Calvary United Methodist Church Avilla, Indiana
CONSULTATION REPORT
August 23, 2015
INTRODUCTION: We, the Consultation Team, would like to thank Pastor Shalimar Holderly, the staff, lay leadership and congregation of Calvary United Methodist Church for the invitation to consult with this body of Christ.
The following observations and Ministry Action Plan are the result of this team studying the following information: 1) Calvary UMC’s self-study document provided by its leaders; 2) Fruitful Congregation Journey (FCJ) on-line survey; 3) interviews with the pastor; 4) interviews with staff and ministry team leaders; 5) a focus group with participants from the congregation; 6) a focus group with the Administrative Council; 7) a MissionInsite demographic report of the area’s population; 8) Faith Perceptions Mystery Guest Report; 9) and input from Saturday’s leadership workshop.
Our prayer is that God will use this assessment experience and consultation report to help Calvary UMC more effectively make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the community and the world.
STRENGTHS
1. LOCATION AND FACILITY
The consultation team was impressed with the building and the care that is taken of the Calvary UMC facilities.The congregation had the foresight to construct a very usable facility. The rooms are creatively decorated with artistic flair and the building is kept clean and well maintained. The church has adequate, functional space for current and expanded ministry for the foreseeable future. The building is situated in an ideal location, visible from highway 8, near the Elementary school and downtown allowing for community events and connection to be done with ease.
2. A CARING CHURCH FAMILY
Throughout the consultation weekend, people expressed great appreciation for the enduring legacy of generations of faith who have worshipped and served together at Calvary UMC.
Many people shared that this congregation responds with loving care and support when needs arise. A Member Care Committee is in place providing care for college students and shut-ins and is examining ways to expand its ministry.
3. BIBLICAL PREACHING AND TEACHING
Throughout the interviews, as well as the Mystery Guest report, the consultation team heard that the Sunday sermons were biblically-based, relevant and made connections to everyday life. People expressed that the bible study that Pastor Shalimar leads was exciting and meaningful and offered them a biblical perspective on issues that they deal with on a daily basis.
CONCERNS
1. LACK OF A UNIFYING MISSION AND VISION
Though there are many people who desire a clear vision for Calvary UMC, the consultation team was unable to discover a clear, unifying mission and vision that is embraced by the congregation. The vision statement of the church as stated in the bulletin is “Caring for our community by sharing God’s love”; however, no one we asked could articulate this, and it does not seem to be driving the church’s decisions. This lack of specific, strategic and clearly articulated mission and vision leaves the congregation without a sense of purpose and hinders goal setting, long-range planning, evaluation of results and the wise stewardship of financial and human resources and assets. In addition, it is difficult for clear communication to take place.
2. LACK OF YOUNG ADULTS AND YOUNG FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN
The online survey, the church self-study, our interviews and the focus groups all listed aging congregation, declining attendance and the lack of children and youth as the greatest concerns of the congregation. However, MissionInsite research tells us that within a 5 mile radius there are 2027 singles and young families age 18-34, and 1952 children under age 18. While the church has a stated concern to reach those groups, there is no intentional plan to do so.
3. LACK OF EMPHASIS ON DEEPER SPIRITUAL LIFE
While Calvary UMC has focused on being a caring church family, there is a noticeable lack of spiritual enthusiasm and energy for helping each person of the church and those God is calling them to reach, to grow deeper in their relationship with God. This lack of spiritual focus is represented by one quote we heard, “Church feels like it is just a building we come to on Sunday.” This spiritual apathy has created a survival mentality within the life of the church.
MINISTRY ACTION PLAN
In order to address the above concerns, Calvary UMC must implement the following Ministry Action Plan:
1. UNIFYING MISSION AND VISION
The congregation understands that the day this consultation report is accepted (should that be the case) this congregation will adopt the mission of the United Methodist Church: “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”
Calvary UMC will have a Sunday morning Service of Prayer and Forgiveness to help the congregation to be spiritually prepared for the vision the Lord has for the future of this congregation. The worship service leader will be selected by the FCJ Prayer Coordinator. This service will be conducted by November 15, 2015.
