As far as congregations go:
Vital > Viable > Inviable
I would much rather lead and be part of a vital congregation than one that is simply viable.
I would much rather lead and be part of a viable congregation than one that is inviable and has not yet closed.
I believe that one of my roles as a United Methodist clergy person is to help congregations move from one to the next.
At our last district clergy meeting our District Superintendent was speaking about metrics and vital churches and wanted to make one thing clear:
Numbers are not vitality. Numbers are contextual.
This is so true. Numbers give us insight but they are not vitality. I found a similar thought expressed on Twitter recently
Growth ≠ The Mission. Growth is a tactic in service of The Mission. Don't mistake tactics for what you're actually trying to accomplish.—
Joshua Blankenship (@blankenship) September 23, 2011
Several weeks ago, I wrote a series about Why Numbers Matter in the UMC and I wanted to follow that up with some thoughts that I have been percolating on since then.
Statistically, for metrics to be any good they need to be measuring the same thing across time and among different locations. I don’t have any conclusions today, but just a question:
What is the standard for counting worship attendance? Do you include:
There are many blessings of being in ministry serving as a pastor at a local church. One of these is the chance to teach classes about knowing, loving and serving God. This week I finished the second of a six week class in which we are looking at how we respond to God’s love and how our lives might be different as a result. I really enjoying sharing about our faith and the church, answering questions and helping people take the next step on their journey of faith.
What blessings do you find in ministry?
There are many blessings of being in ministry as the pastor of a local church. One of these blessings is the opportunity to lead our congregation in mission to the community. In my role at Resurrection West, I have the opportunity to work with a great team of volunteers on the Mission team that organizes and equips our congregation to serve others and share Christ. I love being able to help people live out God’s call in their life.
What blessings do you find in ministry?
There are many blessings of ministry as a pastor. One of those is to be with families with new babies. In the past several weeks, I have had the opportunity to be with two families who welcomed a new member to their family, as well as pray before surgery for an infant. Each one of these are doing great.
What blessings do you find in ministry?
Here are some posts from Thoughts of Resurrection one year ago, that I think you might find interesting. Take a look…
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“Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.” Psalm 84:10, NIV
This verse reminds me of two things, which happen to be connected together. The first is an experience that I had in college at One Day 2000. Along with others from the college ministry of which I was a part, I traveled to Shelby Farms Park in Memphis Tennessee for One Day. This was one of the Passion Conferences and you can read more about it at this blog post - Remembering OneDay 2000-Sacred. Holy. His. This verse also reminds me of the song Better is One Day by Sonic Flood, who played at the One Day event.
More than these things, this verse brings perspective to my life when I get caught up in the details, tasks and minutiae of life. It helps broaden my perspective. Were you at One Day in 2000? I would love to hear from you in the comments. Also, how do you respond to this verse?
It is Leadership Institute time again at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection. This year there are over 2,000 church leaders from 700 churches, 46 states, Brazil, Scotland and South Africa here for 2-3 days of teaching, inspiration, worship and community.
I love these days. There is something that is powerful when there are hundreds of leaders from across the denomination that at some level are seeking the same thing – new life in their congregation and community. Personally, it is fun to see colleagues and peers who I know from seminary, social media or the annual conference.
If you are at Leadership Institute this year or have been in the past, what did you find to be most helpful about the experience?
I recently learned that Relaxation is a Skill. One of the ways to relax is to breathe deeply. Our son is 9 months old and it doesn’t do us much good to tell him to take a deep breathe. What we can do is to hold him close and breathe deeply.
This helped me know more about my relationship with God. One of the ways to relax in life is to be close to God and breathe deeply in and with God’s spirit. Deep breathing is good for the body and soul.
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