Indiana Conference The United Methodist Church Visioning Workshop

Indiana Conference The United Methodist Church

Visioning Workshop (Church location & Date) “Where there is no vision, the people perish. ” Prov. 29: 18

Objectives of Today’s Workshop To gain a clearer understanding of: • The Value of Visioning; • The Impact of Vision Within the Church • The 3 Necessary Components of Vision; • How Vision is Developed.

Church Life. Cycle Adulthood Adolescence Maturity Empty Nest Childhood Retirement Infancy Old Age Birth Death

Start a new Life. Cycle!

Four Components of a New Life. Cycle (VRMS) • Fresh Vision for the future. • Relationships that embrace new people. • Ministries/Programs that focus on outreach • Structures that anchor accountability

Key Terms Core Values: the constant, passionate, biblical core beliefs that drive your church and ministry. 1. Describe your church at its very best; 2. What a congregation desires to be. Mission: a broad, brief, biblical statement of what the ministry is supposed to be doing. The focus is on “what” we are to do.

Key Terms: Vision: a clear, challenging picture of the future of the ministry, as you believe that it can and must be. The unique way your church will carry out the mission. Goals & Objectives: tangible measurement on the path to the vision.

The Value of Mission & Vision • Mission means that we are moving…. are in process …… are working towards a common goal of what we exist to do. • Our MISSION does not change. • While many things around us are altered, changed, updated, or deleted our MISSION continues to define Who we are and why we exist.

Vision is what God gives leaders in order to move our mission and meet particular needs for a particular time. • Vision does change. • As a discerning leader you come to understand what God knows “can be” and so you begin to take the strategic steps necessary for fruitfulness …. what it “will be. ”

Vision-eering Visioneering = Inspiration + Action + Determination + Completion 11

4 Components of an Effective Vision 1. The Problem. 2. The Solution. 3. The Reason something must be done. 4. The Reason something must be done Now.

How can vision make that much of a difference? Why does a clear vision enable you to see things that differently? 14

Vision weaves four wonderful things into our experience: 1. Passion. Vision evokes emotion. 2. Motivation. Vision provides motivation. 3. Direction. It serves as a road map & can simplify our decision making. 4. Vision translates into purpose. 15

Churches, like people, end up somewhere in their lifetime. A few end up somewhere on purpose. Those are typically the ones with vision

Vision gives significance to the otherwise meaningless details of our lives. Take that ordinary and mix it up with a God-ordained vision and suddenly there is Purpose! Meaning! Adrenaline! Vision brings your world into focus. A clear vision enables you to see everything differently. 17

Enlarge the place of your tent. Stretch your tent curtain wide; Do not hold back; lengthen your cord, Strengthen your stakes. Isaiah 54: 2

Top 10 Most Receptive in Our Mission Field: 1. Second-time visitors 6. Parental Challenges (guests) 2. Friends of new 7. Finance Matters believers 8. 3. Divorced/Single New Residents 4. First-time parents 9. Illness 5. Marriage problems 10. Recovery issues

4 MISSION FIELDS 1. Those currently in your congregation that don’t have a personal relationship with Christ. 2. Those people outside church that are like you. 3. Those people outside church that are not like you. 4. Those in locations outside your community.

Activity What must we do to reach them? • In your group: – Consider “what” your mission field is like. – Consider “who” is receptive in your mission field. – Brainstorm a list of ideas for reaching out to your mission field.

TAKE A BREAK!

Vision Part 2

What is Vision? Where does vision come from? Bearing Fruit; Ministry with Real Results L. Weems, Jr. & T. Berlin

God’s Vision is More than the Leader’s Vision Fruitful biblical leadership is about vision. It is not about a leader’s vision, however, but the vision to which God is calling a people. It is from obedience to a calling from God that visions for ministry emerge. Beginning with God’s calling clearly shows that God is the source. It implies a discernment process that a leader does not carry out alone, something that is often missing when people describe their visions of the future. The best visions are never about our wishes but about God’s will for our community and our servanthood of God’s vision. Fruitful Christian leadership begins the day that we are able to align the calling of God in our lives with the mission and context in which we serve. Then the vision emerges out of our community as God’s people together discern the calling of God in all of our lives in light of our mission and context. It is the next faithful step toward becoming a mission-shaped church. Bearing Fruit; Weems/Berlin (pages 39 -41)

The “Vision Intersection Profile” The Community “Needs”

