Leadership for Developing Congregations

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Leadership for Developing Congregations

• Mission Developers Training
• ELCA

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Marked with the cross of Christ forever we are

• Claimed
• Gathered
• Sent

• Baptism
• Communion
• Mission

For the sake of the world (Gods Reign in the
world).
I am the vine and you are the branches John 15
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Its all about God

• This is Gods doing
• The kingdom is not just a hope but a promise
• In Jesus God has sealed the deal

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As the world changes, the constant of Gods
purpose remains
Gods work to bring about the Reign
Reign of God
Church
Church called to participate in Gods work
Witness and engagement
The Changing World
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Its all about you (As long you as you are up to
the same thing as God is up to)

• God invites us to participate
• God uses people
• Your call is to carry out your role in Gods
  purpose
• Your calling is more than a job it is a way of
  life
• Leadership is essential

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In Diads (Groups of 2)

• Discuss your sense of Gods call in your life and
  how that relates to your current call to lead the
  development of a new congregation.
• Close the time with prayer for each other.

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Emerging Learnings for the Field

• Ministry focused on the Gods Reign not the
  institution
• Organic and contextual churches not cloned models
  being built
• Leaders that raise up and multiply leaders not
  followers
• Congregations as training centers for mission
  rather than service centers
• Groups/congregations that reproduce more groups
  and congregations
• A heart for conversion and transformation not
  just members to notch our belts

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The New Church
Life/ministry as witness and parable of the
kingdom
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The Changing Church
Laity infiltrate through vocation
Missionaries of grace
Communities of care
Dr. Alicia Vargas
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Three Keys to Effective and Healthy
Ministry(From an evangelism study of the ELCA)

• Leadership a culture of team leadership where
  clergy and laity work together as a team. Leaders
  help congregations develop the following
• Purpose a clear sense by the congregation of
  what God is calling them to do
• Willingness to change a spirit of openness that
  is willing to initiate change to be faithful and
  effective

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Multiplication Of leaders
RENEWAL OF EXISTING MEMBERS
Renewal/Discipleship development (aided by
coaching)
(Entry Point)
HEALTHY LEADERS AND DISCIPLES
(Entry Point)
Disciple-making processes (aided by coaching)
MAKING NEW DISCIPLES
Multiplication Of leaders
(Entry Point)
EVANGELICAL LEADERSHIP
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Attitude of spiritual willingness to change
( Both needed ) Clarity of
purpose/vision
Individual/Leader
facilitate
Leadership Team
New leaders called challenged to more
responsibility
facilitate
Action Plans
Congregation
The key is that the DNA for the next level of
leaders Is in the prior one! Coaching can help
keep each Level of the process focused On the
right things.
facilitate
World
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done
(Transformation)
A Leadership Process for Transformational Mission
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Purpose Guiding Principles

• Starting Out on the Right Foot

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Bible Study Acts 2, 10 16

• What is God doing in the text?
• What are the disciples doing in the text?
• Lessons
• What is God saying to the WHOLE Church in this
  text?
• What is God saying to YOU personally in this text?

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Purpose

• Gods purpose for your ministry
• The lens for everything you do keeps team
  and/or congregation focused
• Helps determine course of action (reference point
  for decision making)
• Involve a lot of people as you work toward this
  for the congregation
• Use the purpose to identify the church and
  include in worship, flyers, bulletins, letters,
  signs, etc.

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Mission and Purpose

• Based on this text complete the following
  phrases
• Group Gods purpose for the church is _________.
• Individually My purpose in the new ministry to
  which I am called is _________.

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Guiding Principles

• Values that are in the vision that we can begin
  to practice now may conflict with present
  behaviors.
• These are embodied in our decisions provide
  guidance to help achieve the purpose.
• In the present we need accountability to help us
  stay the course.

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Guiding Principles Examples

• Examples
• Church at the Center, Seattle Everything
  accessible to the unchurched
• Bethel, Palatine, IL We are Gods hands and
  voice in the world.
• Living Lord, Bartlett, IL As disciples of
  Jesus, we grow to serve and we serve to grow

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Some Examples

• Jesus is Lord.
• Everyone is welcome.
• Love changes people.
• Everybody has something to offer.
• The world needs what weve got.

• Jesus is Lord and Savior.
• Deepening our faith strengthens our discipleship.
• Everyone is a minister.
• God sends us as gifts to the world.
• We love to tell the story.
• We invite all to join us in Gods work.

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Guiding Principles of the Early Church?

• 1. Look at Acts 2, 10 and 16
• 2. Group List the key principles at work in
  making the key decisions in your chapter. Narrow
  the list down to the top 5 guiding principles of
  the disciples that advance their work for God?

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Guiding Principles Your Life

• Individually start a list of the 5 principles
  that you will have to guide your ministry as you
  begin.
• Group Share with each other.

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Some other places to look for more on guiding
principles

• Read the scriptures and ask, What is most
  important to Gods people in this text?
• Hope Lutheran Church, W. Des Moines, IA
  www.hopewdm.org
• King of Kings LC, Michigan www.koklc.org
• Church at the Center, Seattle, WA www.catc.org
• Kelly Fryers book Reclaiming the L Word
  (available from Augsburg Fortress)
• Dave Daubert Living Lutheran, Augsburg F.

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Working with Purpose and Guiding Principles back
Home

• Start with Bible study and prayer. Get as many
  people in the congregation involved as possible
• Look at Biblical behaviors. The Bible study from
  Acts 2, 10, and 16 is one helpful way.
• Define the values at work, especially using the
  Lessons for the Church section
• Get groups to draft ideas for guiding principles
  at the retreat. Use these for input to the
  leadership as they write.
• Have a leadership team draft statements
• Facilitate conversation and feedback throughout
  the congregation
• Adopt Guiding Principles at congregational meeting