What is Involved for Congregations?

	TRANSFORMING CHURCHES TOWARD A MISSIONAL POSTURE What is Involved for Congregations?

	It starts with God's mission... What do you mean - becoming a missional church? The process of Missional Transformation Training and consulting support Some benefits you can expect It starts with God's mission... *The mission* of the church is to discern, celebrate, and participate in God's redemptive mission in the world.** As congregations today engage in positive activities of worship, service, and witness, many feel pushed to keep up and to do and be more. Is it possible to miss out on God's mission in our activities and in our desire for more? The greatest challenge facing churches today is not how to stimulate more programs and activity, but rather to become a missional church - to develop missionary sensitivities, vision, and practices for participating in God's mission. God's mission needs a church that in both its life together and in its outreach demonstrates God's own heart. Becoming a missional church is the basic transformation challenge for congregations seeking to renew and revitalize their life and ministry. TOP OF PAGE
	What do you mean - becoming a missional church? *There is a difference between "having mission programs" and "becoming a missional church."* Many churches have mission programs alongside the other activities of the church - Christian education, worship, acts of service, and other programs. A missional church focuses all of its activities around its main focus - discovering and participating in God's mission in their concrete circumstances. A church with a mission program sends others to witness and serve on its behalf. A missional church understands that it - the congregation itself - is sent by God to be a sign, a foretaste, and an instrument of the reign of God. Just as God sent Jesus, Jesus sends the church. (John 20:21). Your congregation is being invited into an exciting and rewarding journey of transformation toward a missional church. On this journey you will discover what God is doing among you. You will discern (sort through and decide together) what God is calling you to become as a church on God's mission. You will embark upon a more faithful and more fruitful path of congregational life and witness that will clearly demonstrate how God is sending you into the world today. TOP OF PAGE
	The process of Missional Transformation is - Participatory. The process involves our entire congregation in a variety of ways and times, in gatherings large and small, in study, prayer, conversation, discernment, planning, and action. Missional. The process is not based on marketing surveys or focus groups. Rather, members and leaders engage one another in discovering God's calling, taking seriously the current cultural context, and discovering life together as a community formed by the Holy Spirit. Strategic. Our congregation will make direction-setting decisions from the missional perspective that has been formed. These are decisions that will have long term effects, impacting every aspect and segment of life in our congregation. Engaging, exciting, and enriching. We will find this journey to be a learning journey of spiritual depth for us personally and as a congregation. We will experiment with and experience Christian community in new and fruitful ways. We will learn more of what it means to be the church for these times. We will have opportunity to share our faith in ways we haven't before. We will have opportunity to learn to live as committed disciples. We anticipate a new sense of purpose, direction, and excitement as a result of shared focus.
	On a missional transformation journey a range of practical steps are taken:
	A journey of Vision and Planning involves discovering and joining God's mission in fresh ways in today's changed cultural context. It is a dynamic, faith-filled, and results-oriented journey. In a very constructive and faith-filled manner, it enables the congregation to evaluate and define anew the nature, purpose, and practices of its life together in light of God's mission. It offers the opportunity to make the changes discerned to be necessary in order to become more faithful to God's calling and purpose in our situation. TOP OF PAGE Training and consulting support A journey of Vision and Planning is not a canned program. It requires careful design and ongoing stewardship by a coordinating team from your church selected for this purpose. To assure quality results, the coordinating team receives training coupled with consulting support from the Center for Parish Development. A consultant from the Center will assist you through each phase of the process and all of its activities, as needed. Some benefits you can expect 1.Church leaders more highly skilled in visionary leadership. 2.Church members along with leaders more committed to discovering and living out God's vision for their church. 3.Renewed spiritual life - leaders and members re-discovering and using the language of faith with meaning. 4.Leaders and members developing new capacities for engaging their "world" with the Gospel. 5.Greater clarity of purpose as a congregation. 6.Increased sense of unity, pulling together. 7.More resources available as people become more satisfied and excited about the church with its clear sense of purpose and direction. 8.Increased excitement about their Christian faith. 9.Learning to live as committed disciples. TOP OF PAGE