Experiencing God Henry Blackaby’s Reality #1: GOD IS ALWAYS AT WORK AROUND YOU. “You never find God asking people to dream up what they want to do for Him. The pattern in the Scripture looks like this: you submit yourself to God, and you wait until He shows you what He is about to do. ” “It is better to be still and do nothing with God than to be busy and do much without Him. ”

Blackaby goes on to say, “For unless God allows you to see where He is working, you will not see it. You can involve yourself in doing good things, but you may miss the work that God intended you to do. The servant doesn’t tell the Master what kind of assignment he needs. Instead, he waits on his Master to give him the assignment. ”

Investigate First • Helps to distinguish between a good cause and a God-ordained vision. • Recognizing a need does not necessarily translate into vision. • A general sense of sadness about the condition of a group of people is not a vision …. that’s compassion. • Don’t commit in response to the passion of the needs of the moment. Emotional commitments are only as strong as the emotions.

WHY WE DON‘T INVESTIGATE 1. IMPATIENCE (I already know…. let’s go!) 2. PRIDE (What’s the point? I already know everything!) 3. FEAR (If things are that bad I’ll get discouraged. )

The “Vision Intersection Profile” Leadership “Passion” Community “Needs”

Leaders maintain EMOTIONAL AND PHYSICAL WELL-BEING in their organizations by staying true: • to STRATEGIC GOALS; • to action directed toward GOAL ACHIEVEMENT; • to a high degree of TEAM INTERACTION, • to maintaining a RELIANCE ON GOD that provides clarity of purpose.

3 Keys in Visionary Leadership 1. Navigates in the fog 2. Eliminates the impact of fear; Fear of making mistakes. Fear of doing some things different. Fear of getting lost for a while. Fear of conflict 3. Avoids distractions. 33

Group Activity: Build the Best Tower 1. In this activity, your group will follow the direction given by your leader. 2. You can use any of the materials in your bag to build the BEST tower. 3. You will have a limited time to complete this task.

The “Vision Intersection Profile” Leadership “Passion” The Congregation The Community “Needs” “Shape for ministry/ discipleship growth”

Know Your SHAPE: S = Spiritual Gifts H = Heart A = Aptitude/Ability P = Personality/Preferences E = Experiences

Ziglar: “Are you a wandering generality or a meaningful specific? ” Wandering generalities often miss the mark because they are running around trying to be all things to all people.

The “Vision Intersection Profile” Leadership Passion The Congregation VISION Shape for ministry/ The Community Needs discipleship growth

Prayer Walk Right now: Decide what area of this community (or within this church) is an area that God has put on your heart as a mission field that needs to see God’s love. Come make a sign where that location is and make sure no one else is duplicating that location. Hold your sign up and invite others to join your team.

Prayer Walk 1. Gather according to mission field interest. Write the names and phone # of everyone the back of that mission site poster. 2. Groups of at least 3 people should plan to meet at that location sometime within the next 2 weeks. Make sure that everyone is in a group and that you know who will make arrangements for your group. 3. Spend time walking and praying at the location and pray ( asking God what He wants to reveal to you about this mission field. Be observant to the surrounding and people that might be there. 4. After the prayer time, gather back with your group and write a summary of what you felt God telling you. 5. Give the summary to your pastor.

Windshield Surveys Community Leader Surveys

Questions to Ponder Considering our community… what do you sense God desires to accomplish within and through our church in the next three years? IN 2015 OUR CHURCH… • Has what ministries in place? • Is reaching what kind of people? • Is new and/or different in what ways from 3 years ago?

Vision Timeline 1. Summaries of Prayer Walks, Windshield Survey and Community Leader Survey reviewed by visioning team; 2. Visioning team meets until a draft is concluded; 3. Pastor takes Vision draft to Leadership team; 4. Leadership team gives input for additional action back to the visioning team; 5. Visioning team meets and re-submits Vision back to Leadership team;

Vision timeline, continued 7. Leadership team approves the Vision. 8. Vision is introduced to the congregation; 9. Second vision workshop is held: Transitioning Vision to Ministry; 10. Ministry teams begin to align ministry to vision using strategy, goals (fruitfulness), and evaluation. 11. Plans for how to keep the Vision fresh and visible in constant discussion.

Dreamers vs Visionaries Dreamers dream about things being different – Dreamers think about how nice it would be for something to be done. Visionaries envision themselves making a difference. Visionaries look for an opportunity to do something.

(Church location & Date) “Where there is no vision, the people perish. ” Prov. 29: 18