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ReFresh Intro May 2012
- 1. We want to see every church healthy and having a kingdom impact We believe you do too! The first essential question is... What will it take?
- 2. Introduction to ReFresh for our church to fulfill the mission? mission? mission? mission? Mobilizing Healthy, Reproducing Churches
- 3. Every Church a Mobilized Churchā¦ ā¦ A mobilized church is one that has a shared vision and effective strategies for impacting its community and the world by reproducing disciples, leaders and congregations.
- 4. Mission &Vision Values A Biblical Mission A Shared Vision Common Values
- 5. How does a Church become a Mobilized Church? Mobilized Church? Seminars Mobilized Church? Fads Books Books Biblical Pattern
- 6. The First Pattern: The Church in Jerusalem They devoted themselves to the apostlesā teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and Can we become sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the a Jerusalem favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Church? Acts 2:42-47 Acts 2:42-47 Acts 2:42-47 Acts 2:42-47 Acts 2:42-47 Acts 2:42-47 Acts 2:42-47 Acts 2:42-47
- 7. The Second Pattern: The Church in Antioch In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, āSet apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.ā So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and Can we become sailed from there to Cyprus. When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed an Antioch the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. Church? John was with them as their helper. Acts 13:1-5 Acts 13:1-5 Acts 13:1-5 Acts 13:1-5 Acts 13:1-5 Acts 13:1-5 Acts 13:1-5
- 8. These 2 churches simply obeyed what Jesus told them... Jesus commissioned his disciplesā¦ ā¦ āAll authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.ā Matthew 28:19-20
- 9. Jesus also commanded his disciplesā¦ ā¦ ā'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: āLove your neighbor as yourself.'ā Matthew 22:36-39
- 10. These 2 churches simply followed the Commission and Commandment Jesus gave them
- 11. The ReFresh mobilization process can help a church refocus and revitalize its outreach and ministry by following the patterns of the New Testamentā¦ Why is this necessary? Because churches, like every living thing, have a life cycle!
- 12. CHALLENGE: Church Life Cycle Balance Maturity Maintenance Outward Focus Marked by: Evangelism/Discipleship Leadership Development Cooperation CHALLENGE: Achievement/Stability Leadership Risk/Sacrifice Faith/Innovation Church Planting Growth Outward Focus Marked Decline by: Solution & growth-oriented Creative planning High morale CHALLENGE: Bold Faith Structure Teamwork Birth Outward Focus Marked Death by: Vision Risk Sacrifice Unity
- 13. Church Life Cycle Maturity Maintenance Inward Focus Marked by: CRISIS: Obligation Past Patterns/Programs Control Control Safe Faith Evangelism Optional Growth Decline CRISIS: Inward Focus Marked by: Stifling Bureaucracy Blame Rigid/Unchanging Looks to Past Membership Loss Recycle Leadership Birth Death
- 14. CHALLENGE: Church Life Cycle Balance Maturity Maintenance CRISIS: CHALLENGE: Control Leadership Two critical questions: Growth Decline CRISIS: Where is your church CHALLENGE: Blame on the life cycle? Structure What will it take to keep your church missionally healthy? Birth Death
- 15. Church Life Cycle Maturity Maintenance We need to Growth refocus on our Decline MISSION We need to refresh our VISION Birth Death
- 16. Church Life Cycle Maturity Maintenance Growth Decline Farther down More difficult Birth Death
- 17. Church Life Cycle Maturity Maintenance Growth The key is for the church Decline periodically to revisit its mission and refresh the vision Birth Death
- 18. Church Life Cycle Maturity Maintenance Growth Decline Birth Death
- 19. Thatās where the ReFresh process can help!
