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CURRENT MISSION AND VISION ACTIVITIES October 11: Voter's Assembly August 29: Leadership Team Retreat June 20: Leadership Team Retreat June 8 -- June 18: Congregation Member Interviews May 18 -- June 18: Community Leader Interviews
The Leadership Team worked through the many possibilities to craft new statements that would express Faith Memorial's Mission and Core Values. The initial statements were presented to a congregational gathering during the Education Hour on Sunday, September 13. There was extensive conversation, especially concerning the notion of discipleship and the centrality of the Gospel. The Leadership Team met to discuss the input and edit the statements in ways that would reflect this input and gather together the "spirit" of the congregation in a way that could provide a framework for our work into the future. At the Voters' Assembly on Sunday, October 18, the group adopted the following: MISSION Embraced by God through the Gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord, we share hope and healing within and throughout our community. VALUES As disciples of Jesus Christ, we believe that the Gospel forms our calling and identity.
Education: As followers of Christ we mature spiritually as we regularly study God’s word together. Evangelism: As children of God we intentionally share the good news of Christ with others. Worship: As recipients of God’s grace we praise God together through word and sacrament, liturgy and music. Prayer: As people of faith we commend ourselves and others to God’s purpose and care. Service: As servants of Christ we work to bring about the justice and peace of God’s kingdom. Fellowship: As sisters and brothers in Christ we joyfully celebrate God’s promises.
"The Vision Frame contains five components that define your church's DNA and creates the platform for all vision casting." Will Mancini in Church Unique: How Missional Leaders Cast Vision, Capture Culture, and Create Movement Once the Leadership Team and congregation take hold of our unique Kingdom Concept (see article below), the task that follows will be to work on the various pieces of the Vision Frame. Many who have worked on structuring (or re-structuring) an organization, be it a for-profit business or a not-for-profit entity, will recognize many pieces of this puzzle. Consider these short descriptions of each piece from Mancini's book, Church Unique. |
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"Each component is critical to answering one of the five irreducible questions of leadership:
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The concepts are clear and concise, as clear and concise as the result is intended to be once the congregational leadership works through the processes to develop each part of the vision frame. Individually these components help answer specific questions concerning the what, why, how, when, and where of our life together as God's people. As a whole they will point to an exciting future together as God's people at Faith Memorial Lutheran Church.
"The Kingdom Concept is the simple, clear, 'big idea' that defines how your church will glorify God and make disciples." Will Mancini in Church Unique: How Missional Leaders Cast Vision, Capture Culture, and Create Movement
LOCAL PREDICAMENT "What are the unique needs and opportunities where God has placed us?" To answer this question we could rely on our own considered opinions or we could go to those who are outside our congregation: our neighbors, friends, co-workers and community leaders. We need your help with two activities to take place by the middle of June. "Your Assignment Should You Choose to Accept It" These words may have defined an impossible mission on the now-famous television show, "Mission Impossible." This time they define what Pastor Albers and the congregational leadership hopes you define as possible and more than a little exciting. Beginning Sunday, May 17, the congregation will be asked to informally interview at least EIGHT persons: neighbors, friends, co-workers. The only rule: they cannot already be a member of Faith Memorial Lutheran Church. The only real question: "What does our community need?" Which community? Let the person you interview define that for you. It could be as small as your neighborhood, or as large as the county. In your report (cards will be provided) summarize your conversation and try to identify the one critical need this person identified and, if possible, how they would define "community." Community Leader Interviews Jesus sent out the disciples two-by-two. We're sending out teams of THREE persons to interview AT LEAST two dozen community leaders in a matter of one month, beginning Monday, May 18, and continuing through Thursday, June 18. Although the process may be a bit more "formal," the basic question will be the same. How can you help?
COLLECTIVE POTENTIAL We've already begun to develop answers to these questions. Dozens of congregational members have completed the SPIRITUAL GIFTS INVENTORY and the TALENT AND INTEREST SURVEY made available in the middle of April. If you have not yet completed these, please download the forms from this website and complete them as soon as possible. We're also planning a series of interviews with key congregational members who are not part of the Leadership Team. We hope to complete at least a dozen such interviews in the first several weeks of the month of June. These interviews will be conducted by Pastor Albers and one member from the Leadership Team. APOSTOLIC ESPRIT The Leadership Team will gather near the end of June with the assignment to answer, or at least begin to answer, this basic question, "What particular focus most energized and animates our leadership?" Our church glorifies God and makes disciples by: __________________________. By the end of June we hope to present to the congregation a "big idea" that fills in that blank.
Critical to the success of the VISION process is The Leadership Team that has been put in place to guide discussions, decisions and communicate the results to the congregation. This group of 15 includes:
Those marked with an asterisk (*) form a smaller Steering Committee that has been charged with the task of keeping this group and the congregation "on task" as we move through the process. This Steering Committee will regularly meet with Rev. Tom Eggold our facilitator from the Transforming Congregations Network. |
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Faith Memorial Lutheran Church + 753 N. Calumet Ave., Valparaiso, IN 46383 + (219) 462-7684 |
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Mission
as missional mandate (mMandate): What are we
doing? The missional mandate is a clear and concise statement
that describes what the church is ultimately supposed to be doing.
Values
as missional motives (mMotives): Why are we
doing it? The missional motives are shared convictions that
guide the actions and reveal the strengths of the church.
Strategy
as missional map (mMap): How are we doing it?
The missional map is the process of picture that demonstrates
how the church will accomplish its mandate on the broadest level.
Measures
as missional life marks (mMarks): When are we
successful? The missional life marks are a set of attributes in
an individual's life that define or reflect accomplishment of the
church's mandate.
Vision
Proper as missional mountaintop + milestones (mMountaintop
+ Milestones): Where is God taking us? Vision Proper is
the living language that anticipates and illustrates God's better
intermediate future."
The
Leadership Team has first been given the assignment to develop our
unique "Kingdom Concept." The graphic taken
from Mancini's book indicates how this "big idea" is found in the
intersection of three circles that represent our congregation's
God-give uniqueness.