Shared Learning Experience

Our World Has ChangedSession Two

WELCOME!

Group Introductions

Core Purposes

Our core purposes today are to establish how the world has changed, and how the church can change in order to minister more effectively in our current culture.

Objectives

• Identify changes that have occurred in our world over the past few decades• Identify how your church can

change using the five practices of fruitful congregations• Discover how to use MissionInsite to

understand your community better

Ground Rules

• Be on time• Be engaged• Be curious• Be respectful

Please silence cell phones

As you read, look for examples of the five practices:

Radical HospitalityPassionate WorshipIntentional Faith DevelopmentRisk-taking Mission and ServiceExtravagant Generosity

Spiritual Centering John 4:1-42

Reflection questions…

1. What examples do you see of the five practices in this passage?

2. In what ways do you implement each of these practices in your daily life?

3. In what ways does your church implement each of these practices?

Radical Hospitality: vs. 9-15

Passionate Worship: vs. 19-26

Intentional Faith Development: vs.39-42

Risk-taking Mission and Service: vs. 28-30, 34-38

Extravagant Generosity: vs.10, 13-14, 40

Spiritual Centering John 4:1-42 (Common English)

Action Plan Review

Action Plan Review

Accountability: Were you able to accomplish your plan? If not, what got in the way?

Application Learning: How did you apply what you learned to your specific situation?Peer Mentoring:

How can your teammates help you achieve your plans?

Action Plan Review Assignments

1. How did your homework assignments go?

2. Did you do something fun together as an FCJ Team?

3. Did you make a team covenant? 4. Did you make sure your church has a

prayer team for the Fruitful Cong. Journey?

Our World Has Changed

Activity – Our World Has Changed

World Comm Church UMC1960’s1970’s1980’s1990’sToday+10 yrs

Our World Has ChangedParadigm Shift

A radical change in personal beliefs, complex systems, ways of thinking or organizing can be referred to as a paradigm shift.

Our World Has ChangedChange #1

What we are seeing is that while the church was busy adapting to a secular culture, America became spiritually thirsty.

Our World Has ChangedChange #2

The way we learn has profoundly changed from passive/lecture to active/multimedia.

Our World Has ChangedChange #3

Over the years, the church shifted from a church “on a mission” to a church that “supports missions”.

Our World Has ChangedChange #4

People today are not as interested in a purely theological discussion as they are in the application of that information.

Our World Has ChangedChange #5

Too many leaders got involved in ministry hoping this was a safe place to serve, while the world was demanding leadership willing to lead the church into dangerous places.

Our World Has ChangedChange #6

One major issue is that atrophy has set in throughout the church.

Our World Has ChangedPerfect Storm

All of the previous points add up to a perfect storm that is hitting the church of today.

A word from the Bible…

“Don’t always be asking, ‘Where are the good old days.’ Wise folks don’t ask questions like that.”

-- Ecclesiastes 7:10

How Our Church Can ChangeThe Five Practices

• Is the church keeping up with these changes?• How can churches change

in order to communicate the Gospel in a way our culture can relate to?

How Our Church Can Change

“No church that is vibrant, fruitful, and growing performs its ministry exactly as it did in the 1950s, and no pastor leading such a congregation is practicing ministry as she or he did in the 1970s and 1980s. Effective congregations change, improve, learn, and adapt to fulfill their mission, and these words push us to rethink our basic congregational culture, organization and practice.”

How Our Church Can ChangeThe Five Practices

• Radical Hospitality• Passionate Worship• Intentional Faith

Development• Risk-taking Mission &

Service• Extravagant Generosity

How Our Church Can ChangeRadical Hospitality

“Out of genuine love for Christ and others, the laity and the pastors take the initiative to invite, welcome, include, and support newcomers and help them grow in faith as they become part of the Body of Christ.”

How Our Church Can ChangeRadical Hospitality

“Their members focus on those outside their congregation with as much passion as they attend to the nurture and growth of those who already belong to the family of faith, and they apply their utmost creativity, energy, and effectiveness to the task, exceeding all expectations.”

How Our Church Can ChangeRadical Hospitality-exceed

expectations

How Our Church Can ChangePassionate Worship

“God’s Spirit changes us through worship. God uses worship to transform lives, heal wounded souls, renew hope, shape decisions, provoke change, inspire compassion, and bind people to one another.”

How Our Church Can ChangePassionate Worship

“People are searching for worship that is authentic, alive, creative, and comprehensible, where they experience the life-changing presence of God in the presence of others.”

How Our Church Can ChangeIntentional Faith Development

“Churches that practice intentional faith development offer high quality learning experiences that help people understand Scripture, faith and life in the supportive nurture of caring relationships.”

How Our Church Can ChangeRisk-taking Mission and Service

“Risk-taking Mission and Service includes the projects, efforts, and work people do to make a positive difference in the lives of others for the purposes of Christ, whether or not they will ever be part of the community of faith.”

How Our Church Can ChangeExtravagant Generosity

“sure as gravity, generosity enlarges the soul, realigns priorities, connects people to the Body of Christ, and strengthens congregations to fulfill Christ’s ministries. Giving reflects the nature of God. Growing in the grace of giving is part of the Christian journey of faith, a response Christian disciples offer to God’s call to make a difference in the world.”

God is an Extravagant Giver

How Our Church Can ChangeKnow your audience/mission field

Churches must be culturally relevant if they are going to reach people with the

Gospel. This requires that you know your audience, your mission field.

MissionInsite.com

MissionInsite Information

• Population numbers and trends• Statistical information—such as

age, income, employment, commute time• Family information—single

families, ethnicity, languages spoken at home• Values and perspectives on life

and faith issues

MissionInsite Application

• There is a tool to unpack the data and apply it to your church’s ministry.• There is a Mission Impact guide

to help determine the appropriate style of preaching, teaching, small groups, missional outreach, etc., that will best reach the population.

MissionInsite Tools

• Data is refreshed every six months.• The site allows you to choose

your study area by a circle radius, zip codes, town or school boundaries, or a customized area.• You can plot your members on

maps.• You can create thematic maps.

Where thepopulation is moving.

Projected to grow by 3% next 5 years.

Key Learnings

Action Plan & Prayer Concerns

Next-Step Assignments

1. As a team, make a plan for how you will spread what you are learning in the Shared Learning Experience with others in your church.

2. Register with MissionInsite and discuss your findings in your debriefing sessions with your pastor.

Continue the Conversation!

1. Facebook page = http://www.facebook.com/makingdisciplestransformingcommunities

2. Blog Site = http://churchdevinumc.wordpress.com/

Our FCJ Toolbox

• Asking the “so that…” question• Using a team/church covenant• MissionInsite demographic

tool

Core Purposes

Our core purposes today were to establish how the world has changed, and how the church can change in order to minister more effectively in our current culture.

Objectives

• Identify changes that have occurred in our world over the past few decades• Identify how your church can

change using the five practices of fruitful congregations• Discover how to use MissionInsite to

understand your community better

Wrap-Up & Closing

Next book:• Direct Hit, by Paul Borden • Evaluations

Have a great month!