Editor's Notes
- My Role 1. Not to teach you ReFresh curriculum or course - you already know most of the content and truths - could probably teach it as well as I 2. Rather I want to expose you to the ReFresh concepts and process - i.e., how ReFresh has taken these truths and combined them in a way that (re-)mobilizes congregations - mobilizes congregations to be Great Commission & Great Commandment congregations 3. And thatās what ReFresh is aboutā¦ = a process designed to help churches recapture, reaffirm or strengthen their vision as a church -- impt. to remember it is a Process not a Program - a vision for being a mobilized, healthy, reproducing church 4. NEXT SLIDE
- 1. Not to teach you ReFresh curriculum or course - you already know most of the content and truths - could probably teach it as well as I 2. Rather I want to expose you to the ReFresh concepts and process - i.e., how ReFresh has taken these truths and combined them in a way that (re-)mobilizes congregations - mobilizes congregations to be Great Commission & Great Commandment congregations 3. And thatās what ReFresh is aboutā¦ = a process designed to help churches recapture, reaffirm or strengthen their vision as a church -- impt. to remember it is a Process not a Program - a vision for being a mobilized, healthy, reproducing church 4. NEXT SLIDE
- 1. Definition of a Mobilized Church (read) 2. DISCUSS: How is your church doing today? - are you consistently & intentionally Developing Closer Followers of Christ? - are you consistently & intentionally Engaging More (New) Followers of Christ? - are you Identifying & Developing Leadersā¦or just harvesting them? - are you reproducing yourself as a church in new congregations? 3. ReFresh gives you an opportunity to DREAM about these Mobilizing Concepts/Truths - ILLUS : Many pastors donāt have/take time to Dream after the first couple of years -- one Pastor friend I consulted with was so moved by the experience after 10+ years, it brought him to tears 4. Letās consider a few of the Key Concepts of ReFresh a. A churchās Vision is an opportunity for the Pastor, Leaders and Congregation to dream together again -- ReFresh seeks to help Pastors, Leaders & Cong.s Refocus Vision - Fresh vision gives SIGNIFICANCE to the ministries of the church -- enables people to find the connecting links between various church ministries - Vision also gives DIRECTION -- charts a course for where you want to go as a church -- helps evaluate ministries... Is it taking us where we want to be or keeping us where we are? - Vision instills PASSION -- Passion is the motivation for people to participate in the Vision b. Once the Vision is refocused, Focused & Effective Strategies put it into action -- these are specific steps and strategies that Implement the Vision to Fulfill the Mission - ILLUS: A dear friend is a Pastor who was a gifted strategist -- but he wasnāt focused -- like a runner who runs in 8 lanes inst. of 1 lane -- when he learned to run in 1 or 2 lanes, his church responded & has become a Mobilized Church -- these Strategies are developed by staff and ministry teams c. The end result is to be a church that has a Kingdom Impact ...local & global -- weāll take a closer look at this in the next slide d. The means for achieving this Kdm. Impact is Reproducing Disciples, Ldrs., Cong.s -- this is simply carrying out the Mission of Jesus that he gave us 5. NEXT SLIDE
- 1. Another way to look at the influence of a Mobilized Church is in the triad: Mission, Vision & Values - A Mobilized church is a church that has a Kingdom impact thru: a. (click) A biblical MISSION - itās Godās mission, we just sign on to it b. (click) A Shared VISION - a Vision that āseesā the Mission and Values in action in your community - begins with the Pastor dreaming again under the Spiritās guidance - then engaging the Leaders & Congregation c. (click) Common VALUES -clearly identified and articulated Values - there are Biblical values ... evangelism, Bible, Worship (shared by most churches) - also Ministry values ... relevance, creativity, diversity, small groups ( unique to specific churches) -- we can address these during the week if needed (Values/Beliefs matrix) 2. So how does a church become a Mobilized Church w/a Kingdom Impact? NEXT SLIDE
- 1. There are multiple approaches to instituting church change & improve health 2. Finding the most recommended SEMINARS (click) is always popular - āmaybe what theyāre doing there will work here !ā 3. (click) Identifying the latest church health FAD is increasingly popular - the way some other church engaged its culture may work for us 4. (click) There is no shortage of BOOKS written by pastors who are glad to share what theyāve learned - Books are cheaper than Seminars and more reliable than Fads - but more difficult to implement because they can be rather wooden 5. (click) If none of those approaches work, there is always the BIBLICAL PATTERN we can turn to - the Bibl. Pattern is consistent, God-ordained and transcultural - so we ought at least to give it consideration! 6. NEXT SLIDE
- Jerusalem Church 1. This first church is a PATTERN of a healthy, balanced, mobilized church fellowship 2. DISCUSS: What elements of church life do you see here? - Iād summarize with 6 Elements: - Biblical Teaching, Worship, Prayer, Fellowship, Service, Evangelism 3. The proper balance of these 6 elements produces HEALTH (click) - and a healthy church is normally a growing church 4. We often think of health/growth only in the context of an INDIVIDUAL Church - But the NT PATTERN depicts Health/Growth beyond the individual church 5. NEXT SLIDE
