Vision Fulfilled

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Vision Fulfilled

• When a congregation has completed its ministry
• Rev. David V.W. Owen
• Dr. Frank J. Beard

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Background

• Essential Elements of Healthy Church
• Passion
• Vision
• Capacity
• Inadequate Capacity
• Resources
• People

Passion
Capacity
Vision
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Background

• When a Congregation lacks capacity
• Life Cycle Assessment
• Options
• Merger
• Charge Relationship Inhancement
• Celebrate Fulfilled Vision and Completion of
  mission

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1 Corinthians 35-7 

•  5What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul?
  Only servants, through whom you came to believe -
  as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6I
  planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God
  made it grow. 7So neither he who plants nor he
  who waters is anything, but only God, who makes
  things grow.

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Ecclesiastes 3

• A Time for Everything
• 1 There is a time for everything, and a season
  for every activity under heaven  
• 2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to
  plant and a time to uproot,
• 3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to
  tear down and a time to build,
• 4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to
  mourn and a time to dance,
• 5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather
  them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
• 6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time
  to keep and a time to throw away,
• 7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to
  be silent and a time to speak,
•  8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for
  war and a time for peace.

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Life Cycle

• Assumes there is a completion of a congregations
  life.
• Invites the congregation to review their history
• Calls for affirmation and celebration of
  accomplishments over generations

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Church Lifecycle
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Church Lifecycle
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GRACE UMC

• Started in 1893 as a small Independent
  Evangelical (German speaking) Church
• The Church met in a meeting hall on Main Street
• Property was purchased two blocks off of Main
  Street
• A small brick building was built

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Church Lifecycle
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GRACE UMC

• 1895 The church decided to become denominational
  and joined with the Methodist Protestant
• The Church continued to be German Speaking but
  was known as the First Methodist Protestant
  Church

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Church Lifecycle
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GRACE UMC

• First Methodist Protestant Church Grew
• Numerically
• Financially
• Spiritually
• Physically
• The Church building was expanded, new fixtures
  and equipment was added

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GRACE UMC

• The Church Increased
• Sunday Evening Services
• Bible Study
• Prayer Meetings
• Evangelization

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GRACE UMC

• The Church Increased
• Sunday Evening Services
• Bible Study
• Prayer Meetings
• Evangelization

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Church Lifecycle
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GRACE UMC

• The Church Continued to Grow
• Professions of faith
• Baptisms
• New members
• Key Accomplishments
• From German Speaking to All English
• Youth converts
• Mission Focused
• A number of persons entered full-time Christian
  Service

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GRACE UMC

• Church Strong Points
• Socio-economically diverse
• Strong Sunday School (234 in Sunday School on
  Easter Sunday 1960)
• Racially diverse in late 60s
• Started Community wide ministries in the late
  60s

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Church Lifecycle
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GRACE UMC

• Description of Decline on Life Cycle
• Community changed as folks moved out
• Racial ethnic population increased in area
• Conflict in Congregation
• Key leaders leave / die
• Change of Pastors at 1968 Denominational Merger
• Worship attendance decreases

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GRACE UMC

• The Church experienced some decline after the
  merger of 1968 but then started showing new signs
  of growth in the early 70s but the growth was
  short lived
• A Lay Witness Mission was Held
• Had the Largest Youth Group in the City
• Remolded the Building and Sanctuary
• Continued to lose key leaders / families
• Experienced Neighborhood and Downtown Decay

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Church Lifecycle
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Key Questions

• Is there a new Vision emerging?
• Do we have the capacity to change?
• Have we fulfilled the Vision we started with?
• Can we celebrate what has been accomplished?
• Is God calling us as individuals to a different
  place to serve?

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GRACE CHURCH WAS DYING

• The church tried to respond to the rapidly
  changing community but with little to no success
• Community Wide Vacation Bible School
• Food Pantry Ministry
• A Soup Kitchen
• Kids Club
• A Womens Shelter
• A Variety of Innovative Programs / ministries

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Church Lifecycle
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Decision

• What is our future?
• As a congregation?
• As individual Christians?

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GRACE UMC RE-TOOLED

• The increased cost of facilities
• The increase of transient neighbors
• The rising cost of pastoral leadership
• The loss of key financial contributors
• The realization that the community was NOT
  responding to new ministries
• The fact that there were 13 United Methodist
  Churches in the Elkhart area
• THE CHURCH DECIDED IT WAS TIME TO CHANGE OR DIE!

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Reflection

• Where is our congregation in its life cycle?
• What are we able to do given our current
  realities / resources?

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Church Lifecycle
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THE DOWN CYCLE

• Failure to anticipate the need to change
• Fear of change
• Trapped in a weekly rehearsal of the past
• Internal conflicts / squabbles / control issues
  keep other people from being attracted or
  interested
• Maybe God IS in the garden!
• With a Saw
• With a Hose

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GRACE UMC

• Three other UM churches in mirror situations
  decided to become proactive.
• The decision was made to merge and to relocate
• KEY concepts The churches were stronger together
  than they were as separate churches.
• Together they became revitalized and effective
• They became a strong stable congregation with
  renewed ministries that are making an impact

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Future

• The Congregation Must Decide!
• Church Conference
• Determine final mission outreach
• Disbursement of appropriate assets
• Gifts of mission projects
• Affirmation of continuing impact of congregation
  on local community / neighborhood.
• Vote to Discontinue and Abandon / Set Date
• Final Worship Service and Celebration of
  Ministry.

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The Completion of Ministry Should be Celebrated

• Dont Wait Until Its Too Late To Plant Seeds Into
  A New Thing That God May Be Doing.
• Dont Waste Resources That Could Be Better Used.
  We Are Stewards.
• Dont Forget That God Is Still In Control!
• Remember that Church evaluation is a risky
  business because it involves emotions and
  feelings based on peoples religious experiences
• Honest evaluations can become a launching pad for
  renewal or celebrating a churchs mission
  completion and accomplishments