What does it mean to minister to our neighbourhood?

1
What does it mean to minister to our
neighbourhood?

• Urban Mission Network
• February 2009

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Defining types of Congregations

• Five futures
• Large regional
• Regional
• Small strong
• Faith Communities
• Networks

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Types of Congregations Strategic Map

• Large regional Multi-worship, multiple
  programmes, 3
• multiple Ministers/leaders in staff team, AWA gt
  350
• Regional More than one worship, Multiple
  programmes, 7
• 1 or 2 Ministers paid staff, AWA 200-350
• Potential regional some characteristics of
  Regional 16
• but AWA 120-200
• Neighbourhood Weekly worship, 1or 2 foci for
  ministry 21
• mission, some effective lay leadership, AWA
  75-120
• Small Strong Weekly worship, full - or
  part-time Minister, 35
• but AWA 50- 75
• Small Stable/Declining Primary aim survival,
  worship weekly 71
• or less often, Minister part-time or shared, AWA
  lt50
•  Faith Community (declining) Struggling to
  survive,
• struggling to afford part-time Minister, little
  lay leadership,
• AWA lt 20
• New Faith Community New expression of church,
  focus may be 4
• on one specific ministry/mission, often lay
  leadership

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Defining types of Congregations

• Regional? - In an age when travel is no obstacle
  to participation, regional defines a
  congregation with particular characteristics, not
  the geographic base from which its members come
• Small? Anything less than 125 in worship
  attendance because this is the contemporary
  minimum to afford and justify a full-time
  Minister and provide the resources necessary for
  effective mission (Schaller)
• Strong? Preferable to speak of healthy

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Marks of a Healthy Congregation

• Developed, owned, vision which drives ministry
  and mission
• Ministry and mission worship/preaching,
  community, spiritual growth, equipping disciples
  for mission, mission activities
• Leadership ordained and/or lay
• Finance Property
• Evident measures of health

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Connecting to our neighbourhood

• Large regional , Regional, Potential regional,
  Neighbourhood, Small Strong ,Small
  Stable/Declining, Faith Community ....
• ... which of these churches are neighbourhood
  churches?

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Connecting to our neighbourhood

• All of the above.
• Every healthy congregation needs to be connected
  to its neighbourhood in two ways
• By one (or more) mission activities through which
  congregation members are in relationship to those
  beyond the church in ways that give expression to
  the presence of the reign of God
• By providing those qualities and activities which
  people are looking for when they come to us

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So what are people looking for?

• Pictorial display of research done by United
  Church of Canada

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So what are people looking for?

• Achieving personal faith
• Builds deep personal relationships
• Offers possibility of personal transformation
• Engages both emotion and intellect
• -------------------------------------------------
  --
• New ways of looking at their faith

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So what are people looking for?

• Connecting and Reaching Out
• Values all ages
• Reaches out to the needy
• Translates personal faith into action
• Welcoming to everyone
• -------------------------------------------------
  ------
• Works to improve situation
• Emphasis on helping people
• Works for justice in the world
• Respects all people
• Respects earth and the environment

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So what are people looking for?

• Questing and Embracing
• -------------------------------------------------
  ------
• Encourages questioning
• Respects personal freedom and choice
• Builds relationships with other traditions
• Open to change
• Celebrates all, including gays

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So how do we connect?

• Connecting with the people of our neighbourhood
  begins by understanding who lives there
• ABS data
• NCLS Community Social Profile

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Finding ABS data
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Finding ABS data
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Finding ABS data
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CommunitySocial Profile
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CommunitySocial Profile
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CommunitySocial Profile
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CommunitySocial Profile
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A couple of quotes from wise heads

• There is a whole new spiritually hungry yet
  institutionally alienated public who are the new
  Gentiles with whom the church must be on mission
  (Tom Bandy)
• There will be no one simple and universally
  acceptable way in which we can reshape our
  churches to face the challenges of the changing
  culture. There will be different solutions for
  different circumstances, and in many cases there
  will even be multiple relevant solutions within
  the same set of circumstances. (Drane)

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So how do we connect?

• By a process of spiritual discernment
• For whom does your heart burst? (Tom Bandy)
• What is my holy discontent? (Bill Hybels)
• What is my prayer burden? (Ann Morisy)

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So how do we connect?

• As you listen carefully to your community, which
  micro-culture begins to stir your heart?
• As you travel around your community, who do you
  see? What are the flows around your
  congregation?
• What do you discern is their deepest yearning?
• How might you (and others with a similar passion)
  begin to respond to this yearning in a way that
  is appropriate for those in the community and as
  an expression of the gospel?

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So how do we connect?

• Through a Community Development approach
• What are some of the signs of hope in this
  community?
• What are people passionate about? What do they
  give energy to?
• What seems to be draining energy, taking life
  from the community?
• Where are the places of spiritual connection
  for this community? Is the church part of this? 

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So how do we connect?

• What contribution to the community are you
  attempting to make?
• What do you believe that the community would be
  looking for from you?
•  Who might you partner with in engaging this
  community afresh?
• The underlying questions are
• What is the distinctive/unique contribution that
  this congregation makes to this community?
• Is this community really any different because
  this congregation exists in its midst?

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So how do we connect?

• Learnings from God Next Door (Simon Carey Holt)
• Naming the neighbourhood as spiritual a place
  where we notice the imprint of God
• Exegetical walk taking a critical look at
  neighbourhood signs of life, hope, despair,
  community, alienation, beauty, neglect
• Neighbourhood parties street parties, build
  relationships, celebrate Spirits presence,
  become neighbourhood priest
• Helping communities flourish nurture a more
  fully human environment
• Pointing the way to Jesus every encounter with
  neighbour is an encounter with Gods presence

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So how do we connect?

• For each significant change/ new ministry
  initiative, the following questions need to be
  discussed
• Who has the gifts, skills, passion to undertake
  this ministry?
• Are they available, willing, free from other
  responsibilities?
• What other support do they need e.g. building
  space, financial resources, etc.?
• If some/all of these are not yet available, how
  will they be provided?
• What return are you expecting from this
  investment?

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Some stories

• Semaphore not the obvious flow
• Greenock from Sunday congregation to mid-week
  community
• Yorketown Mens shed Cafe church
• Payneham Road serendipity and Asian students