Following the Service of Prayer and Forgiveness a prayer team will be formed, in consultation with the pastor and the coach that will commit to a weekly time of prayer in the church, praying for the Holy Spirit to ignite and saturate the church with the healing and powerful presence of Jesus Christ. This initial prayer team will be formed by November 30, 2015
The coach will conduct a Core Values Workshop followed by a Vision Workshop for the congregation. Prior to these workshops, the pastor in conjunction with the coach and the leadership of the church will identify and select a small team to discern the core values and vision for the church. These two workshops will be conducted by March 31, 2016. The Core values and Vision for Calvary UMC will be adopted by the Administrative Council by June 30, 2016.
Following the adoption of the vision and values for the church, the leadership of the church, in consultation with the coach will develop a Strategic Planning Team. This team will be formed by July 31, 2016, and will begin the development of a new structure that best implements the mission and vision of the church that will include:
Strategic Ministry Plan for the future
Leadership Development that incorporates goal-setting, accountability and communication.
The team will present its work for adoption to the Administrative Council by March 15, 2017.
2. YOUNG ADULTS AND YOUNG FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN
In order to develop inspiring, relevant ministries with children, youth, and young adults, the pastor, in consultation with the coach and interested laity, will create a Family Ministries Team by November 15, 2015.
The Family Ministries Team, in consultation with Helene Foust, Associate Director of Family Ministries - Indiana Conference will:
· Evaluate all current programming to determine the effectiveness in reaching their target audiences,
· Visit at least 2 other churches of similar or slightly larger size that have an effective ministry with children and young families,
· Study the MissionInsite report and discern the types of programs that are attractive to the families in the 5 mile radius around Calvary UMC,
· Develop a strategy to improve the effectiveness of current and future ministries,
· Effectively communicate these ministries inside and outside the church,
The Family Ministry Team will inform the Administrative Council of its strategy by June 1, 2016.
NOTE: Calvary UMC must develop and implement a Safe Sanctuary policy by November 15, 2015.
In order to retain young adults and young families with children, the pastor, in consultation with the coach, will assemble a Radical Hospitality team by June 1, 2016, to do the following:
· Attend or host a Hospitality workshop
· Evaluate the church facility to see how it would be perceived by guests including young adults and young families with children.
· Evaluate the way the church connects with the community such as website, social media, interior and exterior signage, and information currently distributed in print.
· Design a Radical Hospitality plan that will be presented to the Administrative Council by March 1, 2017.
3. EMPHASIS ON DEEPER SPIRITUAL LIFE
The coach will lead the Intentional Faith Development workshop by April 1, 2016, in order to create the awareness of discipleship possibilities. Following the workshop the Strategic Planning team, in conjunction with the pastor and coach, will create a discipleship plan for spiritual leadership and development that includes people at all ages and stages of spiritual formation. The Strategic Planning Team will also develop the Discipleship Team to implement the plan.
This plan will encourage each person to:
· connect and grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ;
· be transformed by studying the principles of the Christian faith;
· use connection opportunities with other believers for support and
accountability;
· be in service to others for the purpose of the mission;
· invite others to a relationship with Jesus and His church; and
· further discern his/her call to discipleship and leadership.
The discipleship plan and the team will be presented to the Administrative Council by November 30, 2016.
CONCLUSION
We, the Consultation Team, want to thank you for the opportunity to serve your congregation through this Fruitful Congregation Journey assessment process. Our prayers and hope for your congregation is that God will use this process to help your church become more effective and fruitful in making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. May God give you courage and strength as you move forward in the future.
Jack Hartman, Lead Consultant
Dan Glover, Coach
Karen Powell, Consultant
Dave Neckers, District Superintendent
Town Hall Meeting Dates (at the church):
Wednesday, August 26, 2015 7:00pm
Sunday, August 30, 2015 10:00am
Tuesday, September 1, 2015 7:00pm
Church Conference Date Calvary United Methodist Church:
September 13, 2015 10:00am
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