North Judson United Methodist Church
CONSULTATION REPORT
September 15, 2013
Introduction
We, the Fruitful Congregation Journey (FCJ) consultation team, would like to thank Rev. David Mullens, staff, lay leadership and congregation of North Judson United Methodist Church for the invitation to consult with this Body of Christ. The observations and prescriptions are the result of this team studying the following information: a) North Judson UMC’s self-study document provided by its leaders, b) North Judson UMC’s members completing the FCJ survey, c) The report from the Mystery Guest Worshippers provided by Faith Perceptions, d) Interviews with the pastor, staff and ministry team leaders, e) a focus group with members of the congregation, f) a meeting with the Administrative Board, g) a Mission Insite demographic report of the area’s population, and h) input from Saturday’s leadership workshop.
Our prayer is that God will use this assessment experience and consultation report to help North Judson UMC more effectively make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the community and the world.
Strengths
North Judson UMC’s greatest strengths are as follows:
1. COMPASSIONATE MINISTRIES TO THE COMMUNITY
In recent years, North Judson UMC has developed significant ministries to meet the needs of people in North Judson and surrounding communities. Ministries such as the free monthly meal, food pantry and Kids’ Closet are making connections with people by meeting basic needs such as providing food, clothing and other necessities. These ministries also provide an avenue for relationship-building which has resulted in people coming to and getting connected with the church.
2. STRONG PASTORAL TEAM
Pastor Dave Mullens and his wife Delora have effectively served North Judson UMC for just over a decade. Delora provides significant support to Dave and the ministries of the church. In leadership interviews, focus groups, the church self-study and the Mystery Guest Worshipers Report, the consultation team consistently heard rave reviews of Pastor Dave’s preaching. He was also praised for going out of his way to be there for people in their time of need. The people of the church expressed overwhelming confidence in Pastor Dave’s ability to shepherd this congregation.
3. CARING CONGREGATION
The consultation team heard repeatedly that members of North Judson UMC cherish their church family because of the love they share for one another. Many expressed that their church family would do whatever needed in order to care for a person in need. Some others commented that they always feel welcomed, loved and cared for when they walk through the doors of this church.
4. SUFFICIENT PROPERTY FOR FUTURE MINISTRY
The property that North Judson UMC currently owns holds great potential for future ministry. The fellowship hall is just one example of property being used to connect with people outside the church family. The vacant lot, parking lot and unused lawn behind the church present opportunities for creative outreach to the local community. These spaces afford the congregation room for future expansion.
5. PRESCHOOL MINISTRY
The Little Lights Preschool has a great reputation in the community. The community is fortunate to have a biblically-based preschool with a gifted and dedicated teacher. Scholarships are offered to families who are not able to cover the tuition. The preschool provides a great connection point for the church as large numbers of people visit the facility for graduation. Efforts are being developed to build a bridge between families of preschool students and the church.
Concerns
North Judson UMC’s greatest areas of concern are as follows:
1. LACK OF VISION
North Judson UMC has no clear, shared vision that connects current ministries with the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. While there are worthy ministries and outreach programs, there is not an intentional process to connect those being served to a relationship with Jesus and the church.
2. NO INTENTIONAL DISCIPLESHIP PROCESS
It is the finding of the consultation team that there is no intentional discipleship process. How does a person at North Judson UMC:
· move forward in his/her faith through radical hospitality and passionate worship?
· develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?
· grow in their knowledge of the Christian faith through shared learning experiences?
· connect to other believers for support and accountability?
· serve others for the purpose of sharing the gospel and transforming lives?
3. INSUFFICIENT STEWARDSHIP OF RESOURCES
The church struggles to have enough resources (time, talent and finances) to fulfill its mission and ministry. It is evident that there are not enough people committed to hands-on ministry or biblical tithing. This situation is a reflection of the:
· lack of mission and vision
· absence of an intentional discipleship process
· need for better communication and teaching about tithing and systematic giving
4. INADEQUATE MINISTRY TO CHILDREN AND YOUTH
One of the most pressing concerns expressed by those interviewed and by those who completed the FCJ survey was the low number of children and youth within the congregation. This situation is a result of underfunded children and youth ministries, out-dated meeting spaces, lack of volunteers and no dedicated staff (paid or unpaid).
5. NEED FOR LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
Leaders interviewed by the consultation team expressed the lack of a clear and effective leadership development process. They could not identify an intentional plan to recruit, train, and empower future leaders within the church to enhance fruitful ministry.
Prescriptions
In order to address the above concerns, North Judson UMC must implement the following prescriptions:
1. MISSION AND VISION
The consultation team applauds this congregation for taking the first step by adopting the mission statement of The United Methodist Church which is, “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” The Fruitful Congregation Journey is grounded in this mission.
The congregation will have a service of prayer and forgiveness, to embrace God’s mandate for making disciples. This will allow the membership to be fully prepared for the Lord’s vision for the future. This will be led by Catherine Turcotte or someone she provides, in consultation with Pastor Dave by October 31, 2013.
The coach will conduct a Values Workshop for the congregation by November 30, 2013. The purpose of this workshop is to help the congregation define the values that will guide future decisions.
Also, the coach will conduct a Visioning workshop for the congregation. The purpose of this workshop is to dream of how God might want to work through the congregation both individually and collectively to reach the surrounding community. This day will occur by January 15, 2014. Following the Visioning workshop, the pastor, in consultation with the coach and the leadership of the church, will create a vision which will guide the ministries of the church. This vision will be presented to the Administrative Board for discussion and adoption by March 15, 2014. The vision will be presented to the congregation by April 6, 2014.
