Synod News January 13, 2014

Planning Tool for 2014…

Often during the month of January as consistories make transitions, pastors will schedule some time with key leaders not only to look forward but also to look backward in order to evaluate what is and isn’t working to accomplish a kingdom vision. Will Mancini’s blog “2014 Ministry and Vision Planning Ideas: The Four Helpful Lists by Tom Paterson” has a helpful and simple tool for an evaluation process.  Will introduces Tom Paterson, a strategy and planning guru.  Tom is in his 80’s and the architect of a process called “StratOps“, an intense 3-day strategic execution process with planning tools. Mancini reports that one of Tom’s mantras is “Perspective before Planning”.  Below is one of Tom’s exercises that can be used with a consistory called “4 Helpful Hints”.  Here’s how it works:

* Create five columns on white board or two white-pad sticky sheets.

* At the top of the first four columns put 4 questions:

1. What’s Right?  (What do we need to amplify?)
2. What’s Wrong?  (What do we need to fix?)
3. What’s Confused?  (What do we need to clarify?)
4. What’s Missing?  (What do we need to add?)

* At the top of the 5th column write, “Core Issues”.

* Take from 45-90 minutes with the consistory to discuss any aspect of the church:  leadership, programs, events, vision, hospitality, community mission engagement, etc.

* Invite people to people to populate the columns with any content with regard to the four questions.

* After the first four columns have been populated, begin to consider and record core issues in the 5th column.

* Keep in mind the four corresponding imperatives to each of the questions:  amplify, fix, clarify and add.

* Be ready for some break through clarity.

This tool could be a very helpful process for a consistory retreat.  If you would like to discover about 25 more tools for leadership teams in the church you can register for Auxano in 2014.  Here you will discover Paterson’s StratOp process for churches.

– Wayne Van Regenmorter

Wayne’s Schedule
January 13:  Coaching, Office
14:  KEZ Meeting/Calvary Reformed Church/Orland Park, IL; Synod Executive Team Meeting/Camp Manitoqua; Meeting/Beecher, IL
15:  Meeting/Faith Church/Dyer, IN
16:  Office
17:  Off
18:  Chicago Classis Meeting/Faith Community Reformed Church/Stickney, IL
19:  Sunday Worship
20:  Office
21:  Meeting/Lombard, IL
22:  Staff Meeting/Camp Manitoqua
23:  Office
24:  Conference Call, Meeting/Oak Park, IL
25:  Off
26:  Sunday Worship

Wayne’s contact information:
10088 Prairie Knoll Ct.
St. John, IN 46373
Cell phone:  941-302-1281
Home phone: 219-365-1694
Email:  wregen@msyn.org

Mindless Metrics – Sometimes the two most important measures we use to determine church health are average attendance and average Sunday offerings.  Tom Ehrich says, “A much better quantitative measure would get at “touches,” that is, how many lives are being touched by contact with the faith community in its various Sunday, weekday, off-site and online ministries —and then, for a qualitative measure, asking how those lives are being transformed.”

Three Signs Your Church Is Too Busy – Deborah Wipf states: “Reaching people for Christ is our main mission in ministry, and most churches use a variety of methods to attract a diverse audience. That makes sense, yet if we’re not careful, this can lead to a scattered approach that drains your people and church finances. Then, once a program or event is in place, it becomes part of the routine regardless of whether it attracts people or produces the desired results.”

The #1 Reason for Decline in Church Attendance – Thom Ranier addresses the decline in church attendance and gives 5 strategies to improve it.

Being the Church Today – Steve Willis talks about the decline in Christian influence in America and says: “the proof of our decline is not lessening power, money, and influence but rather our com­mercialized, dominant-culture idolization of the market. We see our situation through the same spectacles that the domi­nant, secular American culture views the world. The problem is not that we are getting smaller and more peripheral. The problem is a lethargic faith imagination and a graceless cov­enant love.”

Restructuring Into Simplicity – What is at the core of everything your church does?  “It’s possible that much of your congregation’s mission is not easily understood by most congregation members. It may also be possible that, after years of structuring your congregation toward classic ministry outcomes, you’re still not gathering the attention, interest, or emotions of most congregation members,” says Bob Sitze.

Chad’s Schedule:
January    13: Lafayette Office
14: Manitoqua Office; Executive Team Meeting
15: Lafayette Office
16: Faithwalking Retreat Indianapolis
17: Faithwalking Retreat Indianapolis
20: Martin Luther King Jr. Day/Off
21: Lafayette Office
22: Manitoqua Office; Staff Meeting
23: Multi-Racial Initiatives Meeting Pembroke, IL
24: Lafayette Office

Chad’s Contact Information:
2533 Mar Ruth Drive
Lafayette, IN 47905
Lafayette office phone: 219-669-1140
Manitoqua office phone: 815-464-9181
Cell phone: 765-237-7678
Email: chad@msyn.org