks the team needs to undertake, who is responsible for each task, and when these tasks will be completed. Listed below is a sample planning road minus the WHO and...  Read More

And all of a sudden, you’re leading a digital team.For most leaders, that’s a massive change…a change no one prepared them for.In our new era of border closures, social distancing, self-isolation, quarantine, pandemics and lockdowns, how do you lead a team you can’t see or talk to in person?That’s a question thousands of leaders are asking themselves.I’ve been leading a remote team now for over fi...  Read More

The best congregations don’t create members. They create disciples who are passionate about creating more disciples. In Peter Drucker’s book, The Five Most Important Questions, the author helps leaders focus on doing what matters most.  These questions provide a foundation for assessing what you are doing, why you are doing it, and what you must do to improve an organization’s performance. It lead...  Read More

Transformational leaders don’t run when they see a need for change. They embrace it and demonstrate the courage needed to navigate the required change. They realize that change happens on a macro-level as well as a micro-level and that change almost ways leads to some level of conflict.  Some leaders have a tendency  to pretend that the status quo isn’t really that bad. Listed below are a few sign...  Read More