FRANKTON FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
CONSULTATION REPORT
March 17, 2014
Introduction
We, the Fruitful Congregation Journey (FCJ) consultation team, would like to thank Rev. Gary Elsten, staff, lay leadership and congregation of Frankton First United Methodist Church for the invitation to consult with this body of Christ. The following observations and prescriptions are the result of this team studying the following information: a) Frankton First UMC’s self-study document provided by its leaders, b) completion of the FCJ on-line survey by your members, c) the report from the mystery guest worshippers provided by Faith Perceptions, d) Interviews with the pastor, staff and committee leaders, e) a focus group with members of the congregation, f) a meeting with the Ad. Council, g) a MissionInsite demographic report of the area’s population, and h) input from Monday evening’s leadership workshop.
Our prayer is that God will use this assessment experience and consultation report in order to help Frankton First UMC to more effectively make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the community and the world.
Strengths
Frankton First UMC’s greatest strengths are as follows:
1. PASSIONATE, ENGAGED PASTOR
Pastor Gary Elsten, serving Frankton First UMC for the past six years, has brought hope to the congregation for its future. His skill in presenting the gospel message in real and relevant ways, along with interactive dialogue at the conclusion of the message, has been received well and appreciated by the congregation and the mystery guest worshippers. Several persons interviewed commented, “We want to keep Gary and his family for a long time.” He has been instrumental in helping the church in developing a vision statement of “Building God’s community,” that Frankton First UMC lives out in its community.
2. FRIENDLY, CARING PEOPLE
Frankton First UMC is a friendly congregation that is committed to welcoming all who enter. The church’s well-maintained building creates a welcoming environment for hospitality and growth. Faith Perception’s mystery guests indicated that Frankton First UMC excels in the area of friendliness stating that the church was, “I felt like nearly everyone acknowledged and welcomed my presence and most made it a point to introduce themselves and welcome me personally”. “I was acknowledged by other members of the service which was great. I was personally greeted and joined in a few conversations. I felt very welcomed”.
3. GROWING HEART FOR MISSION & OUTREACH
Frankton First UMC truly is committed to reaching out to its community and serving those in need locally, nationally, and globally. This happens in numerous ways and appears to be increasing. Locally the church reaches out through the local food bank, financially supporting several local mission groups, ______. The church reaches out by surrounding people in the community with care and compassion when they experience difficulties in life as is evidenced by hosting a tenderloin dinner for the to assist a family. The church is taking a bold step
care for those who have experienced great loss, and by using the factory for Prom. Regionally, the church has sent mission teams to aid in the recovery effort at Henryville, as well as multiple trips each year to Redbird. Each person interviewed mentioned mission and helped to make clear that mission is part of the DNA of Frankton First UMC.
Concerns
Frankton First UMC’s greatest areas of concern are as follows:
1. LACK OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
2. UNCLEAR DISCIPLESHIP PROCESS
The church is experiencing growth as it reaches out beyond the congregation and is beginning to make significant connections with people. As in any church, there are people at different stages of spiritual development. One of the tasks of the church is to help people take their next step in their own spiritual journey so that all persons are growing spiritually. However, it is the finding of the consultation team that no one could articulate a discipleship pathway. How does a person:
· first connect to Jesus Christ and the church?
· grow in their knowledge of the faith?
· become connected to other believers for support and accountability?
· become active in service to others for the purpose of sharing the gospel?
3. LIMITED CHILDREN’S MINISTRY
Frankton First UMC has done a good job of reaching to the youth in the community. Yet the congregation expresses a desire to reach even more children and youth and their families. In the surrounding area there are ______children and youth. Thus, there is a need to develop a specific plan to reach these children, and their families. This will lead the children and their families to deepen their relationships with Christ, and in turn strengthen the bond between them and God’s community.
The majority of the congregation affirms a desire for a more fruitful ministry with children and youth. The children’s Sunday School has a very limited number of children. Yet almost everyone desires that more young families with children become a part of the church and the ministry to children be greatly expanded. The youth group was once much larger but has now decreased significantly due to the graduation of many of the youth.
these ministries were mentioned consistently as areas for improvement. Youth ministry in particular has struggled through staff transition in the past 10 years. Key concerns raised during the consultation included volunteer retention and recruitment, youth ministry leadership, the transition from children’s to youth ministry, and communication with families. Families with children and youth need to feel that their needs are as important as other constituent groups. Broader opportunities, new models (like the Orange project for children’s ministry), and the commitment of the full congregation and staff are needed to reach children and youth, including both those inside the church and those being brought to the church through the Upward and Scouting programs.
Ministry Action Plans
In order to address the above concerns, Frankton First UMC must implement the following ministry action plans:
LEADERSHIP AND STAFF DEVELOPMENT
The congregation understands that the day this consultation report is accepted (should that be the case), this congregation will continue to affirm, “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world,” as its mission statement.
