Becoming the Vital Churches and Disciples that Tomorrow Requires

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Becoming the Vital Churches and Disciples that
Tomorrow Requires

• David Schoen
• Congregational Vitality and Discipleship
• Local Church Ministries
• United Church of Christ

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Vital churches in the 21st CenturyMissional,
Relational Conversational

• Missional in purpose
• Relational in outreach
• Conversational in witness

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Vital Churches in 21st Century

• Local Churches are
• Missional Communities,
• moving from membership based social organizations
  to
• discipleship forming missional communities.  
• Our mission focus is transforming lives, by
  transforming both individuals and wider social
  culture. 

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Missional in Purpose

• Vital congregations
• clear sense of purpose
• Vital congregations
• are sent churches
• Vital congregations
• reach out beyond themselves
• Vital congregations
• reproduce and plant new congregations

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Missional Church

• The Church exists to serve Gods Mission
  Mission as Missio Dei, UCC Committee on
  Structure, 1992
• The church of Jesus Christ is the instrument and
  sign of Gods mission and realm.
• Gods mission is calling and sending us, the
  church of Jesus Christ, to be a missionary church
  in our own societies, in the cultures in which we
  find ourselves.

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Identity and Mission

• Reverend Otis Moss III from Trinity United Church
  of Christ in Chicago speaks on Church Vitality
  and Discipleship
• www.ucc.org/vitality/ready-set-grow/video/otis-mos
  s.html

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Vital congregations discern Gods call and mission

• The greatest characteristic of a vital
  congregation is the ability to articulate and
  live Gods purpose.
• What is God calling this church to be and do at
  this time, in this place, with the gifts we have
  on this corner of Gods realm that we are placed?

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Missional Purpose

• Cathedral of Hope UCC
• The Mission of the Cathedral of Hope is to
  reclaim Christianity as a faith of  extravagant
  grace, radical inclusion and relentless
  compassion.
• We are a people of compassion
• We are a people of inclusion
• We are a people of liberation
• We are a people of hope
• We are a people of Jesus

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Missional Statement

• First Grace UCC, Akron OH
• First grace..then faith and works!
• First Congregtional UCC Santa Rosa
• Making Gods love visible
• Others
• Strangers no more
• Jesus loves youthis we know!
• In the Heart of the City with the City in our
  Heart
• A Church Just for You, A Just Church for You.

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Missional in Purpose

• What is Your Mission Statement?
• Mission Statement should be
• 7 9 words or less
• Engaging
• Compelling
• Visionary
• True

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Resources for Vital Congregations

• Ready, Set, Grow Resources
• Vital-o-Meter
• Discovering your Congregations Strengths
• Discerning your Congregations Mission
• Vitality Interviews
• www.ucc.org/vitality

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Missional in PurposeRelational in Outreach

• Ministry in 21st Century is Relational
• Build community with those outside the church
• Get to know the unchurched people and culture

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• the world has changed
• 60 80 unchurched
• 80 of baby boomers left
• 80 of youth have negative view of
  church
• Culture does not support church

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Relational in Outreach

• Bridge the gap by building relationships
• The days of waiting for people to come to church
  to welcome them are over.
• Instead of waiting inside, we go outside

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Missional Outreach

• Go to where the unchurched are Starbucks,
  Borders Parks, Gymns
• I stopped wondering about how to draw younger
  folks into my church and started focusing on how
  to draw my congregation out of its building and
  into relationship with the world outside its
  doors.

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Go Forth. Into the Virtual World.

• In Asia, Europe and North Americaan entire
  generation has experienced the Internet as a
  means for maintaining relationships with family
  and friends.
• The Internet is a lifeline for users whose
  mobility is limited by disability, chronic
  illness or advanced age.
• The Internet is where we can find and engage
  seekers.

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Resources for Vital Congregations

• Ready, Set, Grow Resources
• Its a Whole New World
• Community Demographics
• Knowing Your Neighborhood
• www.ucc.org/vitality

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Relational in OutreachConversational in Witness

• Conversational ministry is central to the future
  of the church in 21st Century
• Count conversations, not conversions
• Brian McLaren, More Ready than You Think

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Conversational Ministry

• The postmodern world calls for disciples who
  reach out to a world that is hungering for good
  conversation about faith, values, hope, meaning,
  purpose, goodness, beauty, truth, life after
  death, life before death and God. Engaging in
  everyday faith conversations will not only help
  others become Christians, it will help us become
  better Christians, who know and love the still
  speaking God more than ever.

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Conversational Ministry

• A world of spiritual seekers wants to talk.
• We are the ones who are not talking!
• Vital churches are communities in which the
  pastor and members have invited 5 to 15 new folks
  to their community of faith in the past six
  months.

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Are you Ready to Talk?
Tricking the church into Evangelism Taking it
back!
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Are You Ready to Talk?

• Why do you love your church?
• What impact has believing in God and following
  Jesus made in your life?
• What Bible text has made a difference in your
  life?

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God is still speaking,

• Through you and me!

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Where will we be in 2020.?

• The still speaking God
• calls us to become
• Churches that the Future Requires
• Missional in purpose
• Relational in outreach
• Conversational in witness

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Two questions

• Where are the signs of vitality in your
  congregation this spring?
• What are you going to do from todays
  presentation to increase vitality in your
  congregation?

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Resources for Vital Congregations

• Vitality Powerpoint - Retreat Resources
  www.ucc.org/vitality/retreat-resources
• GrowtheUCC.org Events and Webinars
• www.GrowtheUCC.org
• Churches Birthing Churches
• Redeveloper Leadership Institute
• Web University
• Evangelism and Leadership Webinars
• myUCC http//community.ucc.org
• Congregational Vitality Ready, Set, Grow Group
• Congregational Vitality Ready, Set, Grow Group

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Thank You!

• Thank you for your Vital Leadership
• Thank you for Your Support of
• Changing Lives Thats Our Churches Wider
  Mission
• Thank you for Spreading the Love
• Strengthen the Church Offering
• www.ucc.org/stc

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