Charge Conference Preparations
District Superintendent Rev. Adiel DePano of the Pasadena District has asked some questions of the congregations and their members prior to Charge Conference 07-08. Del Rosa UMC has their Charge Conference November 4, 2007, after church service.
Helpful questions for all of us in ministry - lay and clergy alike.
1. What is our church’s mission statement?
How is our church responding to the Great Commission (“…go and make disciples of all nations…”)?
2. How is our church fulfilling the mission of the church to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world?
3. Name the church’s strengths, things that are going [well] for us, that can be harnessed and focused toward fulfilling this mission.
4. Name the weaknesses/threats that are hindering the church from fulfilling this mission.
5. Name opportunities; identify growing edges that could spell transformation ministry for the church.
6. What goals are you committing yourselves to in order for the church to move forward?
posted by David @ 9/05/2007
2 comments
2 Comments:
Wow. Great questions.
What are your answers?
John,
Thanks for asking and spurring me to answer a question I had been putting off.
The Del Rosa UMC Mission Statement:
“The Del Rosa United Methodist Church is a living, growing community of faithful members of the body of Christ. We are a fellowship of active and supportive persons who minister to one another, our community, and our world. We are an inter-active, dynamic and Christ-centered congregation who are dedicated to nurturing, educating, and caring for others in Christian love and faith.”
We are responding to the Great Commission by beginning some "Covenant Discipleship Groups", encouraging persons to claim and practice the ministries they are called, and bringing together our resources to be in ministry with the community. (See the posts on "Cadence" for June/July/August"
The church's strengths are the funds we have in hand to restore the buildings to a manner able to do the kind of ministry necessary for the community (thanks to the bequests of several persons related to the church in their wills). We have persons beginning to change in their attitude toward prayer, as well as their practice of prayer. We are making greater inroads to disperse the Gospel of Jesus Christ to our community, in love, distributing the Bible, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked and learning the power of the command to "heal the sick", not just to visit them.
Weaknesses and threats hindering the church are spoken and unspoken fears that prevent people from doing the right thing, for fear of losing persons in the church, or having their hand slapped (again!).
Opportunities and growing edges are in determining how to minister to those who are not in our church, claiming the ministry of each person in the congregation, and deepening the spiritual practices of the people.
Goals we are committing to in order for the church to move forward are split into two camps
-those who seek to use the funds at hand to improve the facility for the future of the church (and hopefully the ministries thereof)
-those who are learning the call of Jesus Christ upon their lives, and seeking to follow it.
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