- 1. The CHURCH at ANTIOCH was a REPRODUCING Church We know Acts 13 as the beginning of Paulās Missionary Journeys - but we often fail to recognize that they were sent by a healthy, Mobilized Church at Antioch 2. DISCUSS: What do you see of interest/significance in this passage? - One insight is that Antioch sent people who were among their very best leaders - they didnāt give their 2 nd stringersā¦thatās not always easy to do - ILLUS: A church planter we support in GUADALAJARA, MEX. -- home church gave their 1 st string Worship Director - ILL : When our church planted a new church, we gave Assoc. Pastor -- he was being groomed to take over when founding pastor moved on -- if we truly believe that āwe canāt out-give God,ā then he will provide for us 3. And the motivating factor for these 2 PATTERNS is very simpleā¦OBEDIENCE TO CHRIST NEXT SLIDE
- 1. Jesus gave us the SIMPLE, yet GREAT, COMMISSION (Mt. 28) -Then he provided the SPIRITāS POWER (Acts 1:8) - So we donāt have to create anything for the church to be successfulā¦just trust & obey! 2. The MISSION is to be a Great Commission Churchā¦ ā¦making disciples thru the power of the H.S. 3. NEXT SLIDE
- 1. And the MISSION also includes being a Great COMMANDMENT Churchā¦ ā¦ Mt. 22:36-40 Love God & your neighbor 2. So itās really fairly straightforward to UNDERSTAND - but it takes lifelong passion and (re-) focus to WORK OUT 3. NEXT SLIDE
- READ/COMMENT NEXT SLIDE
- 1. Itās not so much that we need a Program to follow these NT patterns - not another seminar or book 2. Rather we need a process and coach to help us incorporate these patterns into our church - thatās what ReFresh is designed to help you do 3. (click) And this process can help your church develop a consistent life-pattern so it can maintain itās health over the long haul 4. That doesnāt happen automatically, because (click) Every Church has a Life Cycle - there is a life cycle of at least 5 stages for churches that needs to be recognized, so it can be countered and utilized 5. NEXT SLIDE
- 1. Youāre probably familiar with this cycle in your own church or others... 5 Stages - Birth, Growth, Maturity, Maintenance, Decline, Death 2. Iāve been in churches in every stage of this cycle - and the first 3 are best by far! 3. So what characterizes these stages? - ( Trans. #1 ) Outward Focused - ( trans. #2 ) Outward Focused - ( trans. #3 ) Outward Focus 4. Each Life Stage also has its own CHALLENGES - (trans. #4) betw. Birth & Growth, the challenge is STRUCTURE - ( trans. #5 ) for Growing Ch. the challenge is LEADERSHIP - ( trans. #6 ) for Mature Ch. the challenge is BALANCE 5. Meeting these Stage Challenges, enables church to remain Healthy - & continue to operate on LEFT side of graph 6. Churches that crest the hill to the RIGHT side, donāt fare so well 7. NEXT SLIDE
- 1. The focus of the RIGHT side becomes INWARD - & thatās what characterizes them - ( trans. #1 ) Inward Focus - Mtce. - ( trans. #2 ) Inward Focus - Decline 2. Rather than focusing on Challenges, - these churches are consumed with CRISIS - ( trans. #3 ) - Crisis of Control (Mtce.) * LIKE the Ch. at Ephesus (lost 1st love) - ( trans. #4 ) - Crisis of Blame (Decline) * Usually the Pastor gets the blame * LIKE Ch. at Sardis (āyou are deadā) - the truth is that at stage of Decline churches often rather die than change * there are lots of DECLINING or DEAD chs. mtg. every Sun. * b/c most churches DIE long before they have the funeral (close doors) 3. KEY (humanly speaking) is loving, bold, visionary, pastoral leadership - ldrshp. that recognizes the Crisis & is willing to be ReFreshed/Renewed NEXT SLIDE
- 1. At this point honest self-assessment is helpful - ( trans. #1 ) We need to ask 2 Critical Questions - Where & What 2. Honest Answers will open the door for renewal & refocus - not just for churches that are āover the curveā - but for churches at every stage 3. NEXT SLIDE
- 1. Weāre NOT Re-Inventing the Church - itās simply re-focusing our God-given mission - as weāve seen, God has mapped it out for us in the Word * ( trans. #1 ) our task is to refocus on the MISSION - ( trans. #2 ) then refresh or re-discover Godās Vision for our church in its current state & setting 2. And at the risk of generalizing, - for most churches a key element that must be in the DNA... - is actively & passionately MAKING NEW DISCIPLES 3. Once a church loses that element, the over-the-hill slide has begun 4. NEXT SLIDE
- 1. Once a church crests the hill, the farther down the slope it goes, - the more difficult and challenging is the return to health 2. The ReFresh process is helpful at every stage, - (click) but most helpful betw. Birth & Maturity * b/c the church is pliable and teachable, and wants to be VISION DRIVEN 3. Helpful, Secondly, (click) betw. Maturity & Mtce. - this is where the church feels the slowdown, but still can reverse it easily 4. NEXT SLIDE
- 1. For a MAINTENANCE Church, key is to move back to the front side of graph - this is not a major redirection for the church * only a reorientation and refocus of its mission & vision 3. If a MATURE Church is approaching the top of the hill, - needs to be aware of what lies just over the hill! * itās time to ReFresh the Vision 4. Key is for church periodically to revisit its Mission & refresh its Vision NEXT SLIDE
- 1. B/c the ideal is to live between birth and maturity in an ebb and flow pattern - Sometimes there will be seasons of significant harvesting (Birth & Growth) 2. Other times there will be more nurture and development (Maturity) - as a preparation for continued harvest by reproducing leaders & congregations * w/o abandoning some new growth in the process 3. NEXT SLIDE
- 1. ReFresh is relevant to churches that want to stay on the cutting edge of their mission - that doesnāt happen automatically - itās a result of the 2 nd Law of Thermodynamics! * order to disorder 2. It is also for churches that want to return to the cutting edge - itās seldom too late for a church to remobilize and return to their mission - a fresh vision can become a reality and a tool for renewal for most churches - Once a church moves over crest of the hill, it often takes some help to return to the cutting edge - thatās where ReFresh can help 3. Tomorrow weāll begin to discover how the ReFresh Process helps YOU discover a fresh Vision END SLIDE