Visioning and Planning Resources

Mission

The purpose of the church is to mediate Jesus to the world in which it is situated. Over time the mission of the church has received many different definitions. The meaning and truth of the Christian message exist now for us in the present. How to put this message into practice is a challenge in this and every age in the church’s ongoing history. We have to find ways for the meaning of Christ to be transformed into a living belief, a vital way of being and acting in the world. Mission means the goal that the church seeks to accomplish, the point of its being organized into congregations and of baptizing new members. Mission also suggests the means or strategy by which this goal will be accomplished. The concept of mission focuses on the future. It tells us where we think we should be heading as a church. Because mission must be renewed constantly according to the context in which the church finds itself, it serves as the developmental edge of congregational life. Mission is how we redesign ourselves as church.

Ministry

Ministry means “the act of ministering, the rendering of a service.” What Christians do is essential to the identity and mission of the Christian church. Ministry is the “job” of Christians. It is how the mission of the church becomes real in a particular time and place. The concept of ministry has tended to be over-identified with leadership, office and ordination. In fact, ministry is the duty of every baptized person and of the Christian community as a whole. Tasks often associated with particular offices within the church actually belong to the congregation.

The following three terms help identify some of the essential functions of the ministry of the church which belongs to all its members, ordained or unordained.

Proclamation

In the Greek New Testament the word kerygma means what is preached, a proclamation or message. The Christian gospel is proclaimed in a variety of forms. Around this message the Christian community took shape. When assembled, the Christian community proclaims in both word and sacrament its communion with Jesus Christ. The kerygma is extended through evangelism. People enter into the life of the church through baptism at which time they confess their faith in the kerygma.

Community

The Greek word koinonia means fellowship, association or communion. Baptized into the death and resurrection of Christ, Christians accept the responsibility to practice justice and love. They form a community that is inclusive and in which authority is shared, in which there are no divisions of class, race or gender and where healing and reconciliation are experienced.

Service

We derive our word deacon from the Greek word diakonia which means service. Sharing of goods amongst the community, granting freedom to slaves, feeding the hungry, healing the sick — all these were practiced by the earliest church. Selfless acts of giving continue to mark the practice of today’s Christian communities.

Vision

A vision is the picture of the future we seek to create together — described in the present tense as though it were happening now. More than an idea, it is an image that motivates creativity. Personal visions can coalesce into shared visions. A shared vision gives shape and direction to an organization's future. People and organizations learn best when they are striving to accomplish something that matters deeply to them. Many visions can and will be achieved in the process of living out the mission of the Church. Goals Goals are what people commit themselves to do in implementing a vision.

Values

Values describe what it is we hold important as we work at our shared vision of the future. They set out how we will treat each other and are best expressed in terms of behaviour. "What would we look like if we were to follow Jesus' teachings?"

Adapted from Peter M. Senge et al., The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook: Strategies and Tools for Building a Learning Organization, New York: Doubleday, 1994.

Go to Appreciative Inquiry

As of 2006, 40,000 churches have participated in the Natural Church Development Process (NCD). These churches cross culture, denominational, and theological boundaries. The Director of NCD Canada offers the following:

Natural Church Development (NCD) is a paradigm – a way of thinking about church growth. Growth should be about quality (health) and not just quantity (numbers). In fact NCD suggests that quality should take priority over quantity in church growth thinking. At the heart of the paradigm is the Scriptural picture of the church as a living organism, not just an organisation (albeit a spiritual one). Looking at the church "organically" gives us a different perspective on what "growth" means. The growth of organisms focuses on their health, their capacity to reproduce, and how the individual 'body' parts interact. They are grown, not built. They are nurtured, not assembled. The NCD paradigm says that if church growth is about growing an organism, the health (quality) of the organism will have a direct impact on its size (quantity). If a church becomes increasingly healthy over time, it is more likely and better able to reproduce disciples, ministries and eventually itself. How many times have church leaders counted the numbers of people in Sunday services but really have no true sense whether the members of the church community are growing to greater spiritual maturity and contributing all they can to Kingdom growth? Is size really a true measure of health? The NCD paradigm helps you think about growing your church as a healthy living organism. (Ian Campbell)

• St. Aidan’s has some experience with NCD and found it helpful
• St. Paul’s, Middlechurch is exploring its potential
• St. Anne’s conducted a Vestry retreat, in May 2008, which focused on the 8 Quality Characteristics which are:
  • Empowering leadership
  • Gift-based ministry
  • Passionate spirituality
  • Effective structures
  • Inspiring worship service
  • Holistic small groups
  • Need-oriented evangelism
  • Loving relationships
• St. Anne’s has recently decided to undergo its first survey.

For further information please contact Rev. Simon Blaikie at 339-3978. For further information on NCD please visit their website at http://www.ncd-canada.com/resources.htm.

The Ministry of the Baptized is a small-group study course in five sessions. Parishes have made use of it as a visioning and planning tool. Each participant receives a copy of the course book. Sessions are led by a pair of leaders whose function is to assist the group process. Co-leaders will have received training in the course in advance.

The course provides an opportunity to:

• reflect on your baptism and the commitments made at it
• understand how the Baptismal Covenant provides a basis for Christian vocation understand how baptism is the foundation of all Christian ministry explore a view of the church based on baptism help eliminate the artificial distinction that separates lay and ordained ministry
• learn and work together as a team in ministry
• help your congregation clarify its mission and ministry
• commit yourselves to carrying out the ministry and mission of your congregation
• explore opportunities for your congregation to express its baptismal ministry in the world around it

Contents

• Welcome Into the Household of God
  • Exploring my baptismal ministry
  • Exploring the baptismal ministry of our congregation
• Confess the Faith of Christ Crucified
  • Affirming my baptismal vocation
  • Putting my gifts for ministry into practice Proclaim Christ’s Resurrection
  • Symbols of our congregation’s ministry
  • Building on our congregation’s strengths
• Share in Christ’s Eternal Priesthood
  • The church as a priestly community
  • Ministering to the community beyond the congregation
• Let Your Light So Shine Before Others o Disciples of Jesus o Apostles of Christ
  • Opportunities and partners for regional baptismal ministry

Written by Jack Risk and David Fletcher. Used with permission of the Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

General Links

• Alban Institute
• Congregational Church Development
• Congregational Development, Episcopal Church of the USA
• Church Growth, Episcopal Church of the USA Congregational Development

Resources

• Church Development Institute Center for Parish Development
• Clergy Leadership Institute * Asset-Based Community Development Institute

Recommended Books

• Roy M. Oswald and Robert E. Friedrich, Jr. Discerning Your Congregation's Future: A Strategic and Spiritual Approach. Alban Institute, 1996.
• George Parsons and Speed Leas. Understanding Your Congregation as a System: The Manual. Alban Institute, 1993.
• George B. Thompson, Jr. Futuring Your Church: Finding Your Vision and Making It Work. Cleveland, OH: United Church Press, 1999.