A. The Pastor in consultation with the coach and chair of the Church Council will explore streamlined administration models that support the following functions:
· Church Council – role is governance
· Pastor – role is leading
· Staff (paid and unpaid) – role is managing
· Members – role is ministering
B. In light of this model and the church’s vision, the pastor and coach will ensure that paid and unpaid leaders are appropriately aligned to support the vision given their passions and gifts. The staff will set goals in alignment with the vision and will be held accountable to them through regular staff meetings. Frankton First UMC will implement this by ______.
C. By March 2014, the Church Council will develop a leadership covenant that each member will be expected to sign and practice. It will include regular worship attendance, tithing, participation in a discipleship pathway, and prayers.
D. In April 2014, all church members will renew their church vows in a service of membership renewal where they will rededicate their commitment to Christ and His church. This will become an annual practice.
E. In order to develop the next generation of leaders, the pastor, in consultation with the coach, will identify by May 1, 2014, at least five potential leaders. They will be asked to commit to developing and participating in the leadership development system. This system may include the following:
· Shared learning through guided study of books and teachings,
· Spiritual-gift and personality profile inventories,
· The regular practice of spiritual disciplines—for example prayer, retreats, tithing,
· regular worship attendance, service and mission,
· The use of regular goal-setting and holding one another accountable to achievement of the goals,
· The practice of mentoring apprentice leaders or co-chairs.
This leadership development system will be adopted and instituted by the Church Council and staff by June 1, 2014.
2. INTENTIONAL DISCIPLESHIP PROCESS
The pastor and Lay Leadership Team, in consultation with the coach, will put together a team of three lay leaders on or before ______, to create a clear discipleship path for moving people from where they are on their spiritual journey to becoming a fully-devoted follower of Jesus Christ. The discipleship path will be designed for everyone, whether a non-believer or one who is maturing in their faith. This discipleship path will represent a lifelong process. The Team will discern a faith development plan within a Wesleyan model that encourages all persons:
· to connect and grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ;
· to help them be transformed by studying the principles of the Christian faith;
· to provide connection opportunities with other believers for support and accountability;
· to be in service to others for the purpose of the mission;
· to be inviting others to a relationship with Jesus and His church; and
· to further discern his/her call to discipleship and leadership.
Additionally, the pastor, in consultation with the coach, will provide a training process to create the necessary opportunities for entry onto the discipleship path that could include home church (small groups), Bible studies, prayer meetings, and new adult Sunday school classes. This new process will be adopted by the Church Council and implemented in the life of Frankton First UMC at all ministry levels by ______.
3. INTENTIONAL CHILDREN’S STRATEGY
One of the top concerns that surfaced in the online survey and the church’s self study as well as interviews with the leadership of the church and various groups was the lack of children and young families. Without an intentional strategy developing an effective children’s ministry, young famlies with children
Since the NOW Service is beginning to reach a younger demographic, the church must now put together an intentional plan it can implement to have effective, dynamic ministry with children.
The pastor, in consultation with the coach, will establish a children’s ministry team by ______, and develop a children’s strategy, which will be presented to the Ad. Council by ______, and be implemented in ____. This team will evaluate and assess the opportunities to expand the church’s present children’s ministries, and will include reaching those already here on Sunday, as well as the following target groups:
a. Leesburg-Oswego Preschool children and their families,
b. VBS children and their families,
c. Children at Whispering Pines,
d. Children attending the Tippecanoe lakeside service, and
e. Children participating in the Lunch Buddies program at Leesburg Elementary School.
This team will:
a. Include one or two leaders or parents of each of the targeted groups,
b. Utilize information from MissionInsite to identify bridges between those five targeted areas and Frankton First UMC
c. Visit and study, the fall of 2014, other churches with growing, cutting edge, and effective ministries in each of the target areas,
d. Develop a recruitment strategy and provide leadership training for the volunteers.
Also, Heather Olson-Bunnell, will conduct a Safe Sanctuaries: Reducing the Risk of Abuse for Children, Youth, and Vulnerable Adults workshop to be held ______. The coach will assist the church in evaluating its policy to assure that new guidelines from the 2011 Indiana Conference policy are included. If Frankton First UMC’s current policy does not have these inclusions, a new policy will be written within 3 months of the workshop.
The following will be required to attend this workshop: all persons working with children (including VBS volunteers), youth, and/or vulnerable adults, all paid staff, all Ad. Council members, and representatives of all outside groups meeting in this church.
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. May God give you courage and strength as you move forward.
Rev. Jack Hartman, Lead Consultant
Mr. Scott Green, Coach
Rev. Rob Seewld, Consultant
Town Hall Meeting Dates
Sunday, March, 2014, 10:30 a.m.
Monday, April, 2014, 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, April, 2014, 6:30 p.m.
Church Conference Date:
Wednesday, April, 2014, 7:00 p.m.