Upon adopting the new vision, every ministry in the congregation must demonstrate how it will accomplish the mission and vision. To that end, the leaders will conduct a ministry audit of all existing ministries. Ministries will be evaluated by their faithfulness to the mission and vision and their fruitfulness (results). Any ministries not faithful and fruitful will be given up to one year to rectify. Any ministries that are not faithful to the mission and vision will be dissolved; any ministry that is faithful but still not fruitful will be modified and re-evaluated for fruitfulness. All continuing ministries will set goals and objectives in alignment with the mission and vision. This audit must be completed by September 15, 2014. All new future ministries must demonstrate how they will be aligned to the mission and vision and have a plan for fruitful ministry.
2. DISCIPLESHIP PATHWAY
The pastor, in consultation with the coach, will develop a team of three people by April 15, 2014. The team will create a clear discipleship pathway to help people move toward becoming fully-devoted followers of Jesus Christ. The discipleship pathway will be a lifelong process designed for everyone, including new believers as well as disciples maturing in their faith. The discipleship pathway will align with the mission and vision and encourage all persons to:
· connect and grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ,
· be transformed by studying the Bible and the Christian faith,
· connect with other believers for prayer, support and accountability, and
· be in service to others for the purpose of the mission to make disciples to transform the world.
This team will complete its work by September 15, 2014.
Additionally, the pastor, in consultation with the coach, will provide a Discipleship Pathway workshop by May 15, 2014 to give direction to the Discipleship Pathway team.
A Radical Hospitality Team will be named by the pastor by April 15, 2014 to evaluate and develop strategies for inviting, welcoming and connecting newcomers into the life of the church. A Radical Hospitality Workshop will be conducted by the coach by May 30, 2014. The Radical Hospitality Team will make recommendations to the Administrative Board by July 15, 2014.
3. STEWARDSHIP
The pastor will contact Steve Burris, the Associate District Superintendent of the Northeast District by April 30, 2014 to enlist his assistance. The pastor, in consultation with the coach and Steve, or his designated representative, will put a program together to help the church practice extravagant generosity by August 15, 2014. The program will use the Consecration Sunday model to help people embrace the joy and privilege of tithing their time, talents and finances as a means of helping to grow God’s kingdom. This plan will conclude with a Consecration Sunday experience led by Steve Burris by November 30, 2014.
North Judson UMC will offer Financial Peace University (or a comparable program) in the fall of 2014 and in the spring of 2015 to assist families who need to develop healthy financial practices.
4. CHILDREN AND YOUTH MINISTRY
In order to develop inspiring, relevant ministries with children and youth, the pastor and coach will create a Ministry Team to work with Jennifer Hudson () and Helene Foust (), Associate Director of Student Ministries - Indiana Conference, by January 15, 2014.
The team will develop a plan for this ministry that will include the following components: 1) Evaluate all the current programming and location of these programs to determine their effectiveness in reaching their target audience; 2) Explore the possibility of hiring a part-time Children’s Ministry Director 3) Identify and recruit a volunteer or team of volunteers to lead the Youth Ministry; 4) Develop a strategy to expand the number of participants involved in current ministries; 5) Evaluate the existing Safe Sanctuaries Policy and its utilization; 6) Visit three congregations of equal or larger size to evaluate their effective ministries; 7) Address childcare needs of younger adults participating in the life of the church; and 8) Align all Children’s and Youth Ministries with the discipleship pathway. These teams will present their reports to the Administrative Board by April 30, 2014.
5. LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
The pastor, in consultation with the coach, will appoint a leadership development team, by September 15, 2014. This team will develop a comprehensive and intentional plan to develop and deploy leaders for the mission and vision of the church. This plan will include the following three areas:
A. Leadership development and training:
· Regular training and leadership opportunities for lay ministry leaders
· Participating in the Accountability Leadership workshop led by the coach by November 15, 2014
· The practice of mentoring others through the use of apprentice leaders or co-chairs, and the rotating off of chairpersons and committee members
· Spiritual gift, personality profile inventories, and strengths resources
B. Alignment of all staff and leaders’ roles with the mission and vision according to prescription one above
C. Leadership and staff practices:
· The regular practice of spiritual disciplines—for example, prayer, retreats, tithing,
regular worship attendance, service, mission and demonstration of the “Fruit of the Spirit”
· The use of goal-setting and strategic planning, as well as accountability for the goals
· Developing leadership covenants
· Implementation of regular staff meetings
· Documented policies and procedures on how decisions are made
· Fruit-based job descriptions and regular evaluations of all paid and unpaid leadership positions
This comprehensive plan will be completed by February 15, 2015.
Conclusion
We, the consultation team, want to thank you for the opportunity to serve your congregation through this Fruitful Congregation Journey assessment process. Our prayer and hope for your congregation is that God will bless this process to help your church become more effective and fruitful. May God give you courage and strength as you move forward in this journey.
Steve Clouse, Lead Consultant; Sheila Wilimitis, Consultant; Dean Fager, Coach; Jeff Karnes, Consultant
Town Hall Meeting Dates:
Thursday September 26, 2013 6:00 pm
Sunday September 29, 2013 4:00 pm
Monday, September 30, 2013 6:00 pm
Church Conference Date: Monday October 7, 2013 6:30 pm
1